Elevated Panera Bread Pecan Braid Recipe
While sandwiches are probably first to come to mind when considering the best Panera Bread menu items, don't forget its pastries. The pecan braid is just one of the tasty options available at this popular establishment. With a buttery pecan filling inside crispy braided pastry dough that's topped with icing and toasted pecans, what's not to love? If you enjoy creating your own baked goods at home, this recipe is a lot of fun, and you can whip up some impressive pastries in under an hour.
Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created an elevated copycat version of the Panera Bread pecan braid. It features a rich filling of toasted pecans, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Though no doubt delicious, the Panera version cuts some corners, which means it just can't hold a candle to our fresh homemade pastries. (Panera's uses untoasted pecans, a combination of butter and margarine, white sugar only, and natural flavors instead of real spices inside.) We do have one nod to convenience: The filling is spread inside store-bought puff pastry, which produces a good result and doesn't require hours spent rolling and chilling dough. The pastries are decorated with powdered sugar icing and toasted pecans, so they look just as good as they taste.
Don't be intimidated by the braided design. Our recipe shows you how to achieve this cafe-worthy result in just a few steps. Remember this recipe when you're looking for a breakfast, snack, or dessert idea, or an impressive treat to serve to guests.
Gather your copycat Panera Bread pecan braid ingredients
For this recipe, you will need raw chopped pecans. You can buy them already chopped or buy whole pecans and chop them yourself. Besides pecans, you will need brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg for the filling. You will also need a sheet of puff pastry. This is usually sold frozen, so plan ahead to defrost it before starting to make this recipe. Have an egg and water on hand for the egg wash, and powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract for the icing.
Step 1: Toast the pecans
Place the pecans in a dry skillet on medium and toast for about 5 minutes until aromatic and slightly browned, shaking the pan occasionally to ensure the nuts are toasted on all sides.
Step 2: Divide the pecans
Remove the pecans from the skillet, divide into 1 cup and ¼ cup quantities, and set aside.
Step 3: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Step 4: Make the filling
Place the ½ cup of pecans, brown sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and stir to evenly combine. Set aside to firm up a little as the butter cools.
Step 5: Roll out the dough
Place the thawed pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and roll out to slightly enlarge, with the rolling pin parallel to the folds.
Step 6: Cut the pastry
Cut the pastry sheet in half, cutting parallel to the folds.
Step 7: Add the filling
Add half of the filling to each half of the pastry sheet in a vertical strip in the center third of the sheet, leaving the sides free.
Step 8: Cut diagonal lines
Cut diagonal lines about ½ inch wide into the sides of the dough, stopping about ½ inch before you reach the filling.
Step 9: Fold the ends
Fold the top and bottom of the pastry sheet over the filling.
Step 10: Braid the pastries
Create the braided design by folding down the diagonal strips over the filling, alternating the right and left sides. Slightly overlap the pieces as best as you can to prevent gaps.
Step 11: Make the egg wash
Combine the egg and water in a small bowl and whisk to mix.
Step 12: Brush on the egg wash
Brush the egg wash over the surface of the pastries.
Step 13: Bake the pastries
Place the pastries on a lined baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
Step 14: Let cool
Let the pastries cool for 5 minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 15: Chop the reserved pecans
Chop the reserved ¼ cup chopped pecans into a slightly finer consistency.
Step 16: Make the icing
To make the icing, add the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl and stir until combined. Add a small amount of additional milk if it's too thick. It should fall off a spoon without being too runny.
Step 17: Ice the pastries
Spoon the icing over the pastries once they are cool.
Step 18: Garnish with pecans
Sprinkle the finely chopped pecans over the icing to garnish.
Step 19: Serve the copycat Panera Bread pecan braid
Serve and enjoy.
What can I serve with pecan braids?
Elevated Panera Bread Pecan Braid Recipe
With sweetly-spiced, buttery pecans in a crispy puff-pastry casing, our pecan braid might be better than Panera's version, and comes together in under an hour
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- ¾ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 puff pastry sheet, defrosted
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons water
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Place the pecans in a dry skillet on medium and toast for about 5 minutes until aromatic and slightly browned, shaking the pan occasionally to ensure the nuts are toasted on all sides.
- Remove the pecans from the skillet, divide into 1 cup and ¼ cup quantities, and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Place the ½ cup of pecans, brown sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and stir to evenly combine. Set aside to firm up a little as the butter cools.
- Place the thawed pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and roll out to slightly enlarge, with the rolling pin parallel to the folds.
- Cut the pastry sheet in half, cutting parallel to the folds.
- Add half of the filling to each half of the pastry sheet in a vertical strip in the center third of the sheet, leaving the sides free.
- Cut diagonal lines about ½ inch wide into the sides of the dough, stopping about ½ inch before you reach the filling.
- Fold the top and bottom of the pastry sheet over the filling.
- Create the braided design by folding down the diagonal strips over the filling, alternating the right and left sides. Slightly overlap the pieces as best as you can to prevent gaps.
- Combine the egg and water in a small bowl and whisk to mix.
- Brush the egg wash over the surface of the pastries.
- Place the pastries on a lined baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
- Let the pastries cool for 5 minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Chop the reserved ¼ cup chopped pecans into a slightly finer consistency.
- To make the icing, add the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl and stir until combined. Add a small amount of additional milk if it's too thick. It should fall off a spoon without being too runny.
- Spoon the icing over the pastries once they are cool.
- Sprinkle the finely chopped pecans over the icing to garnish.
- Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 956 |
| Total Fat | 67.7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13.5 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 111.3 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 86.7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 71.2 g |
| Sodium | 77.5 mg |
| Protein | 10.3 g |
How can I customize this pecan braid recipe?
An easy way to customize this recipe is to change the type of nuts you use. Pecans, as Panera uses in its version, are delicious, but there are many popular types of nuts that work well in baked goods. Almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts are a few good choices. This recipe calls for brown sugar and maple syrup, but you can leave out the maple syrup and add more brown sugar or use honey instead of maple syrup. Opt to add raisins if you'd like more texture and additional sweetness. Leave out the nutmeg if you're not a fan, and add a little extra cinnamon instead, or go heavier on spices by adding ginger, allspice, and ground cloves.
Changing up the filling entirely is always an option. One idea is to fill them with a fruit jam like blueberry, strawberry, or raspberry. You could also fill them with chocolate chips or spread Nutella onto the pastry before folding. Both of these options would also make great additions to a pecan filling.
Instead of an egg wash, you can choose to brush the pastries with milk (or soy milk or almond milk for a plant-based diet). The braids are sweet on their own, and the icing adds even more sweetness. If you'd like to cut back on sugar, they are still quite tasty without the icing. You could also choose to sprinkle the pastries with just a little powdered sugar for decoration.
What's the best way to toast nuts?
Raw nuts are a delicious snack, so toasting them isn't strictly necessary, but toasted nuts take on a depth of flavor that greatly adds to these pastries. The heat brings out the oils in the nuts, releasing a lovely aroma that makes both the nuts and your kitchen smell heavenly. It also makes them crunchier, which is a plus when they're used in a moist filling. There are a couple of methods you can use to toast nuts.
Toasting the nuts on the stovetop is quick and convenient, and you don't have to fire up the oven. Place the nuts in a dry pan on medium heat and stir the nuts or shake the pan occasionally to make sure they toast evenly. The process will take about 5-10 minutes. They will be ready when they release a noticeable aroma and start to turn golden brown. The longer you toast them, the darker they will get, but be careful because they can burn and turn bitter if they toast too long.
The oven is another good way to toast nuts. Preheat the oven to 350 F, spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet, and place the pan in the oven for 5-15 minutes. Stir or shake the pan once or twice and take the nuts out when they're golden brown.