- 1 cup milk (warm)
- 2 tsp instant-
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp butter , softened
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zest
- 4 3/4 – 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg , lightly beaten with a tsp of water
- Mix the milk, yeast and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with dough hook. Let it proof while you gather and measure out the remaining ingredients. Mix everything together, adding enough flour to get dough to clear sides of bowl, no more. It should be soft, but not sticky.
- Let knead for 10 minutes, place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours. Next, divide the dough in 2 pieces. Press one into a 9 inch, buttered springform pan. Divide the other half into 3 even pieces and make each one into a 30 inch rope. Braid and loop around the edge of the pan.
- Let rise about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, whip together the cream cheese with the sugar until smooth, then whip in the vanilla extract and the egg. Punch down the center of the dough, brush the braid with egg wash, then add the cream cheese filling.
- Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. The bread will be deep brown and the center will likely crack, but it’ll still taste grand. – OR – For a gentler bake, reduced chances of cracking, and golden crust, try 400F for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 250F for about 1 hr/1 hr 15 min. This method will most likely sink a bit in the center, but there should be little to no cracking.
- Turn off heat when the center is set, but still jiggles a teeny bit when you push the pan (this will firm up when cool). Let cool in the oven with the door shut.
I’ve made this recipe about 8 times and am still working on the perfect baking temperature…. because this is bread (which loves high heat) and cheesecake (which is temperamental and likes low heat), it’s just not easy. The good news? Every single version tasted awesome – it just maybe didn’t look as pretty.
I’ve narrowed it down to two decent methods:
A) Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. The bread will be deep brown and the center will likely crack, but it’ll still taste grand.
B) For a gentler bake, reduced chances of cracking, and golden crust, try 400F for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 250F for about 1 hr/1 hr 15 min. This method will most likely sink a bit in the center, but there should be little to no cracking.
In general, I recommend method B… unless you’re in a huge hurry.