meyer lemon danish braid
Flaky and light, this Meyer lemon Danish braid made with Red Star Yeast bakes up golden and fluffy with a blissful cream cheese-Meyer lemon curd filling. Leftover curd (if such a thing even exists!) makes a fabulous side. Topped with Meyer lemon glaze, this treat is sure to win the hearts of lemon lovers!
If you’re feeling ambitious, this sweet yeasted bread can be made from start to finish in a single day. You can also prep the lemon Danish braid the night before and bake it the next morning for a scrumptious start to your day!
Meyer Lemon Danish Braid
- Prep Time: 1 hr 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, plus rise time
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Flaky and light, this meyer lemon Danish braid bakes up golden and fluffy with a blissful cream cheese-Meyer lemon curd filling.
Ingredients
Sponge
- 6 Tbsp (90 g) low fat milk
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 package Red Star PLATINUM Yeast
- 2 Tbsp (17 g) flour
Dough
- 1/4 cup (48 g) sugar
- 4 oz (113 g) reduced fat cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups (315 g) flour, divided
Filling
- 3 oz (85 g) reduced fat cream cheese, softened
- 2 Tbsp (24 g) sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp Meyer lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (75 g) Meyer Lemon Curd
Glaze
- 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 Tbsp (7 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp Meyer lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp Meyer lemon juice
Instructions
- For the sponge, heat milk in a microwave-safe measuring cup for 45 seconds to 1 minute, until very warm (120-130°F). Whisk together warm milk, sugar, yeast, and flour in a medium bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand 15 minutes.
- For the dough, combine sugar, cream cheese, butter, salt, vanilla, egg, and sponge in a large mixer bowl; beat at medium speed for 1 minute until combined. Add 2 cups (280 g) flour and mix in at low speed until a soft dough forms, about 2 to 3 minutes. Switch out the flat beater for a dough hook, and knead dough for 4 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding remaining 1/4 cup (35 g) of flour 1 tablespoon at a time to prevent dough from sticking. The dough is ready when it feels tacky but doesn’t stick to your fingers.
- Place dough in a large bowl coated with nonstick spray and cover with plastic. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 50 to 60 minutes. To check if dough has doubled, lightly flour two fingers and press them down into center of dough. If indentations remain, dough has risen enough.
- While the dough rises, prepare the filling. Combine cream cheese, sugar, salt, Meyer lemon juice, and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and dust lightly with flour. Gently punch down dough and roll out into a 12 x 15-inch rectangle on prepared baking sheet. Use an offset spatula to spread cream cheese mixture down the center of the dough, leaving a 4-inch border on each side and a 1-inch border at the top and bottom. Spread Meyer lemon curd over the cream cheese filling. Use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut 15 1-inch strips on both sides of dough (be careful not to cut parchment paper).
- Remove the four corner strips and fold top border down over filling. Work from top to bottom and fold strips over filling, alternating strips diagonally (begin by folding over the top left strip, then fold the top right strip, then a left strip, and so on). When all the strips are folded over filling, fold up the bottom border and press to seal. Cover braid loosely with plastic and let rise 25 minutes. (Prepare ahead: After braid rests, cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking).
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake braid until golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before glazing. For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, salt, melted butter, Meyer lemon zest, and juice in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over braid and let set before serving.
Notes
Make ahead: Work up to Step 6. Cover the braid tightly and refrigerate overnight. On baking day, bring the braid to room temperature while preheating oven to 375°F and bake as directed.
Keywords: Meyer Lemon, Lemon, Danish Braid, Breakfast
More Meyer lemon recipes to try:
Meyer Lemon Cream Puffs
Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie
Meyer Lemon Morning Buns
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Disclosure: I was compensated by Red Star Yeast for the development of this recipe. All opinions expressed are my own.
I am not a morning person before coffee, either. But these will improve any morning!
Just magical! I adore sweets with lemon, especially Meyer! I am seriously longing for a thick slice of this beauty.
Good morning, she said, as she warmed up the espresso machine! Lovely, Laura… can hardly wait for my Meyer lemons to fruit.
What a gorgeous braid! And hehe nobody should ever speak to me before my first cup of tea! I’m positively grumpy! 😀
I would love to wake up to this each and every morning! Not sure how I’d pull that off, but a girl can dream 🙂
Wow – What a beautifully crafted and presented danish!! Will check out that platinum line of yeast from Red Star. Now I need me some danish with a cuppa-joe! 😉
As always, Laura. You have a magnificent recipe again! Even if a person is not a morning person, this meyer lemon danish braid will change that. This is absolutely perfect with coffee!
Gorgeous braid, Laura! I just love your Meyer lemon recipes and this recipe is no exception. I am coming over to your house for brunch! Thanks for sharing and have a fabulous week!
Your slow morning sounds amazing right about now!! I mean this braid + coffee + a fire?? YESSS please! 🙂
I love your teased danish! This lemon filling sounds phenomenal! What a nice way to start the day.
I am definitely a morning person, I like the silence and this feeling that the time belongs to me. And I like to have sth sweet next to my coffee 😀
Your creations are always magic, Laura! So, so lovely, both to look at and flavor-wise. This would definitely be the perfect way to start the day!
I’m not a morning person at all! But since coming to The Netherlands, I treasure my quiet moment when I eat the most delicious slice of freshly baked bread with some pretty yummy old dutch cheeses. Every single day! Wouldn’t this danish bread make just the most wonderful addition to my morning tradition. Its making me wish it was morning already… 🙂
Laura, this is looks amazing!! When I was little, my mom and I went to Sweden to stay with a friend of hers from college. The village had an incredible bakery near her apartment and one of my favorite pastries was their lemon danish. No doubt, this would transport me back to that carefree, seven year old state of mind. 😀
I love this! Memories about pastries are the absolute best memories :).
A big pot of coffee and this Danish braid seem like a heavenly combination Laura!
Laura, this is beyond gorgeous!!!! love!! and I am like you! Don’t even look in my direction until I’ve had my coffee!!! 😛
Once again my mouth is watering. I’ll start the day all over for a piece of this stuff!
Isn’t that a delightful sight and it sounds absolutely delicious.
I don’t see what you’re supposed to do with the sponge after you make it and let it sit 15 minutes?
Hi Ella, the sponge is mixed with the sugar, cream cheese, butter, salt, vanilla, and egg (see the first line of step 2). Hope that helps! 🙂
I made this and it turned out great! I tripled both the lemon curd and the cream cheese filling. It wasn’t overly sweet and had a great flavor. The recipe was very easy to follow even as a beginner baker. I really appreciated having the gram measurements since I like to be precise. The dough was very easy to work with and had a wonderful soft texture. Even with a few mistakes everything turned out great. I can’t recommend this recipe enough!
★★★★★