A Sweet Holiday Tradition: Almond Braid

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Hello, friends! What a beautiful time of year it is. I’ve been thinking about so many things I’d love to share with you this week, and over and over my thoughts keep coming back to one favorite holiday recipe—so I decided that’s exactly what I’d share!

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I have always loved making home-made bread.  I think there is just something so wonderfully homey about the smell of bread baking.   So for me, a loaf of bread is one of the funnest gifts to give.  Many years ago I happened on this recipe for Almond Braid and have made it for so many gifts and occasions.  I decided to share it with you today. 

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You will need to start with your bread dough.  You can use any basic bread dough recipe or use my favorite recipe here. If you follow a recipe for one loaf of bread it will make one large Almond Braid. This bread recipe that I am sharing is for two loaves, so you can cut the bread dough recipe in half.

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Place your dough in an oiled bowl, set it in a warm place in your kitchen and let it rise until double. 

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While your dough is rising, make your almond filling:

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In a mixing bowl combine:

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When your dough has risen, pour it out onto a floured surface and roll out your dough to a nice rectangle.  Mine was about 9 inches wide by about 12 inches long.  It does not have to be perfect.

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Using a pizza cutter, VERY lightly score your bread dough lengthwise into 3 equal portions.  Do NOT cut through the dough, just lightly score it.  

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Place your almond filling in the center section stopping about an inch from the top and the bottom.  Now, take your pizza cutter (or kitchen scissors) and cut your dough into 1 inch diagonal sections on each side, up to the scored lines.  If your pizza cutter has a hard time cutting all the way through, you can also do this with kitchen scissors.  It looks tricky, but it is very easy.  Your diagonal sections do not need to be perfect either. All you really need to make sure of is that you have the same number on each side.

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Now, this is where we start braiding.  (And its not really a braid, more like a criss-cross fashion. )  Take the little middle section on the top and fold it down (kind of like the flap of an envelope) and then take a diagonal piece from each side and criss-cross over that.   (The purpose of folding over that top flap is to keep the filling from spreading out when it cooks.)

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Keep going in this way, just taking a diagonal piece from each side and crossing over the other piece.

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When you are two or three sections from the bottom, take that bottom center section and fold it like you did the top (closing the “envelope” flap again).  Fold those bottom two diagonal pieces in also.  Then, go back up and cross in the remaining two pieces from each side.

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Your “braid” will look something like this.   Cover it lightly with a tea towel and let it rise for 15 minutes or so.

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Now, take your reserved egg white and beat with a fork til foamy.  Brush the egg white carefully all over the dough, covering every inch so it takes on a shiny appearance. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and raw sugar.  (Or leave the almonds off.  Don’t leave off the raw sugar though!!)

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Pop in a 375 degree oven and bake until golden brown; about 20 – 30 minutes (be sure to check your oven consistently, as every oven is going to cook differently).  

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This is positively yummy fresh out of the oven, but yummier the next day after the filling has had a chance to set up a bit.  

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I wrapped my cooled braid in saran wrap and sealed it up tight.  Then I lightly wrapped it in unbleached parchment paper and tied some twine around it.

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It’s really the perfect gift to give on New Year’s because it is the absolute best breakfast for the next morning!  

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Happy Holidays to you and yours. I’m so grateful for you, and I hope the New Year brings you deep joy and gentle peace.

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Until our gravel roads cross again… so long.

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Dori