Almond Braid

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Ingredients

	For the dough:
350 g	plain flour, you may not need to use all
5 ¹/₂ tbsp	caster sugar
1 sachet	yeast, use either fast rise or bread machine yeast
1 tsp	salt
125 ml	milk
50 ml	water
60 g	butter or margarine
2 medium	eggs
¹/₂ tsp	vanilla extract
	For the filling:
200 g	almonds, finely chopped
100 g	granulated sugar
3 tbsp	butter or margarine, melted
¹/₂ tsp	vanilla extract
¹/₂ tsp	almond extract
1 medium	egg, lightly beaten
	For the glaze and baking:
1	egg white
1 tsp	water
	For the topping:
125 g	icing sugar
1 ¹/₂ tbsp	milk, approximately
¹/₂ tsp	almond extract
2 tbsp	flaked almonds, to decorate

Method

Preparation time: ca. 30 min Resting time: ca. 2 hrs / Grade of difficulty: medium / Calories per portion: n/a

To make the dough:
Combine 100 g flour with sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk with water and butter until very warm (50-55ºC, 120-130ºF). Pour slowly into the dry ingredients while beating at medium speed with a food mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically. After 2 minutes, add a further 100 g of flour, eggs and vanilla and beat for a further 2 minutes at high speed. Scrape down the bowl sides again. Add sufficient of the remaining flour to make a soft but not sticky dough.

Turn out to a lightly floured surface and knead and stretch for about 8-10 minutes or until smooth and pliable. Return to the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Turn out again onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to an 18-inch, 45 cm square. Divide equally into three 6-inch, 15 cm strips.

To make the filling:
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Spread the filling in a 5-inch, 12 cm strip down the centre of each strip of dough, leaving a ½-inch, 12 mm border down the sides and top and bottom.

To form:
Starting from a long side, roll each dough strip tightly into a long sausage. Pinch down the ends and seam to seal.

When you have three ropes, lay them down parallel to each other. Bring the furthest ends together and pinch to seal. Braid alternately from left to centre, then right to centre until there is little of the rope remaining. Pinch the ends together and turn under both ends of the braid. Transfer the braid to a greased baking sheet. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180ºC, 350ºF.

To make the glaze:
Mix together the egg white and water and brush over the coils of the braid.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until done. The bottom should sound hollow when tapped with a knuckle. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

To make the topping:
Place the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the almond extract and add milk a little at a time until you have a soft, dropping consistency. Drizzle the icing over the top of the loaf while still warm. Top with flaked almonds while the icing is still wet. Allow the braid to cool and the icing to dry before serving.

Variation:
Roll the pasty into a 24x12-inch, 60x30 cm rectangle. Divide the dough as before, add the filling in similar fashion as above, leaving same margins top, bottom and sides. Braid as before but bring ends together to form a ring. Bake and finish as above.

Option:
Replace the almonds with an equivalent amount of unsalted peanuts in the filling and decoration.