Here is a braid that would look great at an Easter brunch! It is an ultra-soft and filled braid which gives it a milky side with the quark, perfumed with the lemon and delicious with the almond stuffing. Yes I know, I said I don't like brunches, but when it comes to getting together with family and friends it's always a pleasure! As I speak to you, my belly is still full of croissants, quiche, salad, scrambled eggs and other pancakes, but it was really a great time. In any case, if this braid is ideal for a brunch, it could very well be served for breakfast for four o'clock or even with coffee as dessert. I adapted it from two recipes: the stuffing from this Migusto recipe (go watch the step-by-step recipe in pictures) and the dough from the beautiful blog Mrsmartinezcooks . Don't hesitate to go and take a look, because this Fribourg mother of three children (soon to be four I think) is full of simple, colorful and often seasonal ideas for everyday meals! I tried her cranberry and mango braid, but I found it too sweet. On the other hand, I kept the idea of the curd braid dough which gives it a lot of softness and a very fresh milky side. Unfortunately, I can't give you the direct link to the recipe, because she recently revamped her blog and it is no longer there.
For those who don't know, quark is a Swiss product made from cow's milk that to me looks a bit like Greek yogurt. It must surely be found under other names in many countries, but the term quark is very Swiss. It comes from a process known since the Middle Ages and even from older civilizations. It is curdled milk, but not pressed, with a very creamy texture but a little tangy side. You can find low-fat, full-fat or semi-fat quark. It is also called fromage blanc, but personally, I don't find that it has the taste and texture of the fromage blanc found in France. I have never really understood what the equivalent of the French fromage blanc that I love is in Switzerland. In any case, because it is low in calories, but much less liquid than plain yogurt, quark is a balanced breakfast with fruit or muesli and can be used to make great dips for an aperitif.
For the braid
350g flour
50 g sugar
40 g butter
125 g of semi-fat quark
1.25 dl of milk
15 g yeast
1 tbsp. hail sugar
2 tbsp flaked almonds
For the garnish
125 g of semi-fat quark
50 g of candied citron cubes
1 small lemon
25 g sugar
25 g of softened butter
25 g of almond powder
12 g flour
1/2 egg
Start by making the braid dough. Mix the powders. Dilute the yeast in the slightly warmed milk and add to the center, add the quark and knead until you obtain a smooth dough. Finish by adding the cold butter in pieces. Knead until it is completely incorporated. Whether kneading with a robot or by hand, do not add flour. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to double in volume at room temperature. For the almond mass, beat the butter with the sugar to obtain a white and frothy mass. Add half a beaten egg (keep the rest for the glaze), the almond powder and the flour. Mix with the quark, the lemon zest and the candied citron. Set aside in a cool place.
Remove the dough from the bowl and degas it. Divide it into 3 and roll it out into a rectangle of about 40 cmx18 cm. Spread the stuffing on the dough, leaving a small strip of plain dough at the top. Roll everything into 3 large sausages and seal the ends well. Leaving the sausages in the fridge for about twenty minutes will make shaping easier. Preheat the oven to 180° fan-assisted. Seal the ends of the 3 sausages, seal facing down, and make a 3-strand braid that is not too tight. Seal the final ends and fold them under the braid as well as the initial ends. Place the latter on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Brush with egg, sprinkle with flaked almonds and hail sugar and bake at the bottom of the oven for about 30 minutes, keeping a close eye on the end of cooking.
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