The very finest in comfort cuisine! Pork chops that are quick, simple, and delicious are the ideal dinner option for a weekday.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Additional Time: | 4 hrs |
| Total Time: | 4 hrs 55 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 2 danish braids |
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed, divided
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup butter
- 1 egg
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Combine 1 cup milk and butter in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat; heat until very warm (120 to 130 degrees F (40 to 54 degrees C)), about 5 minutes.
- Beat milk-butter mixture gradually into flour mixture on low speed. Increase speed to medium; beat for 2 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape the bowl with a spatula. Beat in 1 cup flour and egg, occasionally scraping the bowl. Switch to the dough hook attachment; mix in remaining 2 cups flour until a soft dough forms.
- Turn dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball. Transfer to a greased bowl. Turn over to coat top with grease. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Punch down dough and turn out on a lightly floured surface. Divide into 2 pieces. Place each piece in a separate bowl. Cover and refrigerate, 2 hours to overnight.
- Combine cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, 1 egg, and lemon juice in the clean bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low speed until evenly blended. Increase speed to medium; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Grease 2 baking sheets. Roll 1 piece of dough into a 12×15-inch rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Spread cream cheese filling in a 4-inch strip down the center of each rectangle. Cut dough on both sides of the filling into 1-inch-wide strips. Fold strips alternately over the filling to create a braid. Cover braided dough and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Brush tops of braids with 2 tablespoons milk.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- If desired, spread fruit preserves, jams, or jellies over the filling before you braid the dough.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 336 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 40 g |
| Cholesterol | 71 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Sodium | 213 mg |
| Sugars | 15 g |
| Fat | 17 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I’ve made these twice now, and they turned out really nicely – and so pretty too! Let them cool completely before eating; they are even better on the second day and seem to freeze well. I added jam both times I made them (see “cook’s notes” section). Be sure to use a thicker, non-watery jam or the edges of the Danish will get soggy.