Spongy inside with a charming shape and joyful flavor? Check out this braided bread recipe that will combine all that in tasty fever!
Chocolate and bread are a winning combination. Not as making a chocolate cake would hurt anyone’s feeling but there is a huge difference in texture between a chocolate cake and a yeasty fluffy soft airy bread.
Make no mistake we aren’t talking about a bar of chocolate popped on top of a slice of white bread or Nutella spread. Both are disgustingly delicious, highly addictive desserts that can’t be resisted once within reach.
Well, it’s hard to resist any kind of sweetened white bread anyway, but some are worth bowing to the temptation more than the others. At least this is what we tell ourselves when pouring the yeast into the dough with the hope of quickly flying minutes.
Time is a crucial ingredient when baking with yeast so is temperature. Too low temperature will thwart yeasts growing, leaving us with longer preparation times to suffer or halt it entirely.
On the other side of the spectrum too high temperature will kill the yeast thus stopping any rising process entirely. Luckily, the whole process isn’t as tricky as it sounds, as there is quite a big leeway in temperatures to play with.
The recommended best temperature for the fresh live yeast to raise the dough is between 95°- 100°F / 35° – 38°C but even at 68°F / 20°C the process starts only with a much slower pace.
To shorten the waiting time, we can always pop the dough into the oven. If there isn’t such low temperature available on the oven just set it to the lowest possible settings. When it gets warmish turn it off and place the dough with the bowl inside.
When the leavening process is done, the filling process can be taken care of. We have never ending possibilities to prepare sweet breads in terms of shapes and fillings.
Some bread is made for sharing, like the pull apart bread that require nothing else but two fingers to dunk them into hot chocolate. It can be rolled and sliced up producing spiraling sweet rolls that are filled with cinnamon or chocolate.
Interestingly enough the same dough and filling can taste differently when shaped into another form. This has much to do with our ability to consume the food visually even before placing it into our mouth.
If it looks good, it tastes even better. Our brain can decide things beforehand and it’s up to the taste buds and smelling the confirm the initial assumption.
Filling bread with chocolate cream then braiding it together sounds and looks like a thing our brain would definitely approve without hesitation almost any time of the day. Peeling through the buttery chocolate layers reaching to the soft core or just biting through them at once calls for the kneading machine.
The worst thing about this kind of yeast leavened bread that it is extremely delicious on the day of its making but it loses its appeal the day after. Even as proximate as the next day could diminish its joyfulness.
It is not freezing well and not keeping well even in closed containers so the only option is to eat it all on the very day it is made and feel sorry the day after.
Ingredients
(2 Braided breads – 36 slices)
Bread
- 5 cups / 600g Flour
- 1 cup / 250g Milk
- 1 tablespoon / 10g Fresh yeast
- 4 tablespoons / 50g Butter (unsalted, room temperature)
- 3 medium / 150g Eggs
- 1 teaspoon / 5g Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon / 2.5g Salt
Filling
- 1½ sticks / 150g Butter (room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons / 60g Honey or sweetener of choice
- 4 tablespoons / 30g Cocoa powder (unsweetened)
One extra egg yolk with a drop of vanilla extract for egg washing the top of the bread
How to make Braided bread
Base
- In a medium size mixing bowl add flour, milk, yeast, butter, eggs, vanilla extract and the salt.
- Knead it together until we get a uniform texture for about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and leave it in a 68°F – 81°F /20°C – 27°C place for 40 – 90 minutes to double in size or at least raise considerably.
Filling
- Meanwhile the dough is rising dice butter up and put it in a mixing bowl with the cocoa powder and the honey. Whisk them together until butter gets a creamy, easy to spread texture.
Assembly
- When the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl onto a floured surface.
- Divide it into 6 equal pieces
- Start working with the first dough-ball. Place it on a well-floured surface and strew it in the size of the baking tray with a help of a rolling pin.
- Spread ⅙ of the chocolate cream evenly on top. Leave a strip chocolate around the edges so the butter won’t leek out that much in the oven.
- Roll the dough into a log. Repeat the same process with the other dough-balls too.
- Press three logs together at one end then braid them together.
- Make sure both ends are closed and tucked under the bread.
- Repeat it with the other three logs and place them onto a parchment paper lined baking tray.
- When both bread is in the tray cover them with a moist (not wet) kitchen towel and leave it in a 68°F – 81°F /20°C – 27°C place for another 15 – 30 minutes.
- Whisk egg yolk and vanilla then apply eggwash on top of the bread before putting it into the 350°F / 180°C preheated oven.
- Bake it in the oven for 30 or until the top is golden brown.
Enjoy!
Braided bread is a real treat but so are these cuties too:
- Easy Cinnamon Roll Recipe
- Chimney Cake Recipe
- Sweet Rolls with Chocolate
- Sugar Free Chocolate Swirl Bread with Raisins
F.A.Q.
Can any bread be braided?
Yes. As long as it’s possible to make 3 elongated shapes from the dough any type of bread can be braided.
Why is bread braided?
The braided bread known as Challah leans upon its Jewish traditions and religious meanings. For the rest of the world braided bread especially if it’s filled with chocolate just tastes better.
Braided Bread Recipe with Chocolate Filling
Ingredients
Bread
- 5 cups Flour
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 tablespoon Fresh yeast
- 4 tablespoons Butter unsalted, room temperature
- 3 medium Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Filling
- 1½ sticks Butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoons Honey or sweetener of choice
- 4 tablespoons Cocoa powder unsweetened
Instructions
Base
- In a medium size mixing bowl add flour, milk, yeast, butter, eggs, vanilla extract and the salt.
- Knead it together until we get a uniform texture for about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and leave it in a 68°F – 81°F /20°C – 27°C place for 40 – 90 minutes to double in size or at least raise considerably.
Filling
- Meanwhile the dough is rising dice butter up and put it in a mixing bowl with the cocoa powder and the honey. Whisk them together until butter gets a creamy, easy to spread texture.
Assembly
- When the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl onto a floured surface.
- Divide it into 6 equal pieces. Make dough balls out of them.
- Start working with the first dough-ball. Place it on a well-floured surface and strew it in the size of the baking tray with a help of a rolling pin.
- Spread ⅙ of the chocolate cream evenly on top. Leave a strip chocolate around the edges so the butter won’t leek out that much in the oven.
- Roll the dough into a log. Repeat the same process with the other dough-balls too.
- Press three logs together at one end then braid them together.
- Make sure both ends are closed and tucked under the bread.
- Repeat it with the other three logs and place them onto a parchment paper lined baking tray.
- When both bread is in the tray cover them with a moist (not wet) kitchen towel and leave it in a 68°F – 81°F /20°C – 27°C place for another 15 – 30 minutes.
- Whisk egg yolk and vanilla then apply eggwash on top of the bread before putting it into the 350°F / 180°C preheated oven.
- Bake it in the oven for 30 or until the top is golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin now, Enjoy later!
so much great information on here, : D.
This one is sooo goood!
Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
Can we make it without eggs?
Sure you can! Although eggs do affect the texture of the bread due to their protein and fat content but the bread will turn out just fine without them.