Heavy Whipping Cream Braided Yeast Bread (2024)

Posted on 11/07/2013 by hungrygems

I, apparently, am the only one in the world who doesn’t love brioche.

I actually made a stunning batch around Easter, but just couldn’t get myself to post it. It was very well received, but I just don’t enjoy eating it. Too eggy, too dry and so flashy yet falls so short of its advertising.

I found this recipe and was totally drawn to it. Who puts heavy whipping cream- in mass quantities- in a yeast bread?

Apparently the Germans.

And they know exactly what they are doing.

This show stopper is not just flash.

It’s flash and then boom bang pow!

It’s like the thunder and lightening at the dinner table- a storm of deliciousness and if you aren’t expecting it, you may just get struck by surprise.

Its shiny, glossy exterior gets the saliva flowing. The slicing leads to clean strips of golden goodness leaning upon one another on the cutting board. Immediately of note is the tight, light crumb. It has a crumb so perfect that my cakes are envious.

Much more moist than a brioche and gently sweet, it possesses a lightness and softness that gets showcased by a smear of butter and a dollop of jam- it doesn’t shrink away in blandness.

Perfect for my Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas table, this is an absolute keeper for me.

I wonder what else whipping cream could improve…

Looking for more yeast raised delights? Try these Puffy Dough Pillows or Honey Potato Cheese Danish.

Heavy Whipping Cream Braided Yeast Bread

Recipe and procedure adapted from The Taste Revelation

Ingredients

• 4-5 C flour
• 1 1/4 scant cups of heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 scant cup of sugar
• 1 T dry active yeast
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 yolk plus 1 tsp water at room temperature, for brushing the loaf before baking

Directions

1. Heat whipping cream to 110-115F. Pour cream into a medium bowl and add 2 tsp of the sugar and the yeast. Stir and let rest for 10 minutes to activate. The mixture should smell of yeast and be bubbly after the 10 minutes.
2. Mix 4 cups of flour and all the rest of the ingredients, including the yeast mixture in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
3. Beat on medium speed with a dough hook for 10-15 minutes, gradually adding more flour until the dough no longer sticks on the bottom of the bowl. The dough should be soft and smooth.
4. Lightly oil a large bowl and turn the dough ball over in it to coat the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
5. Gently deflate dough and divide into 3 parts, shaping each into an equal length rope. Braid the ropes and place loaf on a silpat mat on a cookie sheet. Gently brush with oil.
6. Allow to rise for 30 minutes until risen and puffy. Preheat oven to 350F while rising.
7. Brush on a mixture of the egg yolk and water to coat the entire surface of the bread, making sure to be careful not to deflate the dough.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until the loaf is brown and when patted, the bread sounds slightly hollow. If it browns too much, you may tent it with aluminum foil while baking. Cool, slice and devour. Enjoy!

This entry was posted in bread, glaze, savory, Snack, Yeast and tagged braided, braided bread, braided yeast bread, bread glaze, brioche, christmas, Easter, egg yolk wash, german, german bread, holiday, holiday bread recipe, holiday bread recipes, shiny bread crust, Thanksgiving, yeast, yeast bread. Bookmark the permalink.