Mascarpone Braided Bread
This mascarpone braided bread is an Italian bread that’s lightly sweet, soft, and easy to make. The dough is enriched with mascarpone, egg, and citrus zest, giving each braid a tender texture and delicate flavor.
This mascarpone braided bread has a texture similar to an enriched brioche, but instead of relying on butter, it gets its rich, tender crumb from mascarpone. The mascarpone adds a subtle creaminess to the dough and gives the bread a delicate flavor.
The braided shape is similar to my braided apple bread, but this version is made without a filling. If you love my cinnamon swirl loaf, this bread has that same sweet, tender feel. Enjoy it plain, add chocolate chips, or finish it with powdered sugar.
What Makes This Twisted Mascarpone Bread Different
- Mascarpone adds richness: It gives the dough a tender crumb and subtle creaminess.
- Soft, lightly sweet texture: The bread has the feel of an enriched sweet bread, similar to brioche.
- Pretty braided finish: The shape looks special but is simple to make.
Delicious plain or dressed up: Enjoy it as is, with chocolate chips, or with powdered sugar on top.
Ingredient Notes
- Milk: Whole milk adds a little extra richness, but 2% works well too. Make sure it is at room temperature before mixing.
- Active dry yeast: Sprinkle it over the milk and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes so it has time to bloom.
- Flour: All-purpose flour keeps the bread soft and tender.
- Egg + egg yolk: These enrich the dough and help give the bread its soft texture and beautiful color. Room temperature eggs mix in more easily.
- Granulated sugar: This adds sweetness without making the bread too sweet.
- Mascarpone: This is what makes the bread unique. It adds richness, a tender crumb, and a subtle creaminess to the dough.
- Vanilla: A little vanilla adds warmth and rounds out the flavor.
- Orange or lemon zest: Either one works beautifully. Orange gives the bread a warmer flavor, while lemon keeps it bright and fresh.
- Salt: A little salt balances the sweetness and brings out the other flavors.
- Optional: Finish with a dusting of powdered sugar or add semi-sweet chocolate chips to the dough for a sweeter variation.
How to Make Mascarpone Braided Bread
Start by adding the milk to the mixing bowl and sprinkling the yeast on top. Let it sit for a few minutes, then mix it together and add the flour, egg, yolk, sugar, mascarpone, vanilla, and zest. Knead the dough, then add the salt and keep kneading until it comes together into a soft dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it into a smooth ball. Cover it and let it rest. I like this short rest because it helps relax the gluten, so the dough is easier to roll and shape.
Roll the dough into a rectangle, fold it over, then shape it back into a ball.
Place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled.
Once it has risen, divide the dough into 6 pieces.
Cut each piece into 3 smaller pieces, roll them into ropes, and braid them to make 6 braided buns. Place the buns on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Cover the shaped bread and let rise again until doubled. Brush the tops with milk, then bake until golden.
Once cooled, finish the mascarpone bread bread loaves with a dusting of powdered sugar before serving.
recipe tips
- Use room temperature ingredients: Room temperature mascarpone, egg, and milk blend more easily into the dough and help give the bread a smoother texture.
- The dough should feel slightly tacky: You want the dough soft and a little tacky, but not overly sticky. Try not to add too much extra flour or the buns can lose some of their soft texture.
- Weigh the dough: If you want the mascarpone braided loaves to bake evenly and look more uniform, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and weigh them if you can. Each piece should be about 85 grams.
- If the dough resists shaping, let it rest: That short rest makes the ropes easier to roll and braid.
- Pearl sugar adds a nice finish: For a little extra sweetness and texture, sprinkle the tops with pearl sugar before baking.
- Chocolate chips make them more decadent: If you want a sweeter variation, add chocolate chips to the dough. It turns the mascarpone braided bread into indulgent mini chocolate chip mascarpone loaves!
This Homemade Braided Mascarpone Bread is wonderfully soft and rich, with a beautiful golden crust and a delicate flavour that makes it irresistible. Enjoy it fresh from the oven or lightly toasted with a little butter or your favourite jam for a delicious homemade treat! Enjoy!
Mascarpone Braided Bread
Ingredients
- 2⅔ tablespoons milk (whole or 2%) room temperature 40g
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons mascarpone (room temperature) 75g
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange or lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the mixing bowl add the milk sprinkle the yeast on top, let sit 5-10 minutes then mix. Add the flour, egg, yolk, sugar, mascarpone, vanilla and zest, start to knead add the salt and knead 4-5 minutes, the dough should be a little tacky but not overly sticky.
- Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and gently knead to form a dough ball, place a large bowl over the dough and let rest 15 minutes.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle. Fold over, shape into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft free area until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.
- Move the risen dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into 85 gram parts, then divide each part into 3, form each into a rope 7×8½inches / 18-22cm long and braid. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled, approximately one hour.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C, brush the braids with milk and sprinkle with pearl sugar or granulated sugar if desired. Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes or until done and golden. Move immediately to a wire rack to cool. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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