Ingredients

Dough:

• 150g AP/ White Flour

• 150g Spelt Flour

• 15g Fresh Yeasts/ 5g Active Dry Yeasts

• 80g Water

• 50g Sugar

• 5g Salt

• 1 Egg, large

• 50g Butter, unsalted & softened

• 80g Plain Yogurt

Filling

• 300g Milk, whole

• 40g Sugar

• 25g Cornstarch

• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract or 1 Vanilla Pod

• 1 Egg Yolk, large

Extras:

• 150g Cherry Chai Jam

• 1 Egg, whole for egg wash

• Sesame Seeds, to decorate

• Flour, for dusting

• Powdered Sugar, to decorate

Make the Dough:

1. Sift White Flour and Spelt Flour into a bowl of your standing mixer or a bigger mixing bowl. Add Sugar and mix together.

2. Make a small well in the center and pour lukewarm Water in the middle and dissolve /stir in Yeast.

3. Cover the bowl with a clean towel or plate and wait for the yeasts to activate for approximately 10-15 minutes

4. Once your yeasts are activated, foamy and increase its volume, add into the bowl Salt, Egg, Plain Yogurt and softened Butter. Start kneading the dough at a low speed for 5 minutes, then increase the speed and keep kneading for approximately 10 minutes. The dough is well kneaded when it’s no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl, it is holding on a hook and is soft, pliable & stretchy.

5. You might need to keep adding more flour to your bowl, mainly to the end of the kneading (or after 5-7 minutes of starting of kneading) if the dough is too sticky (even up to 30-40g of more flour, adding it little by little).

6. Once the dough is well-kneaded cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it rest until double in size (1.5-2 hours) at room temperature

Make the Filling:

• While the dough proves, prepare the filling. Bring 200g of Milk to simmer in a smaller pot. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the rest 100g of Milk with Sugar, Cornstarch, Egg Yolk and Vanilla Extract. Stir the mixture once the milk starts to simmer and keep mixing and cooking until thick for 2-3 minutes.

• Transfer custard into a clean bowl, cover the cream with a plastic wrap (wrap should touch the surface of the cream to prevent from creating skin) and let it cool down completely in the fridge

Back to the Dough:

• Pre-heat Oven to 370°F/ 185°C

• Once the dough doubled its size, take it out from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface.

• Roll out the dough into a rectangle approximately 14″x10″. Transfer the dough carefully on a baking pan lined with parchment paper before moving to the next step.

• Spread Vanilla Cream & Cherry Chai Jam lengthwise through the center of the dough leaving out the very top and bottom of the dough and divide Berries on top of the cream.

• Cut the right and left side of the dough into ~ 1″ or 2.5 cm thick strips. Start with braiding the dough tightly from top all the way to the bottom. To braid simply alternate the right strip with the left one bringing it diagonally across the filling. Make sure to tack and secure the end of each strip under the braid

• Brush your braid generously with a beaten Egg and sprinkle with some Sesame seeds.

• Bake for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown on top. 

• Once baked, transfer on a cooling rack and let cool down for at least half an hour, then dust with some Powdered sugar, slice and enjoy.

• The braid stays fresh for up to three days if wrapped with a clean towel or stored in an airtight container

Notes:

- I usually make my dough a night before and let it slowly rise & proving in the fridge overnight. Pre proving process in the fridge is much slower because of the low temperature so the dough has more time to develop the deeper flavor instead of just rising in size. If you choose to prove the dough in the fridge overnight make sure to seal it very well to protect it from drying out. Take it out from the fridge and bring it to room temperature at least an hour or two before you move on with rolling & shaping

- If you’re using a Vanilla Pod place it into the pot with simmering milk to release the flavor.

-High altitude baking: increase the temperature to 380°

—- Images & recipe by Lenka Gengelova —-