When I bake cake to celebrate with my colleagues (e.g. at my birthday) it is some kind of tradition to include a nut filled braid. But sometimes I need to break out of the routine and so I decided to bring a marzipan braid this year, too.

I make a dough with sourdough, which kept the braid fresh for 2 days (well, the small left over of it at least). But if anyone don’t like sourdough in a sweet pastry, the 1.5 amount of dough from the nut filled braid would go nicely with the filling, too.

The filling contains beside marzipan grounded almonds, some bread crumbs and egg white. The mixture is lovely, the taste of marzipan is dominant without overpowering the aroma from the dough.

It is a recipe for Marzipan lovers – and you can find a lot of some among my colleagues. And so everyone was very happy with this new recipe!

Marzipan Braid

yields 4 Braids

Sourdough

• 210 g flour (Typ 550)
• 145 g Water
• 20g sourdough

Dough

• Sourdough
• 500g Flour Type 550
• 80g Oil
• 10g Salt
• 5g fresh yeast
• 80g egg yolks (from 4 eggs size L)
• 55g Egg (1 Egg size L)
• 60g sugar
• 125g Water

Filling

• 300g almonds, finely grounded
• 300g Marzipan
• 100g bread crumbs
• 100g sugar
• 400g Water
• 4 Egg whites

Glazing

• 100g powedered sugar
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix all ingredients for the Sourdough and let it stand at 25°C for about 12 hours.

Dissolve the yeast in water, then knead in the kitchen machine with eggs, oil, salt, flour and sourdough for 5 min at slow speed.

The knead 7 min at middle speed. Because the sugar inhibits the gluten development, the sugar is added just now. Add always a tablespoon at once and knead in between always for 1 min.

Ferment for 1.5 hour.

While dough is fermenting prepare the filling: Bring water to boil and at the marizpan in small pieces. Stir until it dissolved completely. Now add grinded almonds, bread crumbs and sugar and stir the mixture until its starts to bubble. Now set aside to cool down. After cooling fold in the egg white.

Roll the dough to a rectangel of 25 cm x 45 cm, and spread the filling on it. Roll into a log .

Place each log on a baking tray lined with baking paper, then use a scissor or dough scrapper to cut it lengthwise, so you got two strands. Cross the strands and braid a braid.

Proof for 1.5 hours or overnight in fridge.

Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake for 35 min untill golden.

Mix powered sugar and citron juice and glace the Nusszopf after it has cooled down.

I sent this entry to Yeastspotting, Susans weekly showcase of yeast baked good.