Day 118: BLT Braid

I woke up this morning with the worst headache I've ever had. I think I would rather have a baby than a bad headache! But now that I can sit up without barfing, here is today's recipe. I got it from Paula Deen. I really love her. She either deep frys everything or cooks it in bacon grease. What's not to love about that? Her recipe used puff pastry, which I love, but never have on hand. I just used bread dough. You can make your own dough like I did, or use Rhoade's. It will work either way. This would be great for breakfast or brunch. I made it in the middle of the day, and my kids ate it when they got home from school.

BLT Braid

14" dutch oven

12 large eggs, divided

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 lb. bacon, chopped

1 (6 oz) package fresh baby spinach

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup shredded swiss cheese (I used an Italian blend and some mozzarella)

1 cup seeded and chopped tomato

1/4 tsp. salt

2 loaves bread dough

In a large bowl, whisk together 11 eggs and mayonnaise until smooth. Set aside. In a DO (I used my 12" with 18-20 coals), cook bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 Tbs. bacon drippings in DO. Add the spinach and garlic; cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until spinach is wilted. Add egg mixture and cook until eggs are set, but not dry, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, tomato, salt and reserved bacon. Spoon mixture into a bowl, cover and chill 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out bread dough to a 10 x 15 inch rectangle. Cut strips 1 inch wide and 4 inches long along the long sides of the dough (see pic below). Spoon half of the egg mixture down the center of the dough. Criss cross the strips over the filling alternating sides to form a braid (see pic below). Carefully transfer to a 14" dutch oven. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. 

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg until smooth. Brush egg evenly over both braids (I forgot to do this).  Allow to rise 25-30 minutes. Bake at 350* using 16 coals on top and 14 on the bottom for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

The Finished Product

What I Learned

When you make this, or any braid, use parchment paper. Cut it to the size of the DO and then roll the dough out on top of the parchment. After it is filled and shaped, it is easy to transfer to the DO without ruining the shape. I also removed about 1/3 of the bottom coals after 15-18 minutes so I didn't burn the bottom.

The Review

My kids ate this as an afterschool snack. My 15 year old son ate half of one braid. They loved it. I was lucky to get a piece. The filling was moist and delicious and had awesome flavor. They didn't even complain that there was green stuff inside it. This was a total hit with my family. It was also very simple to make. I didn't take a lot of time either. You could do it faster with puff pastry, though. You really should try this recipe. Everyone will think you spent a lot of time and will be impressed by the braid! We gave it an A.