Sourdough pastry braids are a delicious sourdough puff pastry with a cream cheese and fruit filling that is baked until golden to create a beautiful bread that is perfect for special occasions.
Have you seen the common theme here yet? I’m on a sourdough pastry kick. I just talked about how I get onto food kicks in the last post (strawberry stuffed French toast, just in case you missed it) and pastry is another one.
From sourdough croissants to Danish pastry, and now sourdough butter braids. This has become one of our favorite recipes. It is just like those fancy beautiful braided breads you can buy at a bakery, but made right at home with your favorite filling (sweetened cream cheese filling with fresh blueberries is my favorite) and a sourdough twist.
Lately, over on Instagram, I’ve been talking a lot about how those who are gluten sensitive can enjoy grains that have been fermented. Just because you may not be able to digest unfermented grains doesn’t mean you can never enjoy those things again.
That is why I love sourdough so much. You can find a sourdough version of just about any recipe you could desire. From brownies, to challah bread, to bagels, pizza, and more. The limits are endless. Just make sure to long ferment the dough for better digestion.
Tips
- During lamination you don’t want the dough to get too warm, so you want to work fairly quickly. The butter will just melt into the dough rather than creating the flaky layers. If the butter does get too warm, you can stick it in the fridge for 10-30 minutes and then continue working on the dough.
- The dough and the butter should be about the same temperature. This is so when you are laminating the dough the butter doesn’t push out.
- This recipe uses natural yeast rather than commercial yeast to rise the dough. If you are totally new to sourdough, make sure to check out how to make a sourdough starter here.
- I suggest placing a baking sheet on a lower rack where the pastry braid is baking just in case any butter leaks out during baking. The pan will catch the butter, rather than possibly dripping to the bottom of the pan
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FAQ:
Some butter leakage is normal. But if it is leaking a lot something may have gone wrong during the lamination. The butter and dough may have gotten too soft making them combine together rather than creating flaking layers.
I recommend placing an empty baking sheet under the baking sheet with the braid. This will catch any butter that leaks out and prevents it from hitting the bottom of the oven causing potential issues.
They are almost identical except that danish pastry dough is more of an enriched dough (like brioche) and includes eggs.
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients:
- All purpose flour
- Sugar
- Active sourdough starter, bubbly and active
- Whole milk
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
Butter for laminating
- 16 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Cream Cheese Filling
- Cream cheese – I like to use my homemade Greek yogurt cream cheese since we currently have so much milk.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg yolk
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla extract
Filling ideas:
Fresh, canned or frozen fruit. If using canned fruit, make sure to drain any excess liquid. For frozen fruit, use from frozen, don’t let it thaw.
Lemon curd
Pie filling
Jam
Egg wash:
- 1 large egg white, beaten lightly with 1 tablespoon cold water
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
Tools you may need:
Stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Could also use a hand mixer for creating the cream cheese filling.
Rolling Pin
Baking sheet – I like these stainless steel baking sheets
Parchment paper
Large bowl
Bench scraper
How To Make Sourdough Pastry Braids
Add the flour, sugar, sourdough starter, milk, egg, vanilla and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.
Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes or until it becomes a glossy and smooth dough. This recipe actually doesn’t need to knead for a super long time and doesn’t have to pass the windowpane test. You can also easily do this by hand. Mix and knead to make a shaggy, sticky dough. Continue to knead for about 5-10 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball and place in a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, foil, or a beeswax wrap and place in a warm place for about 4 hours.
Place the bowl in the refrigerator to continue fermenting for 8 hours, or up to 3 days.
Laminating the dough with butter
To roll the butter block out into a 6″ by 8″ rectangle, place the sticks of butter on a large piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle it with flour.
Fold the parchment paper around the butter, so that the butter will fill the entire envelope once you roll it out. You are aiming for a butter block that is 6″ by 8″. It doesn’t need to be too precise here. You just want to make sure the pastry dough can entirely encase the butter when you roll it out for laminating.
Tap out the butter with a rolling pin lightly to start to spread the butter, then roll smooth.
Chill the butter for 10 minutes. You want the butter to stay nice and cold to create the flaky butter layers. Too warm and it will just smush out. Cold butter is essential.
Remove the pastry dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface.
Roll it out into a 16″ by 8″ inch rectangle.
Place the butter packet in the middle of the dough. Fold the edges over, so they meet in the middle and completely encase the butter. Pinch the middle seam and sides closed, so none of the butter can escape.
First fold
Roll the dough, with the butter sealed inside, back out into a 16″ by 8″ inch rectangle on a lightly floured work surface.
Fold each side into the center again; then fold one side over the other to make a rectangle with 4 layers of dough. (See picture)
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Second fold
Roll the dough out into another 16″ by 8″ inch rectangle.
Again, fold each side into the center; then fold one side over the other to make a rectangle with 4 layers of dough.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it back in the refrigerator for 2 hours up to 12 hours.
Make the pastries
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Divide the dough in half.
Put the half you arenโt working with back in the refrigerator, so that it doesnโt get warm while you are shaping the other.
Roll the pastry dough out into a 12โ by 9โ rectangle. Visually divide the dough into three equal sections. You could also mark it with small cuts, if desired.
Place on a prepared baking sheet.
Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut 10 strips on each side of the filling, avoiding cutting into the center of the dough. Remove the strips from the top (leaving the center portion). This gives you a bit of dough to encase the filling.
Spread the cream cheese filling down the center of the long side. Top it with fruit, jam or pie filling.
Fold the remaining top piece of dough down over the filling.
Next fold the strips to the center, alternating sides to create a braid. You can choose your favorite braiding technique. Angle them down a bit, so that by time you get to the bottom, there is enough dough to encase the bottom of the pastry braid.
Chill for one hour.
Brush with an egg wash.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown.
Spread the glaze on top. (optional)
Serve warm.
Storage:
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe ziploc bag. Remove as much air as possible.
Find More Delicious Sourdough Recipes:
- Sourdough Challah Recipe: A soft and fluffy traditional Jewish bread
- Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone .
Sourdough Pastry Braid
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups all purpose flour 420 grams
- 1/4 cup sugar 50 grams
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter bubbly and active (113 grams)
- 3/4 cup whole milk 183 grams
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon salt 5 grams
Butter for laminating
- 16 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 2 sticks or 227 grams
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour 9 grams
Cream Cheese filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling ideas:
- 3/4 cup fresh, canned or frozen fruit
- Lemon curd
- Pie filling
- Jam
Egg wash:
- 1 large egg white beaten lightly
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Add the flour, sugar, sourdough starter, milk, egg, vanilla and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Mix on low speed until the dough becomes smooth and glossy. You can also easily do this by hand. Mix and knead to make a shaggy, sticky dough. Continue to knead for about 5-10 minutes
- Form the dough into a ball and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, foil, or a beeswax wrap and place in a warm spot for about 4 hours.
- Place the bowl in the refrigerator to continue fermenting for 8 hours, or up to 3 days.
Laminating the dough with butter
- To roll the butter block out into a 6" by 8" inch rectangle, place the sticks of butter on a large piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle it with flour.
- Fold the parchment paper around the butter, so that the butter will fill the entire envelope once you roll it out. You are aiming for a butter block that is 6 inches by 8 inches. You donโt need to be too precise here. You just want to make sure the pastry dough can entirely encase the butter when you roll it out for laminating.
- Tap out the butter with a rolling pin lightly to start to spread the butter, then roll smooth.
- Chill the butter for 10 minutes. You want the butter to stay nice and cold to create the flaky butter layers. Too warm and it will just smush out. Cold butter is essential.
- Remove the pastry dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface.
- Roll it out into a 16" by 8" inch rectangle.
- Place the butter packet in the middle of the dough. Fold the edges over, so they meet in the middle and completely encase the butter. Pinch the middle seam and sides closed, so none of the butter can escape.
First fold
- Roll the dough, with the butter sealed inside, back out into a 16" by 8" inch rectangle.
- Fold each side into the center again; then fold one side over the other to make a rectangle with 4 layers of dough. (See picture)
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and put it back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Second fold
- Roll the dough out into another 16" by 8" inch rectangle.
- Again, fold each side into the center; then fold one side over the other to make a rectangle with 4 layers of dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and put it back in the refrigerator for 2 hours, up to 12 hours.
Make the pastries
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Divide the dough in half. Put the half you arenโt working with back in the refrigerator, so that it doesnโt get warm while you are shaping the other.
- Roll the pastry dough out into a 12โ by 9โ rectangle. Visually divide the dough into three equal sections. You could also mark it with small cuts, if desired.
- Spread the cream cheese filling down the center. Top it with fruit, jam or pie filling.
- Using a sharp knife, cut 10 strips on each side of the filling, avoiding cutting into the center. Remove the outside strips from the top. This gives you a bit of dough to encase the filling.
- Fold the remaining top piece of dough down over the filling.
- Next, fold the strips to the center, alternating sides to create a braid. Angle them down a bit, so that by time you get to the bottom, there is enough dough to encase the bottom of the pastry braid.
- Chill for one hour.
- Brush with an egg wash.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Spread the glaze on top. (optional)
- Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- During lamination you don't want the dough to get too warm, so you want to work fairly quickly. The butter will just melt into the dough rather than creating the flaky layers. If the butter does get too warm, you can stick it in the fridge for 10-30 minutes and then continue working on the dough.
- The dough and the butter should be about the same temperature. This is so when you are laminating the dough the butter doesn't push out.
- I suggest placing a baking sheet on a lower rack that where the pastry braid is baking, just in case any butter leaks out during baking. The pan will catch the butter, rather than possibly dripping to the bottom of the pan
Andrea says
this sounds amazing! 1 question…does this make 2 because you say to cut dough in half and put 1 back in the fridge. if not when do you add the other half? Im confused! thanks and will let you know how it came out when I make it!
Lisa Bass says
Yes, it does make two!
LeAnn says
Hi Lisa!
This recipe is so great! I am however finding that the dough is not fully cooked in the center? I am baking it according to the directions and have even tried leaving it for a bit longer in the oven. Still, it is undercooked. I find after slicing it I am putting it back into the oven for an additional 5-8 min to cook the inner layers fully. Any recommendations??
Thank you so much for this recipe! โค๏ธ
Fern says
I used this recipe in a baking challenge against my sibling even they thought mine was better. This is a great recipe and absolutely delicious
Sydney says
Freezing question: when I am ready to eat it after being frozen. Do you bake it again or do I freeze prior to any baking? Freezing after the last rise?
4 stars because I have yet to finish !!!
Lisa Bass says
You can bake it prior to freezing it or you can bake it after your freeze it. Depends on what you want to do!
Melissa Duerksen says
Hi Sydney!
Did you end up freezing the pastry? If so, did you freeze before or after baking and did it turn out well? I’m looking to freeze a couple of them as well!
Stacey says
This dough was WAY easier than I anticipated. A short 20 minutes of mixing the dough another 20 minutes of rolling out the butter and dough together. Now I have enough dough for two pastry braids in my fridge ready to go. I’ll be making these for an Easter potluck tomorrow with homemade strawberry jam. So excited! I love that you can make the dough ahead of time and pause in the fridge. Thanks for the great recipe!