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Moist Poppy Seed Braid

Prep
30 min
Bake
1 hr
Bake
35 min
Total
2 hr 5 min
Makes
16 slices

Ingredients

Yeast braid

  • 3 tbspgranulated sugar
  • ½ cubeyeastHalf a cube of fresh yeast is 21 g. German recipes use either a 42 g cube of fresh yeast or a 7 g packet of dry yeast; one cube equals about two packets. In the US use active dry or instant yeast; one ¼ oz (7 g) envelope replaces half a cube of fresh yeast. In the UK use fast action dried yeast (7 g sachet per half cube), or fresh yeast from a supermarket bakery counter.
  • 1 cup250 mlmilkwarm
  • 3 ½ tbsp50 gunsalted buttersoftened. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 1large eggroom temperature
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • 4 cups500 gall-purpose flourType 405. In German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.

Poppy seed filling

  • 1 ¾ oz50 galmond pasteRaw marzipan with a high almond and low sugar content, used for baking. In the US use almond paste (not marzipan, which is sweeter); in the UK, almond paste, or the marzipan with the highest almond content you can find.
  • 5 tbsp70 mlmilk
  • 3 tbsp40 ggranulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp30 gunsalted butter
  • 4 ¼ oz120 gpoppy seedsground. Blue poppy seeds; for fillings German recipes grind them first. In the US and the UK use poppy seeds, ground in a spice grinder if the recipe says ground.
  • 3 dropsbitter almond extractoptional. A strong almond flavoring; a few drops are enough. In the US use pure almond extract; in the UK, almond extract.

You will also need

  • 1large eggbeaten
  • 3 to 4 tbspapricot jam
  • 4 tbsppowdered sugarVery finely ground sugar for icings and dusting. In the US use powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar); in the UK, icing sugar.

Method

Yeast braid

  1. Weigh the flour into the bowl of your stand mixer, make a well in the center and crumble in the yeast. Cover it with half of the sugar and pour a splash of the milk over it. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

  2. Now add the remaining ingredients to this starter and let the mixer knead everything on low speed with the dough hook.

  3. Once the dough is smooth and supple, which takes about 10 minutes, remove the hook, cover the dough loosely and let it rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

  4. Meanwhile, make the poppy seed filling (in Germany it is also sold ready-made; in the US look for canned poppy seed filling in the baking aisle or an Eastern European shop, in the UK at a Polish or Eastern European shop).

Poppy seed filling

  1. Chop or grate the almond paste into rough pieces and put it into a saucepan with the milk. You can do this step hours ahead. That way the almond paste has plenty of time to soften without much stirring :)

  2. Add the butter and sugar to the milk and almond paste mixture and warm everything while stirring until the almond paste has dissolved.

  3. Once the almond paste has dissolved, add the poppy seeds and bring the mixture to a bubbling boil once while stirring, then take it off the heat and let it cool.

  4. If needed, you can stir a little more milk into the filling before using it to make it easier to spread.

Shaping the dough

  1. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll it out. I roll it to about the size of my baking sheet, which is a normal standard size (a large German baking sheet, about 16 × 14 inches / 40 × 35 cm; a US half sheet pan, 18 × 13 inches, works too).

  2. Spread the poppy seed filling gently and evenly over the rolled-out dough, then roll it up from the long side.

  3. Cut the roll in half lengthwise with a knife and carefully twist the two strands around each other, making sure the cut sides always face up.

  4. Carefully lift the braid onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and nudge it back into shape if needed. Cover loosely and let it rest for about 30 minutes.

  5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C) convection (fan). Brush the braid with the beaten egg. This step is optional, but it gives the braid a beautiful shine after baking.

  6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 to 40 minutes until golden, then let it cool completely on the baking sheet.

  7. Either brush with apricot jam that you have brought to a boil and is still hot, or dust with powdered sugar.

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/moist-poppy-seed-braid/