Preparation

• 1 In a large bowl, add warm milk, sugar and yeast, whisking well. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until yeast starts to foam.
• 2 With a sturdy wooden spoon (or using a dough hook on a standing mixer) stir in flour, melted butter and salt until well mixed and it leaves the side of the bowl.
• 3 Divide the dough into 4 equal-sized balls.
• 4 Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Roll out one ball large enough to cover the bottom of the pan. It doesn't have to be perfectly round, as long as the bottom is entirely covered.
• 5 Lay this dough in the bottom of the prepared pan. With the palms of your hands, roll out remaining balls of dough into 2-1/2 foot long ropes.
• 6 Place perpendicular to one another on a work surface and pinch one end of each rope together. Start braiding the ropes and pinch to seal loose ends. Place on top of the bottom crust in the pan, circling the entire inside, stretching it a little so that the ends meet. Pinch each end together. Cover and let rise until double in bulk, about an hour.
• 7 When ready, preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients and pour into the center of the braid, making sure it doesn't rise over the dough.
• 8 Bake 38-40 minutes, or until custard is firm in the center. Remove from oven, rub some cold butter on top of the braid and let sit until room temperature.
• 9 Cool in refrigerator completely before serving.