A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a recipe by Benedetta Rossi that featured fantastic breakfast braids. I was immediately tempted, although I took inspiration as I replaced the cream in the dough with homemade almond milk, which is much lighter and more digestible. Ideally, it should be made with water and almond paste, which enhances the flavor, but for convenience, you can also use the brick version. The important thing is to choose a quality one that contains at least 11% almonds among its ingredients, otherwise forget it! Being a sweet tooth, I garnished the surface with sugar sprinkles and chocolate vermicelli before baking, and I must say they were wonderful! Last weekend, we enjoyed these wonderful creations for breakfast with the remaining almond milk, and it was a sweet treat we indulged in! Once baked, you can seal them in freezer bags and consume them within a month of freezing, so when you’re craving one, just take them out a few hours before and heat them in the microwave as I did, and they’ll be soft again like at the cafe!
[Recipe by “Homemade by Benedetta” with my personal modifications]
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 7 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 11 large braids
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; buying them through my blog helps support me and my work, and it won’t cost you anything extra!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups Manitoba flour
- 1 cup almond milk (+ as needed for brushing)
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1 tbsp fresh yeast
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed sugar sprinkles
- as needed dark chocolate chips
Tools
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Knife
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Pizza cutter
- 1 Brush
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Tea towel
Preparation
First, mix the almond milk with the whole milk in a small pot. Heat for no more than 1 minute and pour into a large mixing bowl. Dissolve the fresh yeast in it by crumbling it with your hands and then stirring with a wooden spoon (fig. 1).
Once the yeast is fully dissolved, add the brown sugar, the egg at room temperature, the almond extract, and begin to stir. Then add a pinch of salt and gradually incorporate both flours while continuing to stir initially with the help of a spoon (fig. 2).
Once the dough starts to clump together, proceed to knead it by hand directly in the bowl (fig. 3).
Then transfer it to a floured work surface and continue kneading until you obtain a smooth and even dough (fig. 4).
Place it in a lightly floured bowl and make a cross on the surface using a knife, then cover with plastic wrap (fig. 5).
Let it rise in the oven turned off with the light on for about 4-5 hours, or until it doubles in size** (fig. 6).
After the rising time, take the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface with the help of a rolling pin. You should obtain a rectangular sheet about 0.4 inches thick. Then, using a pizza cutter, make 12 horizontal strips (fig. 7).
After that, make another vertical cut that divides them in half (fig. 8).
Braid 3 strips at a time, joining and sealing the ends (fig. 9).
Shape the braids* and close them (fig. 10).
Transfer the braids onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them rise covered with a tea towel for about 2 hours. Then brush them with a bit of almond milk using a kitchen brush (fig. 11).
Garnish with sugar sprinkles and chocolate chips to taste and bake the braids in a static oven at 356°F for about 18 minutes. Once out of the oven, brush them with water to keep them soft inside and out (fig. 12).
Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar.
And voilà… the soft almond and chocolate braids are ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉The braids should be stored in a food bag or airtight container and consumed within 2-3 days. Once baked, you can freeze them and consume them as needed.
Tips, notes, variations and suggestions
🟣* With the amounts I provide, I baked eleven large braids, so depending on the size you choose to make, the quantity could double, so adjust accordingly!
🟣** According to the season the rising times can vary significantly. The dough behaves differently in summer and winter: in summer, as it is warmer, it rises faster. To see if the dough has risen, use the “finger test”, which is to lightly press a finger on the dough, if it leaves a slight imprint it is not yet ready, and you need to let it rise longer. If the dough comes back quickly and leaves no imprint, it means it has risen. Conversely, if a very evident imprint remains, the rising has gone beyond. You can recover it by handling the dough and starting the rising process again.
🟣 If you don’t like almond milk or desire more indulgence on the palate, you can substitute it with sweetened whipping cream or sweeten it yourself, or for a lactose-free version, also use canned coconut milk (not the brick kind), which is much tastier and denser. It should be refrigerated the night before so that the coconut milk separates from the cream, allowing you to easily extract what you need for the recipe.
Is it possible to use dry yeast instead of fresh and in what quantity?
Yes, it is possible to use dry yeast instead of fresh. In this case, use 1.5 teaspoons of dry yeast. Then proceed as per the recipe.
