Braiding 101

There was a lot some confusion over the "braiding" of the dough from my Chicken & Broccoli Braid recipe, so since I made Apple Danish Bread on Saturday, I figured I would explain that a bit better.  It sounds really quite complicated when you read it (I was confused the first time too), but once you see it, it all makes sense.

I forgot to mention in the other recipe as well, that you should leave the crescent roll dough in the fridge until you are going to open it.  It's much easier to work with when it's cold.

So, after you open the crescent roll package, roll it out horizontally so that it covers the top half of your baking sheet.  Don't worry if it hangs over the edges since you'll be pulling them into the middle later on.
Next either use a rolling pin or your fingers to mash all the perforations together.  We want one big piece of dough, not little crescents.

Repeat the above with the second package of dough.

Now take a knife (I usually use a paring knife 'cuz it's small) and cut slits along the edges of the dough.  Mine are usually about the length of the paring knife's blade and I just eyeball them so that I end up with about 8 strips of dough (I try to make them a little thicker so that they hold the filling in better.  This doesn't always happen though and sometimes they're skinnier.  It's all good in the hood.  Makes it more "rustic" when it's not perfect, I say).  Repeat on the other side of the dough and try to match up the slits as much as possible (you don't need to get a ruler out or anything, just eyeball it).

Add your filling in the middle.  Try to leave about a centimeter between your filling and the slits so that your filling doesn't seep out the sides.  Now comes the "braiding."  Pick up a pair of strips and cross them over the filling.  Voila, a braid.  Repeat with the reamaining strips.  Make sure to squish the dough at the top and bottom together so the filling doesn't seep out there either.

And since I'm on a recipe kick lately, here's the recipe for the Apple Danish Bread I made on Saturday:

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled  cored and sliced

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. maple-flavored syrup

1 tbsp. sugar

1 egg

1/4 cups pecans, chopped

2 pkg, refrigerated crescent rolls

1/3 cup icing sugar

Combine cream cheese and icing sugar until well blended.  Add egg, mixing until smooth.  Chop pecans.  Unroll 1 pkg. of crescent dough; do not separate.  Place horizontally across top of a 12X15" cookie sheet or baking stone.  Repeat with 2nd pkg. of dough.  Roll dough (or squish together with fingers) to seal perforations.  On longest sides of the cookie sheet, cut strips with paring knife (as pictured above).  Spread half of cream cheese mixture evenly over middle of dough.  Peel, core and slice apples.  Cut slices crosswise in half; evenly arrange apple slices over cream cheese mixture.  Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples.  Scoop remaining cream cheese mixture over apples.  Sprinkle with chopped pecans.  To braid, lift strips of dough across mixture to meet in center, twisting each strip one turn.  Continue alternating strips to form a braid.  Tuck ends under to seal at end of braid.  Bake in preheated 375F oven for 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown.  Remove from oven; brush with syrup using a pastry brush.

I don't do the maple syrup.  This is because I am lazy don't own a pastry brush.  And also because we don't normally have maple syrup in the house and since the Wal-Mart brand was $7, I didn't really think it was worth the cost for 1 tablespoon.

Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the finished product.  I was making it just before my B-Charmed party and forgot to take a picture when it was done baking 'cuz I was having too much fun with the jewellry!