Fruit-filled Sourdough Braid

I know most of the recipes that I post are for sourdough bread of some type. This is just because when you have sourdough starter, you must take care of it. You feed it, keep it warm and even name it (at least, some of us do! I have two jars of dough, "Ham" and "Karol"). Invariably, when you feed something, it grows..and grows..and grows. Unless you use it, sourdough soon outgrows its container. This makes it almost mandatory that you bake frequently.

This is another recipe that is easy but also very tasty. I have a penchant for anything fruit-filled, so this will probably be baked quite often. In these, I used peaches from the garden. I hope you enjoy it!

Fruit-filled Sourdough Braid

1/2 cup butter

4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sourdough starter

1/2 cup milk or water (enough to make a pliable dough)

fruit filling

Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Chop in butter. Add sourdough starter and milk (a little at a time) and stir until a well blended dough is formed. Separate dough into two pieces and place one on well floured board. Roll out dough until 1/4 inch thick, shaping it as much as possible into a rectangle.

Spoon filling down the middle third of the dough. Slice the dough into 1 inch strips on either side of the filling. Fold strips alternately across the filling to form a "braid". Tuck the ends under the braid and place on well-greased bake pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Let rise for several hours in a warm, draft-free place.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Note: Fruit filling~you can use any canned fruit pie filling that you prefer. Jams and fruit preserves work well, too. To use fresh fruit or berries, place 4 cups sliced, pitted fruit (or berries) in a large pot, add 1 cup (or to taste) sugar. Stir 3 tablespoons cornstarch in 1/2 cup cold water and mix into fruit. Cook on low heat until bubbly, cool.

I apologize for not having a "finished" picture of the braids but as soon as they came out of the oven, my son and two brothers devoured them! I guess that is at least a testimony of the tastiness of this bread! Bake on!!!