Russian braided bread

Recipe for 6 persons

Time required

Preparation: 30 mins.
Cooking: 30 mins.

Ingredients

For the dough
400 g flour
A pinch of salt
25 g sugar
20 g fresh yeast
250 g milk
50 g butter

For the filling
200 g ground nuts
75 g natural yoghurt
75 g honey
Zest of 2 lemons

For the glaze
75 g icing sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

How to make it

• Stir the yeast into the milk.
• Place the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl, add the milk and yeast, and mix thoroughly.
• Add the soft butter and stir the mixture until it becomes a smooth dough. Cover the dough and leave it to rest for an hour.
• While the dough is resting, combine the ground nuts, yoghurt, honey and lemon zest and put in the fridge.
• Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice and also put in the fridge.
• Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, spread the filling out over it, and roll it up lengthwise.
• Slice the roll lengthwise down the middle, leaving a join at one end.
• Plait (braid) the two halves, with the exposed filling always on top.
• Place the braid in a greased cake tin and leave it to rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Bake the braid in the oven at 180°C for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove from the cake tin while still warm and apply the glaze.

Tips and tricks

Leaving the braid in the fridge overnight intensifies its aroma.