Braided Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese and Basil Filling
Some Saturdays are just made for baking. The kind where you have nowhere to be and the oven is on and the whole kitchen smells warm and good.
This braided zucchini bread is that kind of recipe. Soft dough with a little cinnamon, cream cheese melting into every single layer, fresh basil all through the filling. Perfect savory summer baking idea as you can use seasonal produce, but it also turns out tasty any other time of the year – trust me, I tested.
It looks complicated but it really is not. It just takes a little time, and time is kind of the whole point on a Saturday like that.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- ½ cup grated zucchini (roughly 1 medium zucchini, squeeze out all that extra water!)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 packet (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 2½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup warm milk (around 110°F, warm to the touch but not hot)
For the Cream Cheese and Basil Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
For the Topping:
- Pumpkin seeds for sprinkling (optional, but they look really pretty and add a nice crunch)
How to Do It
Prep Your Zucchini
Grate the zucchini first thing. You have to squeeze all the water out and I mean really get in there. A dish towel works great, just press down as hard as you can. So much water comes out every single time, it is a little shocking honestly. Do not skip this step because too much water makes the dough dense and kind of sad. Set the squeezed zucchini aside once you are done with it.
Make the Dough
Add the olive oil or butter, sugar, salt, and egg to a big bowl and stir it until it looks smooth. Then pour in your warm milk and sprinkle the yeast on top of that. Just leave it alone for about 5 minutes, you want it to get foamy and bubbly.
That foam means the yeast is alive and working! If nothing happens after ten minutes, the milk was probably too hot or the yeast is too old, and starting over is honestly better than wasting all that time.
Once it is foamy, stir in the zucchini. Add 2 and a half cups of flour along with the cinnamon and nutmeg, mixing little by little as you go. A little extra flour is okay if it is too sticky, but try not to add too much or the dough ends up stiff.
Knead the Dough
Flour your counter and put the dough on it. Push it away from you with the heel of your hand, fold it back, turn it a bit, and keep going like that for 5 to 7 minutes. Smooth and stretchy is what you are going for.
Put it in a greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and find a warm spot for it to sit for about an hour until it has puffed up to double the size. My trick is putting it in the oven with just the light on, no heat at all, and it works perfectly every time.
Make the Filling
Mix the softened cream cheese and chopped basil in a bowl until it is smooth and easy to spread. Your cream cheese really does need to be soft for this to work. If it is still cold it will tear right through the dough when you try to spread it. Leaving it on the counter for 30 minutes before you start is all it takes.
Shape the Bread
Punch the dough down once it has risen, which feels amazing by the way. Cut it into two equal pieces and roll each one out into a rectangle about a quarter inch thick. Spread half of the cream cheese filling onto each rectangle, getting it pretty close to the edges.
Roll each one up tightly from the long side, like a little sleeping bag, and pinch the ends shut. Take a sharp knife and cut each roll all the way down the middle lengthwise so you can see the layers inside.
Twist the two pieces around each other with the cut sides facing up as much as possible, then pinch the ends together and tuck them under.
Filling will probably fall out a little and that is completely fine, just push it back in and move on.
Second Rise
Put your braided loaf into a greased loaf pan. Cover it back up with the towel and let it rest for another 30 to 40 minutes. It will puff up a little but not double like before, that is totally normal.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, or 175 C. Brush the top of the loaf with a beaten egg so it comes out golden and shiny and pretty. Scatter pumpkin seeds on top if you are using them. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown and tapping the bottom sounds hollow. If the top is going too dark before the time is up, loosely lay a piece of foil over it.
Cool Before Slicing
Let the bread sit in the pan for about 10 minutes before you move it to a wire rack. Wait until it cools all the way before you slice into it because the filling is still setting up inside. It is hard to wait, I know.
Slicing it too early just makes a mess though so it is really worth the patience. Leftover slices the next day are honestly even better, which is a nice surprise.
Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese and Basil Filling
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- ½ cup grated zucchini about 1 medium zucchini; squeeze out excess moisture
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 packet 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup warm milk about 110°F or 43°C
For the Cream Cheese and Basil Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup fresh basil finely chopped
For the Topping:
- Optional: pumpkin seeds for sprinkling
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini and squeeze out excess moisture using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil or butter, granulated sugar, salt, and egg. Mix until smooth.
- Add warm milk and sprinkle the yeast over the mixture. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it becomes frothy.
- Stir in the grated zucchini.
- Gradually add 2 1/2 cups of flour along with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix until a soft dough forms, adding more flour as necessary.
- On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- In a medium bowl, mix the softened cream cheese and chopped basil until well combined.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into two equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
- Spread half of the cream cheese and basil filling evenly over each rectangle.
- Roll each rectangle tightly from the long side to form a log. Pinch the ends to seal.
- Cut each log lengthwise down the middle to expose the filling. Twist the two strands around each other to form a braid. Pinch the ends together to seal and tuck them underneath.
- Grease a standard loaf pan. Place the braided loaf into the prepared loaf pan. Cover it with a cloth and let it rise for another 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Brush the tops of the loaves with the beaten egg and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds if desired.
- Bake in the loaf pan for about 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
