Cheese Filled Sweet Braid

Yum!  Who doesn't love cheese filled danishes and breads?  This sweet braid is the perfect balance of sweet but not too-sweet.  It's perfect in the morning with that first cup of coffee.  This recipe yields two braids and they were totally devoured in less than a day at my house!  There is just something about it that makes you want to keep going back for more.  These braids look really impressive and can be modified very easily.  You could try adding a bit of orange zest to the cream cheese filling.  Perhaps even a little pie filling would also be yummy - it's pretty limitless!

Cheese Filled Sweet Braid
adapted from King Arthur Flour

Dough
1 packet rapid rise yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 cups all-purpose Flour

Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
Zest of half a lemon

Egg Wash
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Sugar for sprinkling

Dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- till you've made a soft, smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it's puffy (though not necessarily doubled in bulk).

Filling: While the dough is rising, prepare the filling by mixing all of the ingredients together till smooth. Chill till ready to use.

Assembly: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface (I used canola for the light flavor), and divide it in half. Roll each half into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Spread half of the filling lengthwise down the center third of each rectangle. Cut 1-inch-wide strips from each side of the filling out to the edges of the dough. Fold about an inch of dough at each end over the filling to contain it, then fold the strips, at an angle, across the filling, alternating from side to side. (Next time I will leave a little of the cheese showing for looks)

Baking: Allow the braids to rise, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, till almost doubled in size. Brush with a glaze made from 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water, and sprinkle liberally with white sugar, if desired; then bake the braids in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack. Yield: 2 braids.