Lemon Bread
Ingredients
Scale
- Sponge:
- 3/4 C warm water
- 2 t sugar
- 1 T instant yeast
- 1/2 C flour
- Dough:
- All of the sponge
- 3/4 C plain or vanilla yogurt
- 1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 C sugar
- 2 t salt
- 2 t vanilla
- 5 C Flour
- Cream Cheese filling:
- 2/3 C cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 C sugar
- 1/2 C sour cream
- 2 t fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 C flour
- 1/2 C prepared lemon curd
- Egg wash:
- 1 egg whisked with 1 t water
- Coarse sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients, stir well to combine and cover with plastic wrap
- Set aside for 15 minutes until the sponge gets all bubbly and happy
- Place the sponge in a mixing bowl with the yogurt, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and 4 1/2 C of the flour
- Mix with a stand mixer until it is a rough shaggy mess (see pic below)
- Switch to a dough hook or turn it out on the counter, and knead until the dough comes together nicely and springs back when you poke it
- If using the dough hook, which is soooo much easier, knead the dough about six minutes on speed 2, add flour in both cases if needed to make a soft smooth dough
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl
- Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for about an hour and a half or until the dough has nearly doubled
- When it has almost finished rising, make the cream cheese mixture by combining all the filling ingredients, except the lemon curd, in a small bowl
- When the dough has finish rising, gently deflate it and cut it in half
- Roll 1/2 of the dough on parchment paper into roughly a 10 x 15 in inch rectangle
- Cut into three lengthwise strips and spread half the cream cheese mixture on the center strip, followed by 1/2 of the lemon curd
- Braid the dough like you would braid hair, tucking and adjusting as necessary
- Repeat with the other half of the dough
- Brush both loaves with the egg wash and sprinkle with the coarse sugar
- Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown