brioche

Braided Baklava Brioche

Braided Baklava Brioche by Wood and Spoon. This is a wreath loaf inspired by the meditteranean dessert filled with cinnamon, honey, walnuts, and pistachios. The yeast dough is sweetened with brown sugar and honey syrup and the crunchy nut filling adds flavor and texture. Heat up warm slices as a dessert or for breakfast. Learn more and how to braid the bread on thewoodandspoon.com

You know that phrase, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”? Can we just agree that those words are completely, 100% untrue? At 31 years old, I feel pretty old some days, and if you tell me I’ve grown and learned as much life-changing newness as I will be in my lifetime, I give up now. That would be the worst. I don’t want to exist in a world where the curtain has closed on new possibilities.

Braided Baklava Brioche by Wood and Spoon. This is a wreath loaf inspired by the meditteranean dessert filled with cinnamon, honey, walnuts, and pistachios. The yeast dough is sweetened with brown sugar and honey syrup and the crunchy nut filling adds flavor and texture. Heat up warm slices as a dessert or for breakfast. Learn more and how to braid the bread on thewoodandspoon.com

I think the statement about the dog and his tricks is useful in some scenarios. Like changing people? We just can’t do that. Or becoming a prima ballerina for the NYC Ballet at age 92? Not going to happen. But I do believe that when it comes to ourselves- our own talents, our hopes, our pursuits, our whatever- we can be some old as dirt humans who are still be capable of achieving. The possibility all rests within our resolve and the willingness to work our fanny off.

Braided Baklava Brioche by Wood and Spoon. This is a wreath loaf inspired by the meditteranean dessert filled with cinnamon, honey, walnuts, and pistachios. The yeast dough is sweetened with brown sugar and honey syrup and the crunchy nut filling adds flavor and texture. Heat up warm slices as a dessert or for breakfast. Learn more and how to braid the bread on thewoodandspoon.com

My kids have been useful in teaching me a few new tricks. Motherhood constantly stretches me beyond what I previously believed I was capable of, and there are days where I reflect on what I’ve accomplished and beam with pride. Baking and managing this business do the same thing. Yes, there are some skills and experiences that feel a lot like standing at the base of Mt. Everest, but I think we can completely void the notion that we’ve missed our opportunity for greatness just by strapping on our boots and tiptoeing onto the mountain. Sometimes we need to just go for it.

Braided Baklava Brioche by Wood and Spoon. This is a wreath loaf inspired by the meditteranean dessert filled with cinnamon, honey, walnuts, and pistachios. The yeast dough is sweetened with brown sugar and honey syrup and the crunchy nut filling adds flavor and texture. Heat up warm slices as a dessert or for breakfast. Learn more and how to braid the bread on thewoodandspoon.com

So let this be your motivational speech for the week: don’t be afraid to try. Let’s be a people that are constantly evolving, always learning, and never afraid to step into something new. Let’s go after both the things within our reach and the stuff that feels way too far up the side of the mountain. We can be a bunch of old dogs learning tricks.

Braided Baklava Brioche by Wood and Spoon. This is a wreath loaf inspired by the meditteranean dessert filled with cinnamon, honey, walnuts, and pistachios. The yeast dough is sweetened with brown sugar and honey syrup and the crunchy nut filling adds flavor and texture. Heat up warm slices as a dessert or for breakfast. Learn more and how to braid the bread on thewoodandspoon.com

Braided Baklava Brioche

This braided baklava brioche is not for the faint of heart. Yeast breads like this can be an animal for beginners, and the filling and braiding of this kind of loaf can be super tricky as well. But the reward, a sweetened and lightly spiced bread filled with nuts, honey, and loads of flavor, is totally worth it in every respect.

Braided Baklava Brioche by Wood and Spoon. This is a wreath loaf inspired by the meditteranean dessert filled with cinnamon, honey, walnuts, and pistachios. The yeast dough is sweetened with brown sugar and honey syrup and the crunchy nut filling adds flavor and texture. Heat up warm slices as a dessert or for breakfast. Learn more and how to braid the bread on thewoodandspoon.com

I’m sharing today’s recipe for this baklava brioche with my friends at Kerrygold! I always reserve their top-notch butter for my favorite, most worthy recipes, and this baklava bread is no exception. Unsalted sweet cream butter helps to transform this bread into a tender, flaky loaf that is full of uncompromised flavor.

Braided Baklava Brioche by Wood and Spoon. This is a wreath loaf inspired by the meditteranean dessert filled with cinnamon, honey, walnuts, and pistachios. The yeast dough is sweetened with brown sugar and honey syrup and the crunchy nut filling adds flavor and texture. Heat up warm slices as a dessert or for breakfast. Learn more and how to braid the bread on thewoodandspoon.com

Making the Brioche

To make this baklava brioche, we start with the dough. Yeast is dissolved in a bit of warm milk and brown sugar before eggs and honey are added. The dry ingredients, flour, cinnamon, and salt, come next, and are followed up by an incorporating of softened butter. The dough is extremely moist, kinda stretchy, and so delicious that you may end up nibbling on little raw bits before it’s baked. No judgment.

Once the dough for this baklava brioche has risen for the first time, we can prepare the filling. The rolled-out dough is slathered in butter and coated in a sprinkle of sugar, spices, pistachios, and walnuts. Roll the covered dough tightly, cut the log lengthwise to expose the filled innards, and spiral the two pieces together to create and braided wreath of dough. Allow the dough to rest in a warm spot of your kitchen while it rises for a final time.

Braided Baklava Brioche by Wood and Spoon. This is a wreath loaf inspired by the meditteranean dessert filled with cinnamon, honey, walnuts, and pistachios. The yeast dough is sweetened with brown sugar and honey syrup and the crunchy nut filling adds flavor and texture. Heat up warm slices as a dessert or for breakfast. Learn more and how to braid the bread on thewoodandspoon.com

Fresh from the oven, this baklava bread boasts all of the nutty, spiced flavors of traditional baklava. I love to serve this baklava brioche as a warm breakfast slice, but I think you’d find it to be a suitable dessert or snack as well. This recipe yields a massive loaf of bread, so if someone gets the gumption to test it out as two smaller loaves, I’d love to hear your results! Either way, give this baklava brioche a try and let me know what you think! Many thanks to Kerrygold for sponsoring this baklava brioche post, and many thanks to you all for supporting brands that make Wood & Spoon possible. Happy baking!

If you like this baklava bread you should check out:

Orange Swirl Bread

Peppermint Bark Bread

Cinnamon Bread

Raisin Swirl Bread

Chocolate Peanut Butter Babka

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Braided Baklava Brioche

This braided baklava brioche is loaded with pistachios, walnuts, honey, and cinnamon- all the flavors of traditional baklava!

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 45
  • Cook Time: 45
  • Total Time: 360
  • Yield: 1 Loaf
  • Category: Bread

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • ½ cup (120 gm) whole milk, lukewarm
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 21/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 11/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (290 gm) all-purpose flour, plus more
  • ½ cup (115 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the filling:

  • ½ cup (115 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (100 gm) brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • ½ cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped
  • ½ cup shelled walnuts, finely chopped

For the syrup:

  • ¼ cup (60 gm) water
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Pour the milk into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir in the brown sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over top and allow it to dissolve completely, about 5 minutes. Stir as needed to get some of the yeast on top dry.
  2. Once dissolved, stir in the honey, eggs, salt, cinnamon, and 1 cup of flour. Once combined, put the flat beater on the stand mixer and stir in the remaining flour. With the mixer on medium speed begin to add the butter a tablespoon at a time until it is combined, and then continue to beat for 4-5 more minutes until the dough becomes slightly stringy/ stretchy on the beater. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Place the finished bowl in a large lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise and double in size in a warm spot of your kitchen ( I let mine rise by the oven) for about an hour and a half.
  3. Once the dough has doubled in size, prepare the filling. Stir together the softened butter with the brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 12”x15” rectangle. Spread the mixture evenly over the dough and sprinkle both varieties of nuts on top. Starting with one of the long ends, tightly roll the dough and pinch the final edge together to seal. Flip the dough log over so the seam is on the bottom and use a large sharp knife (like a chef’s knife) to slice down the center of the length of the dough leaving 1” piece of dough uncut up top. This top piece of dough will hold the two halves of dough together. Twist the two dough tails so the innards are facing upwards and then twist around each other to the ends. Bring the tail to meet the head and wrap one on top of another so that you make and O-shaped wreath of dough. Place the wreath into a lightly greased 10” dish or skillet and cover with plastic wrap to rise a second time while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  4. Once puffed (about 35-40 minutes) remove the plastic wrap and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 or so minutes. In the meantime, make the syrup.
  5. Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a bubble, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Once the top of the bread has tanned, the dough in the center looks dry, and the internal temp reads 180 degrees, remove the pan from the oven and immediately pour the syrup on top of the hot bread. Set aside to cool some prior to eating.

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Blueberry Brioche

Blueberry Brioche recipe by Wood and Spoon blog. This is a recipe for two yeast loaves of brioche made with butter, egg, and a smidge of sugar. The fluffy white bread is studded with blueberries and seasoned with cinnamon. Each loaf has an optional crumble topping for extra sweet and salty in each bite. Learn how to fold and create this beautiful homemade breakfast treat here at thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood.

Happy Sunday, you baking fools. If the day of rest has you hankering seasonally appropriate yeast breads and some light morning reading, you have come to the right place! I have your weekend round-up of things to eat, wear, and read, plus a blueberry brioche that just might be the baking challenge your week needs. Let’s get started!

Blueberry Brioche recipe by Wood and Spoon blog. This is a recipe for two yeast loaves of brioche made with butter, egg, and a smidge of sugar. The fluffy white bread is studded with blueberries and seasoned with cinnamon. Each loaf has an optional crumble topping for extra sweet and salty in each bite. Learn how to fold and create this beautiful homemade breakfast treat here at thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood.

Bon Appetit’s Take on The Bachelorette

You don’t have to be an avid viewer of “The Bachelorette” to know that these people rarely eat on camera. Do they over-imbibe? Yes. Do they engage in childish antics? For sure. Do they get way too dressed for a cocktail party in their living room? 100%. But I absolutely love this list of food not eaten during the last part of Becca’s season. And PS, I’m totally making eyes at the bundt cake on Colton’s dining room table.

A French Woman’s Guide to Success in Food

It’s no secret that I secretly want to be French. For the love, I wrote a whole post about it here. In my quest to become a little more like our European friends, I’m checking out this article from Food52 about how to have success in food and life. Along those lines, check out this list of essential French recipes that every cook needs to master.

Hair Trends for 2018

I’m by no means a trend forecaster, but I love sporting a new haircut like the best of them. Check out this list from Southern Living to land a new look of your own. I’m personally leaning towards the deep side part or the wash and wear long. What do you think?

Blueberry Brioche recipe by Wood and Spoon blog. This is a recipe for two yeast loaves of brioche made with butter, egg, and a smidge of sugar. The fluffy white bread is studded with blueberries and seasoned with cinnamon. Each loaf has an optional crumble topping for extra sweet and salty in each bite. Learn how to fold and create this beautiful homemade breakfast treat here at thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood.

Eat Cookie Dough While You Meet Mickey Mouse

This just in: Walt Disney World is now serving cups of edible cookie dough. BRB, planning my trip ASAP. In the meantime, check out two of my favorite cookie dough recipes here and here.

2018 World’s Best US Cities

Travel + Leisure just released their annual “World’s Best” lists, and I’m scoping them all out for the low-down on where to go, what to see, and what to look forward to in my upcoming travels. I was particularly interested in this list of best US cities and was tickled to see two of my favorites recognized. For more on travel, be sure to check out my guides to Charleston, Chicago, and Portland.

What to Wear

Up until a month ago, I didn’t own a single jumpsuit, but I now have three to my name. I’m scoping out this little cutie from Madewell to be number four, and I might even pick up this apron dress while I’m at it. PS, if you’ve got the shopping fever right now, be sure to check out Nordstrom’s anniversary sale, happening right now!

Blueberry Brioche recipe by Wood and Spoon blog. This is a recipe for two yeast loaves of brioche made with butter, egg, and a smidge of sugar. The fluffy white bread is studded with blueberries and seasoned with cinnamon. Each loaf has an optional crumble topping for extra sweet and salty in each bite. Learn how to fold and create this beautiful homemade breakfast treat here at thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood.

Blueberry Brioche

I think we’re tough- we don’t shy away from a baking challenge. We don’t get nervous or intimidated by kitchen terminology or techniques that are foreign to us. We strap on our aprons, get our hands dirty, and resolve to master new and delicious foods. Today’s recipe for blueberry brioche is the perfect challenge to tackle this week and the outcome is nothing short of fab. Let’s chat the ins and outs.

Brioche is a French pastry-like bread that is loaded with egg and butter. Whether knotted into rolls, folded into loaves, or rolled into buns, brioche is always light, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. If bread could be dessert, brioche would be right up there with babka. It’s that decadent.

Blueberry Brioche recipe by Wood and Spoon blog. This is a recipe for two yeast loaves of brioche made with butter, egg, and a smidge of sugar. The fluffy white bread is studded with blueberries and seasoned with cinnamon. Each loaf has an optional crumble topping for extra sweet and salty in each bite. Learn how to fold and create this beautiful homemade breakfast treat here at thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood.

Although cinnamon bread has been the go-to breakfast treat in our house, I wanted a secondary recipe to use up the beautiful summer produce that has been landing in my farmer’s market baskets. This blueberry brioche is the answer to that desire and I am so thrilled to share it with you today.

Making the Brioche

To make loaves of blueberry brioche, we start in the bowl of our stand mixer. Yeast is dissolved in some lukewarm milk with a bit of sugar. Once the granules of yeast have liquified, we add in the remaining sugar, some cinnamon, salt, and flour. Paddle the mixture until it comes together into a wet dough and begin adding the butter.

Blueberry Brioche recipe by Wood and Spoon blog. This is a recipe for two yeast loaves of brioche made with butter, egg, and a smidge of sugar. The fluffy white bread is studded with blueberries and seasoned with cinnamon. Each loaf has an optional crumble topping for extra sweet and salty in each bite. Learn how to fold and create this beautiful homemade breakfast treat here at thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood.

Chunks of room temperature unsalted butter are added to the mix until it is well incorporated, and then the dough gets worked over for a few minutes. Once thick, stringy pieces of dough are snagging the beater, we gently add a cup and a half of fresh blueberries. Warning: this part is a little tricky. The blueberries may not want to incorporate and may even burst under the pressure of your stand mixer. Feel free to use your hands to barely mix them in and then dump the mixture into a large greased bowl to rise. I leave my blueberry brioche dough to rise in a warm spot of my kitchen, usually under a warm light or next to the oven. After about and hour and a half or two hours, the dough should have doubled and you’re ready to form your loaves.

Blueberry Brioche recipe by Wood and Spoon blog. This is a recipe for two yeast loaves of brioche made with butter, egg, and a smidge of sugar. The fluffy white bread is studded with blueberries and seasoned with cinnamon. Each loaf has an optional crumble topping for extra sweet and salty in each bite. Learn how to fold and create this beautiful homemade breakfast treat here at thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood.

Forming the Brioche

Split the blueberry brioche dough into two equal pieces and gently pat each one out into a rectangle on a floured surface. The short end of each dough piece should be about 8″ long before you fold each piece lengthwise as you would a letter. Simply fold the bottom third up and the top third down until you have another rectangle-shaped piece of dough. Repeat this process and then work the small rectangle into a roll of dough that will fit into your greased bread pan. Cover each loaf with a sheet of plastic wrap to rise a second time.

Just before baking you can sprinkle on some crumble topping if desired. I love the extra bit of sweet and salty crust this lends each loaf of blueberry brioche, but it’s totally optional. Bake the bread in to oven until puffed, golden brown, and the inside of each loaf registers at 190 degrees. Allow the loaves to cool briefly in the loaf pans before cooling completely on a rack.

Blueberry Brioche recipe by Wood and Spoon blog. This is a recipe for two yeast loaves of brioche made with butter, egg, and a smidge of sugar. The fluffy white bread is studded with blueberries and seasoned with cinnamon. Each loaf has an optional crumble topping for extra sweet and salty in each bite. Learn how to fold and create this beautiful homemade breakfast treat here at thewoodandspoon.com by Kate Wood.

This blueberry brioche, while somewhat of a task in the kitchen, is a delicious treat that is perfect for breakfast, snacking, or even dessert. I like to toast thick slices until golden and then slather it with butter and cinnamon sugar. Regardless of your preferences, bread making is a beautiful art that, given patience, attention, and love, is really rewarding and insanely delicious. I hope you’ll take a chance on this bread and enjoy every bit of it. Happy Sunday and happy baking!

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Blueberry Brioche

The recipe for blueberry brioche yields two loaves of fluffy, rich, blueberry-studded bread with a crumble topping. Simple enough for breakfast and decadent enough for dessert, this blueberry brioche is the summer bread to beat! 

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 35
  • Total Time: 300
  • Yield: 2 Loaves

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • ½ cup (80 gm) lukewarm milk (I use whole)
  • 1/3 cup (70 gm) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 23/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons (395 gm) all-purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 11/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ cup (113 gm) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
  • 11/2 cups (225 gm) blueberries

For the topping:

  • 5 tablespoons (40 gm) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (50 gm) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk

Instructions

  1. Pour the lukewarm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk in half of the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over top of the mixture and allow it to dissolve, about five minutes. You may need to stir the yeast after a few minutes to allow it all to dissolve. Once dissolved, stir in the rest of the sugar, 1 cup of the flour, the eggs, salt, and cinnamon. Once incorporated, add in an additional 1-3/4 cups of flour, stirring on low to combine. Using the paddle attachment, increase the speed to medium (I use 4 on my mixer) and begin adding the butter a piece at a tim, stirring to barely incorporate after each addition. Continue to beat, scraping the sides of the bowl twice throughout the process, for 4 minutes or until the dough is moistened and stretchy, forming strands of stringy dough between the beater and the bowl. Toss the blueberries with the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour and stir or knead the blueberries into the dough on low speed until they’re combined and barely starting to burst. If you feel like the of the blueberries are squishing before they are incorporated, you can try to fold them in with your hands. Don’t worry- they’ll integrate well after the first rise. Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm spot of your kitchen until doubled in size, about 1-1/2- 2 hours. I like to let mine rise on the counter next to a warm stove or oven.
  2. Once the dough has doubled in volume, dump the dough out onto a barely floured surface and divide it in two equal pieces using a bench scraper or a sharp knife. Pat one piece of dough out into a rectangle roughly 8″x11″ and fold it lengthwise like you fold a letter, folding the bottom third up and the top third over top of it. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and pat it out into a rectangle again, repeating the folding process. Lightly grease two loaf pans (8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ x 2 ¾) and gently work the dough into each pan with the seam facedown and cover the pans with plastic wrap. Allow them to rise a second time, about 1-1/2 hours until the bread has risen just barely over the lip of the pan, about ½-1”. The bread will continue to rise in the oven, so don’t worry if it’s not a lofty loaf yet. Keep in mind if you use a larger or smaller loaf pan, your rise will be slightly different.
  3. While the bread is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and make the crumb topping. Stir together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon until combined. Then, use a fork to cut the butter and vanilla into the mixture until it is a coarse meal consistency. When the loaves have risen, gently brush them with a thin layer of cream and sprinkle the crumbs on top. You may have some crumbs leftover. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until the loaves have tanned and are 190 degrees in the inside. Allow to cool for 20 minutes in the pan and then continue cooling on a cooling rack.

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