Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Happy National Pastry Day!!

Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here.  And Happy Pastry Day to you all!  

That's right, according to my 'National Day of' calendar, today is National Pastry Day. So in honor of that, I thought I'd share with you the recipe for my very favorite all time pastry.  I received this recipe from a work associate many, MANY years ago--I don't know if it was original to her or if she found it somewhere else.

Sad to say, I've lost touch with that acquaintance over the years but I still have that recipe.   I used to make this pastry every Christmas. Unfortunately it's been quite a few years since I baked up a batch, but thinking of it now makes my mouth water so I may have to find the time to mix up a batch to serve as part of our holiday meal.



Cream Cheese Braid

INGREDIENTS

BREAD
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
  • 2 packages dry yeast
  • 1⁄2 cup water
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour


FILLING
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 3⁄4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla


GLAZE
  • 1⁄4 cup milk
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla



TO PREPARE 
  • Heat sour cream over low heat.
  • Stir in sugar, salt and butter; Stir occasionally until butter melts.
  • Cool to lukewarm (105-115 degrees).
  • Sprinkle yeast over warm water in large bowl until dissolved and let stand for 5 minutes.
  • Add sour cream mixture and eggs. Slowly stir in flour and mix well (dough will be soft).
  • Cover tightly and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.


AFTER THE DOUGH HAS SET
  • Divide dough into 4 equal parts.
  • Roll each part on a heavily floured surface to form an 8x12 inch rectangle.
  • Spread one fourth of the filling on each rectangle, leaving a 1 inch border around the edges.
  • Roll dough jelly roll style beginning at the long side.
  • Pinch edges together to seal and fold ends under slightly.
  • Place rolls seam side down on greased baking sheets.
  • Cut six equally spaced Xs on each roll (approx 2-inch intervals) to resemble a braid.
  • Cover with  cloth and let rise 1 hour, in a warm place (85degrees) free from drafts, until dough doubles in bulk (approx 1 hour).
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 14 to 18 minutes or until browned.
  • Drizzle loaves with glaze while still warm.


Not only is this dessert yummylicious but it is quite pretty as well.
I know this looks a bit complicated but it's really quite simple.  And believe me, it's worth every bit of effort you put into it.

So what about you?  Do you have a favorite pastry?  Care to share?

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~


THE HOLIDAY COURTSHIP
(4-1/2 Stars from RT)



He Wanted A Wife by Christmas...

As Christmas approaches, Hank Chandler is determined to find a wife to mother his sister's orphaned children. When schoolteacher Janell Whitman offers to help him with his niece and nephew, she seems to be the perfect match—but she won't accept his proposal. Instead, she insists she'll find him another bride before the holidays. 
Janell moved to Turnabout, Texas, to put her past behind her and focus on her future—one that doesn't include marriage. But while she plays matchmaker and cares for Hank's children, she loses her heart to the two youngsters…and their adoptive father. If Janell reveals her secrets to Hank, will he still want her to be his Christmas bride?

(To view this book on Amazon, click on the book cover.)


9 comments:

  1. i love profiteroles anytime of the year. Also my mums plum pudding with custard.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi scraproni - Those both sound yummy! I've had profiteroles but never tasted plum pudding

    ReplyDelete
  3. Scraproni, you reminded me that my grandma used to make plum pudding for Christmas dinner. So rich and delicious. She served it with Hard Sauce, which is really just butter and confectioners sugar with some flavoring. It was refrigerated, and thus "hard" when put on the warm pudding. I inherited her old cookbook, but I haven't had the nerve to attempt the recipe. Can a person even buy "suet" these days?

    Winnie, your recipe sounds delish! No pastry-making here. At most I'll make some cookies to share.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mmm, sounds delicious. And I have all the ingredients! Maybe hubby will get dessert tonight. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm not one for making pastries. If I did, I would eat them. Thus, I resist the temptation. That didn't stop me from creating a heroine who opens her own bakery business, though. Readers will meet Becky in my March LIH, A Home of Her Own. I have a hunch they might get a hankering for some sweets as they read her story.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Winnie, I didn't know this was National Pastry Day, but I shared an amazing recipe for Blueberry pie with a cornmeal crust over on http://www.yankeebellecafe.blogspot.com/

    My daughter made it for Thanksgiving and it was amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh my that cream cheese braid sounds SO good! And worth every effort to make it too :-) I like any kind of pastry, though I don't eat them much anymore. As we've gotten older, we've cut a lot of sugary stuff out of our diets. We just don't need them, you know? Every once in a while, we do have a little something.
    I'll have to add this recipe to my book for a future craving...lol! Or I could make it sometime to share at church for fellowship after Sunday morning service. I bet it would even be good with some kind of fruit (apple, raspberry, cherry or blueberry?) added in with the cream cheese....yummy! Thanks for sharing your recipe, Missy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ooops, I meant Winnie NOT Missy...haha!

    ReplyDelete

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