Would Cranberry Relish and Ricotta Work in a Sweet Roll?

[BakerAunt]

I've been thinking about Skeptic's dessert pizza with cranberry sauce and ricotta. I wondered if it could be used as a filling for sweet rolls or even a bread--rather like that lemon bread with the crisscross dough. I have 5 oz. of ricotta left over from when I made the lasagna, and I still have some cranberry cherry cardamom relish.

I haven't used ricotta very much. I usually use the leftover to make lemon cookies (Olive/Tomato recipe), but it might be nice to try something different, My husband is not a cranberry fan, but I I make a glaze for the bread or the sweet rolls, he would probably eat it.

Thoughts? Has anyone tried this with ricotta?

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[Mike Nolan]

The ricotta in a cannoli usually has some sugar added, would the cranberry sauce supply much sweetness, it tends to be tart.

[BakerAunt]

My cranberry sauce uses 12 oz. cranberries, 1 cup dried cherries, and 1 cup light brown sugar. It also has cardamom. It is still tart but in a sweet way, if that makes sense.

[chocomouse]

I think that combo should work fine in the recipe for the lemon braid. The consistency of the filling would be about the same. It sure sounds delicious.

[skeptic7]

I'd be willing to come over and help you eat it! I think it would be fine. I like the idea of it in the lemon braid bread. The cranberry sauce might be a little runny. I had a dam of ricotta cheese on the edge of the pizza to help keep it in place.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, all! I am going to give it a try with the lemon braid recipe, possibly with my sweet roll dough.

[BakerAunt]

After some consultation with the folks at Nebraska Kitchen, I experimented today to bake Braided Cranberry Ricotta bread. I used my normal cinnamon roll dough but increased the sugar from ¼ to 1/3 cup and the avocado oil from 3-4 Tbs. I used half whole wheat flour. I increased the buttermilk by 1 Tbs. As usual, I let the bread machine do the kneading.
For the filling, I used a scant cup of my Cranberry, Dried Cherries, and Cardamom sauce. It is uncooked, and Mike had suggested cranberry sauce might be a bit runny, so I added a bit of oil to a skillet, then added the cranberry sauce. I mixed 3 Tbs. light brown sugar with 1 Tbs. ClearJel, which I sprinkled over the sauce. I cooked until thickened, then set it aside to cool
I rolled the dough out to an 11 x 16 rectangle and followed the instructions for a braided loaf from the King Arthur Braided Lemon Bread recipe that Chocomouse uses. I spread 5 oz. low-fat ricotta down the center and topped it with the cranberry sauce. I got the idea for that combination from Skeptic's dessert pizza. Shaping requires cutting away four one-inch rectangles at each corner. After I had made the braid, I braided the small pieces into a roll.
I baked for 30 minutes, taking the little roll out after 15 minutes. It is hard to know when a braided bread is done. I checked at 25 minutes and decided to give it another five. The bottom seems a bit overdone; I might use doubled baking sheets next time. I'm letting it cool, and then I will add some glaze in order to entice my husband to try a recipe that has cranberries in it.

I'll post about taste and texture once we have some for dessert tonight.

I love the way we can bounce off of each other in our baking experiments!

[BakerAunt]

The braid looks and tastes delicious. The only thing I would do differently is a doubled baking sheet to prevent the bottom from overbrowning. My husband loves it, probably because the cranberry is understated, in part because I cooked and sweetened it, but also due to the ricotta. The glaze also helps.

I look forward to trying this recipe with other fillings.

[skeptic7]

I'm glad this turned out well. I am glad you cooked the cranberry sauce its full of natural pectin so it thickens naturally when cooked.

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