Fruit Biscuit Braid

Inspired by The Baker's Daughter, I thought it would be fun to make something that I remember from my early childhood.  My mom used to make some kind of pie-filling-braid full of fruit.  According to The Baker's Daughter, you can use four cups of Bisquick with a cup of milk to make the biscuit.  I do not have that shortcut in my pantry, but I did find an easy recipe. 

First step:
Combine dry ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 T baking powder

Mix wet ingredients
2-4 T oil
1 cup milk (1% or skim although I used whole)

Stir with a spoon and knead for 30 seconds.  Spray nonstick oil on a baking sheet.  Press out the biscuit dough, using your hands, into a rectangle. 
Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Second step:
1 apple, chopped
1-2 T melted butter
at least 1/4 cup brown sugar
about 1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup pecans

Lightly cut two strips of the dough, leaving the center section the largest.  Brush butter on the entire dough surface.  Sprinkle brown sugar down the center strip.  Layer chopped apples on top of the brown sugar.  Dash cinnamon on the tops of the apple bits. Add more brown sugar.  Brush melted butter on the side strips of the dough.

Third step:
Now, the hard part: creating a braid.  It wasn't as easy as I had hoped.  I started from the bottom and worked my way up and it seemed to be easier the further up I criss-crossed.  Brush more melted butter on the top of the braid.  Sprinkle on pecans.

From far away, this braid looks pretty darn good!

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

The results:
The first slice I had was on the dry side.  In the future I shouldn't be afraid to add more butter and brown sugar.  The second slice, more in the center of the braid, was moister and sweeter.  All in all, it turned out well.  Some bites were sweeter than others but I enjoyed livening up the biscuit.

The first slice

*Next-day-after-thought: Maybe it would be easier to create a braid if you don't just cut the sides straight down, but cut diagonally from the center strip outward.  I'll have to try that next time.
The biscuit recipe is from this cookbook source: Merrill, Jane P. and Karen M. Sunderland.  Set for Life.  Salt Lake City, UT: Sunrise Publishers, 1998. 94.