Bread Machine Coffee Braid

By JanetLynn198

Sweet dough braided loaf. You can make plain, or add raisins or currants or other dried fruits,and nuts, and/or fill with your favorite fruit or nut filling as desired. My grandmother made these raised yeast coffee cakes for every holiday, and I now try to do the same. Starting the dough in the bread machine saves time. She filled with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon, which I "kicked up" a bit too

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2/3 cup raisins or other dried fruit (optional)
• 2 tsp butter or margarine
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup less 1 tbsp water
• Glaze
• 1 egg white beaten
• 1 tsp water
• Optional: Fillings of your choice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nuts, or purchased fruit fillings. Melted butter. Confectioner's sugar glaze.

Details

Servings 2
Cooking time 49mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. Add the ingredients to your bread machine bowl in the order recommended by your instruction manual(or as listed above). Select Sweet Dough setting, and 2 lb. loaf size.

2. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Cover with a clean cloth and let rest for 5 mins. Divide dough into three equal parts. At this point, you may simply form three ropes about 14" long and form into a braid to rise again and bake...but I prefer to fill each rope.

3. Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle. Brush with melted butter. In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans or walnuts. You can add a little melted butter or water to make a paste. Spread filling over rectangle, leaving about an inch border open to seal. Roll up jelly roll fashion and fold over ends, and pinch edges to seal. Repeat with other two pieces of dough.

4. Place a large greased sheet pan, and braid. Tuck ends under and try to keep seam sides of each piece of braid facing down. Cover with a clean damp kitchen cloth and let rise until doubled in a warm-draft free spot.

5. Brush the loaf with the egg white glaze and bake in 375F oven for 25-30 mins or until golden brown. Filled loaves may take a little longer. Loaf should have a hollow sound if tapped. Remove from oven and cool. Frost with a glaze of confectioner's sugar and milk, or confectioner's sugar, several tsp cold coffee and tsp vanilla. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top if desired.