This Lemon Cream Cheese Braid is a sweet bread filled with creamy lemon cream cheese filling! I’ve partnered with Fleischmann’s® Yeast on this easy and delicious recipe.
Can you even believe it’s officially spring? I know I say this every year, but where is time going? Unfortunately, right now my lawn is still covered with a healthy dose of snow from the rogue snowstorm we had here in the Northeast last week, but I’m choosing to go by the calendar and not Mother Nature this year. I am ready for tulips, daffodils, and all the pastel colors.
Spring also means, for me, all the bright citrus flavors. I decided to start it off right this year with the this gorgeous Lemon Cream Cheese Braid, a recipe I adapted from Fleischmann’s website. I started from scratch on this one, baking a little extra, by making my own sweet dough, with the help of Fleischmann’s® Rapid Rise™ Yeast, which only requires one rise. Then layered in all the bright lemon and creamy filling goodness.
This is the perfect sweet treat to enjoy with your family for Easter breakfast or serve up for another springtime occasion. You might also want to make a little extra and surprise your neighbors, friends or family.
The feeling of making the dough from scratch is pretty awesome. And using Rapid Rise™ Yeast makes it an easy and quick process.
I used lemon zest and vanilla in the dough to really make it sweet and flavorful.
The dough is silky smooth and rolls out very easily…
Then you make a simple cream cheese filling spread that down the middle…
You cut the edges of the dough about 1- inch thick using a knife and then fold it over in an alternating pattern. It was actually really fun to make!
See how pretty?
And then you bake it…which actually makes it even prettier!
I mean gorgeous…
And, of course, it’s totally not optional to add the simple icing.
You can wait for it to cool off or go ahead and enjoy it while it’s warm.
I know you will love this one! You could try it using any citrus fruit you like!
Enjoy!
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Lemon Cream Cheese Braid
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 mins
- Yield: serves 10 1x
Description
This Lemon Cream Cheese Braid is so easy! Chewy pastry filled with sweet lemon cream cheese!
Ingredients
- 1 envelope Fleischmann’s® Rapid Rise Yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 3/4 – 3 cups all purpose or bread flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 (8 ounce block) cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer mix together dry yeast, salt, 3/4 cup flour, and lemon zest.
- In a medium, microwave safe bowl heat milk, sugar and butter to very warm (120° to 130°F). Add these to the dry ingredients and mix until moistened. Add the egg and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth. Add in 2 cups flour and mix until a soft dough forms. If needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour. The dough shouldn’t be sticky.
- Using a dough hook, mix the dough for 6 minutes on medium-low speed. Alternately, you can knead the dough by hand for 6-7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a clean bowl, mix together the cream cheese, lemon juice and powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
- Once dough is done resting, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it’s approximately 17×10 inches. Transfer the dough to a large baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture down the middle of the dough, long-wise, creating a strip that’s approximately 4-inches in diameter. Using a knife, or kitchen shears, cut the dough into 1- inch strips on each of the dough, just to edge of the filling. Alternate from side to side, starting at the top, folding the strips on a slight angle across the filling, overlapping.
- Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Glaze
- In a medium bowl whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of milk until smooth. Drizzle on top of the braid.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or at room temperature for up to 2 days.
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I have partnered with Fleischmann’s® Yeast to create this recipe. I only partner with brands that I use in my kitchen. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
This is my new favorite pastry recipe. I added homemade lemon curd to one and homemade raspberry jam (on top of the cream cheese mixture for both) to the other. The filling oozed out a little which made them even prettier. Everyone was vey impressed. I’m making them for the third time today. This time I’m going to try homemade cranberry sauce on the cream cheese. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
I am so glad you love this recipe as much as I do! I don’t make it often enough!
Wondering if I can make this and freeze before the rise and then rise and bake at a later time?
Yes, since this uses Instant Yeast only one rise is required you can freeze it before the rise!
Can you use thawed out frozen bread dough?
Yes 🙂
Do I put the thawed dough in a mixer then add the lemon zest, vanilla, etc and mix? My concern is that the dough will be over mixed by doing that, but if I don’t add the ingredients, I think it might not be sweet tasting. What do you recommend?
NO, you would prepare the dough through step 4 🙂
In the recipe it calls for powdered sugar in the main recipe and also in the glaze, but in the directions for the main recipe it doesn’t mention the powdered sugar. When do you add the 3/4 cup?
Hi, in step #5 you use the powdered sugar with the cream cheese and lemon juice for the filling 🙂
This bread was so delicious although I didn’t do very well on the braid. It got good reviews. I am wondering if there would be an issue if I made the bread (possibly tweaking it a little) and entering it into a contest? I would need to provide the recipe and I would note your website. Is this okay and acceptable? It is for September 16th so soon.
Is there a reason you have chosen not to respond? The date is approaching and I will need to get the ingredients and make it. You responded so quickly the first time I commented. What do I make of silence as an answer?
You can certainly use the recipe. Thanks for asking and sorry I missed this question when you posted it!
Got the wrong yeast – active dry yeast instead. I am going to try it still but if you could suggest any hints with this issue it would be appreciated. This looks so good – will be trying again when I can get the right yeast!
Oh sure! You would really follow the recipe the same way, but you will need to let the dough rise for a few hours, or overnight in the fridge 🙂
Omg. My mouth is watering! This sounds amazing!