Make the dough: Add the milk, soft butter, sourdough starter, honey/sugar, and flour to stand mixer with a dough hook attached. Mix briefly, then add in the salt. Mix on low speed until the dough becomes smooth and glossy, about 3-5 minutes. You can also do this by hand, just mix and knead to make a dough that is shaggy and sticky, then knead for 5-10 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. Cover with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, replenish your sourdough starter with fresh flour and water and store according to your preference.

Bulk rise: Form the dough into a ball and transfer the dough to a new, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, foil, lid or beeswax wrap and let rise at room temperature or a warm spot until it is doubled in size, about 8 to10 hours at room temp (70 degrees F). Usually I do this overnight.

For long-fermentation: In the morning, place the bowl in the refrigerator to continue fermenting for 8 hours, or up to 3 days.

On the day you are going to bake:

Prep the dough into a flat rectangle: Remove the dough onto a nonstick baking mat or lightly oiled work surface to prevent sticking (preferred is nonstick silicone baking mat because then you don't have to pick up the braid later on). Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes to make the dough easier to roll. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about the size of a rectangle baking sheet (about 9"X12").

Add fillings: Spread the cream cheese filling down the center and top with the other fillings.

Create strips for braiding: Using a sharp knife, create strips of dough about 1-2 inches wide on each side of the long side of the rectangle (see photo above) until you have about 8-10 strips. Avoid cutting the center. At this point, you can cut off the top and bottom outside strips so the braid seals better when the top and bottom flaps are folded over the toppings, but this is optional.

Braid: Fold the remaining top and bottom pieces of dough down over the filling. Next, braid each strip over itself to the center, alternating sides to create a braid. Angle them down a bit so that by the time you get to the bottom, there is enough dough to encase the bottom of the pastry braid. Braid until the pastry is completely sealed. (You can also twist each strip as you are folding for a fancier design). Pick up the silicone mat with the braid and place on top of a sheet pan. Cover the dough gently and let rest until noticeably puffy, about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on temperature.

Bake: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. (Optional egg wash- brush with an egg wash at this point). Then, bake for 20-30 minutes or until rich golden brown.

After-baking finishing touches: Spread the glaze and cherry syrup over the top (I put them into a sandwich bag and cut the corner for drizzling for a more even look). Then sprinkle powdered sugar overtop. Serve warm and enjoy!