Peanut Butter and Jelly Danish Braid

One thing about living in the woods, is that there isn't easy access to a bakery to quickly grab a donut or breakfast pastry to complement a hot mug of coffee when the mood strikes. When we were in Flagstaff, we were lucky in that we never lived more than a 5 minute drive away from such deliciousness! Now that we don't have that luxury, we have to do a little more planning by either picking what mornings we get an extra sweet treat or by making our own pastries at home.

Today I am sharing how we make quick pastries at home! The hardest part of this is the dough. If you are ambitious you can make danish pastry dough at home beforehand and keep it in the freezer or you can sub in pre made crescent roll or croissant dough instead. I've done both and I love it both ways. Our go to filling is a peanut butter and jelly swirl but this could easily be made more traditional with a cream cheese filling or even as a savory danish with cheddar cheese, eggs, and breakfast meats. Hmm... I may have to share my hearty savory danish next!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Danish Braid
ingredients

• Danish pastry dough - I like this recipe but pre made crescent roll dough could be used
• All natural crunchy peanut butter
• raspberry preserves
• egg
• 1 Tbsp milk

directions

1. Roll out enough dough to make a 12x6 inch rectangle (one tube of crescent rolls or half of the pastry recipe linked above) onto a lined baking sheet. Preheat oven to 400*F
2. Cut off two corners of the dough and then two small triangles at the other end. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter down the center of the dough. Add a thin layer of preserves.  Then take a butter knife and swirl the peanut butter and jelly together. 
3. Cut slanting strips about an inch wide along both sides. Fold the bottom ends up to seal the filling in. Bring the strips along the side across the filling, crossing the strips in the middle. alternating from the left side and right side. Optionally, you can give the strip a little twist as you cross it over the center. After you finish your "braid" allow it to rest 10-15 minutes while the oven heats and you prepare your egg wash. 
4. Beat together 1 Tbsp milk and egg. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash. 
5. Bake braid for 15-16 minutes or until golden brown. If your oven has hot spots, be sure to rotate the pan so that your braid is browned evenly. 
6. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then cut and serve!