Apricot Prosciutto Puff Pastry Braid
A little bit sweet and a little bit savory, this Apricot Prosciutto Puff Pastry Braid brings prosciutto and cheese together with the sweet touch of apricot preserves. A welcome addition to any brunch.
This post has been sponsored by Honest Cooking in association with Bonne Maman. All opinions are mine alone.
Every special occasion deserves a special homemade treat. With Mother’s Day right around the corner, this apricot prosciutto puff pastry braid is the perfect creation for a traditional Mother’s Day breakfast in bed and one of my favorite ways to say it with homemade.
It’s a buttery, flaky, puff pastry dough glazed with apricot preserves and stuffed with gruyere and fontina cheeses, fresh spring asparagus, and salty prosciutto. A savory breakfast with just a hint of sweetness.
Serve it up warm from the oven with dried apricots, a couple raw asparagus springs, and a mug of mom’s favorite morning beverage for a breakfast in bed she is sure to enjoy. Don’t forget the flowers!
In creating this recipe, I knew it needed a sweet element that complimented the savory flavors and brought a bit of fun to the pastry braid. Luckily, I found it in my fridge in the form of Bonne Maman apricot preserves.
If you are not familiar with Bonne Maman, which is French for grandmother, I cannot encourage you enough to check them out. They make preserves, spreads, and jellies in the traditional way with wholesome ingredients that can be found in your pantry.
It’s the way your grandmother would make them, with whole fruits and a simple ingredient list that leaves no room for preservatives, artificial colors, or high fructose corn syrup. It’s the same way my grandmother taught me and the way I used to make them in my own kitchen before I found their product. Now I keep 2 – 3 seasonal flavors on hand and am far less tempted to purchase too much fruit at the farmer’s market.
As you have probably guessed, this apricot prosciutto puff pastry braid starts off with a sheet of puff pastry. Since we are calling this a homemade treat, I highly recommend checking out my Rough Puff Pastry recipe. It not only tastes better, but it takes less time than thawing out the frozen kind and gives you major bragging rights with your mom! If pastry making is not your thing, the frozen stuff will work just fine.
Before you roll out the pastry, plan for your braid. If the pastry sits out too long, the butter can start to melt leaving you with pastry that is falling apart and won’t puff up like magic in the oven. Before you pull the pastry dough from the fridge, assemble your work station.
Once all of your ingredients are in place, roll out the pastry dough into a rectangle that is about 10 inches across and 16 inches long. Carefully transfer the dough onto a piece of parchment paper that is slightly larger than the dough. Trim back the four corners, by removing a 1″ by 3 1/2″ rectangle from each corner, leaving a 3″ wide space in the middle. This will give you the tails to fold over and serve as your guide for cutting the strips.
Before cutting those strips glaze the dough with the apricot preserves. It’s quicker and a bit less messier. Once the glaze is on move any large chunks of apricot to the center. Then cut 1″ wide strips up each side, leaving about a 3″ gap in the middle of the braid. They don’t have to be exact – I used my knuckle as a guide – but aim for the same number and width of strips on each side.
Layer on half of the prosciutto, followed by the grated fontina, then the gruyere (I shaved mine with a vegetable peeler, but you could also grate it), the strips of shaved asparagus, and lastly another layer of prosciutto. If you need a step by step guide, check out the video below.
Once all of the layers are in place, it’s time to braid. Fold up the tail at the end closest to you, then criss cross the strips in an alternating pattern. Aim for the tip of the strip to sit close to the base of the strip across and one up.
Move from right to left as you work your way up the braid. Once you reach the other end, be sure to tuck in the tail prior to wrapping the last two strips on each side. The last strips can be folded directly across or back towards the opposite end of the braid. Don’t worry too much what it looks like on your first try. Your mom will love it even if it isn’t pretty, but practice makes perfect.
If you remembered to assemble your braid on the parchment paper, it will be easy to transfer the braid onto a baking sheet. Simply fold up the sides, hold them together at the top, and gently transfer the braid using both hands to support both ends. The last thing to do before placing the braid in the oven, is to brush it with the egg wash. This will help the pastry turn that beautiful golden brown and give the whole thing a glossy look when it’s done.
Bake the whole thing at 375 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes. I turned mine around half way through to encourage even browning. This apricot prosciutto puff pastry braid tastes best while still warm from the oven, but can also be made in advance and reheated for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
It can be kept in the freezer for 2 – 3 months or in the fridge for 2 – 3 days. Make sure to wrap it up in an airtight container to keep it fresh.
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Apricot Prosciutto Puff Pastry Braid
Ingredients
Puff Pastry
Apricot Glaze
- 3 tbsp apricot preserves
- 1 tbsp water
Filling
- 4 ounces prosciutto
- 1 ounce fontina (grated)
- 1/2 ounce gruyere (shaved)
- 2 spears asparagus (shaved)
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Roll out the sheet of puff pastry dough into a rectangle that is about 10 inches across and 16 inches long. Carefully transfer the dough onto a piece of parchment paper that is slightly larger than the dough.
- Trim back the four corners, by removing a 1″ by 3 1/2″ rectangle from each corner, leaving a 3″ wide space in the middle. This will give you the tails to fold over and serve as your guide for cutting the strips.
- Mix together the apricot preserves and water, then brush onto the pastry dough. Move any chunks of apricot to the center.
- Cut 1″ wide strips up each side of the pastry dough, leaving about a 3″ gap in the middle to form the center of the braid. Aim for the same number and width of strips on each side.
- Layer on half of the prosciutto, followed by the grated fontina, then the shaved gruyere, then the strips of shaved asparagus, and lastly another layer of prosciutto.
- Fold up the tail at the end closest to you, then criss cross the strips in an alternating pattern. Aim for the tip of the strip to sit close to the base of the strip across and one up.
- Move from right to left as you work your way up the braid. Once you reach the other end, be sure to tuck in the tail prior to wrapping the last two strips on each side. The last strips can be folded directly across or back towards the opposite end of the braid.
- Use the parchment paper to transfer the braid to a baking sheet.
- Beat together the egg and water to make the egg wash, then brush on top of the pastry braid.
- Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until the the pastry has puffed up and the top has turned a glossy golden brown.
- Serve warm.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
love the way you have presented this bread. so good it doesn’t take hours to make too.
Thanks Pretty! I too was surprised to realize how quickly it came together during the recipe testing phase. The puff pastry does take a bit longer if you do it from scratch, but once it’s made the braid spends more time in the oven than it does being prepped.
Love the flavour combinations, sounds like a perfect breakfast to me. Love savoury pastries.
Thanks Gillian! I love savory pastries too – but I always tend to eat more of them!
This is a great idea and I agree it is just perfect for Mother’s Day.I love the colors of it and I can just imagine the taste with that great apricot tang.
Thank you Mark!
I meant thanks for sharing the recipe. 😀
🙂
I’ve never heard of an apricots and prosciutto combo before, but it does look delicious.
Thanks for the share!
I don’t think it’s a common combination, but it works so well!