Lemon Cream Cheese Danish Bread

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar, and yeast, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
With the dough hook on low speed, add in the egg, egg yolks, flour, salt, and the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the butter pieces, a few at a time, and continue to mix until the butter is completely incorporated and the dough until smooth and pliable, about 7 minutes.
☞ TESTER TIP: If your dough is still sticky after mixing for 7 minutes, knead in a little extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth and pliable.
Remove the dough from the bowl, butter the bowl, and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until double in size, 1 to 2 hours.
Butter two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch (22-by-11-cm) loaf pans and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch (5-cm) overhang on 2 opposite sides.
Turn the dough onto a work surface (you shouldn’t need any flour at this point) and then gently press to expel the air from it. Pat out the dough and divide in half.
Pat each piece into an 8-inch (20-cm) square and roll it into a tight roll. Tuck each roll into a loaf pan, seam-side down. Press the dough into an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C).

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla, reserving the egg white for the next step. Divide the mixture between 2 resealable plastic bags. (This makes it easier to spread the mixture over the risen dough without deflating it.)
Just before baking the loaves, carefully brush the some of the egg white on the top of each loaf.
☞ TESTER TIP: If your loaves are quite rounded on top after the second rise, gently press the tops to create a flat surface so the cream cheese and lemon curd don’t fall off.
Snip 1 of the bottom corners from each of the bags of cream cheese mixture. Squeeze the mixture down the center of each loaf, leaving about a 1-inch (25-mm) bare border on each of the 2 long sides, then spread 1/4 cup of the lemon curd down the center of each loaf. It doesn’t need to cover the cream cheese mixture completely.
Place the pans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake the loaves until puffed and set and the internal temperature has reached 185°F (85°C), 30 to 45 minutes. If the cream cheese mixture starts to brown around the edges, loosely cover the loaves with aluminum foil.
Move the pans to wire racks to cool for at least 15 minutes. Using the parchment overhang as handles, lift the loaves out of the pans and let cool completely.

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice. Add a little more juice, if necessary, to make a thick glaze.

Drizzle the glaze over each loaf. Slice and devour. Originally published February 29, 2020.