Finnish Cardamom Bread

Wrong time of year for baking perhaps, but thot I'd share an old family recipe. Bread is known as Pulla or Nissu in Finnish.

Cardamom is used alot in Scandanavian baking (also in cooking in the Middle East, India and Asia). If you grind your own coffee beans throw in a couple of pods for a different cuppa. Cardamom is expensive, so if you can find a health food store or specialty shop with bulk pods...you can buy only what you need.

This recipe varies from basic only by the addition of sour cream. I think it gives a lighter softer texture. The link below gives a picture and links to other sites which include adaptations for Bread Machines. http://shark.dls.net/~chrismac/pulla.html

Cardamom Coffee Bread

1 Cup granulated sugar
1½ Tsp ground Cardamom *
½ Cup Butter
1 Can evaporated milk
2 Tsp salt
2 Pkg (¼ oz) active dry yeast
¼ Cup warm water (105° to 115°)
½ Cup dairy sour cream
3 Eggs
6 to 7 Cups all purpose flour

In a 2 quart sauce pan stir together granulated sugar and cardamom. Add butter, evaporated milk and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted, 5 - 8 minutes. Cool to warm (105° - 115°).

In large mixer bowl dissolve yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Stir in warm milk mixture, sour cream, 3 eggs and 3 cups flour. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until smooth. By hand, stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1½ hours. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Punch down dough, divide into thirds. Futher divide each portion into thirds and roll each third into a “rope” about 12 inches long. Braid three “ropes”, and place into lightly greased loaf pans.** Let rise in warm place 30 – 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 350°. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. (cover with aluminum foil if loaves brown too quickly – which they have a tendency to do).

Brush warm loaves with a mixture of ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp hot water.

To be served sliced (medium) and buttered.

My wife liked the slices toasted – in my book, sacrilege.

*Ground Cardamom can be purchased at most supermarkets. I prefer to buy the whole pods, shuck them and grind them myself with a mortar & pestle. The already ground loses its flavor quickly if not stored properly. Some health food stores will have the already shucked seeds, but they have the same problem as the ground. McCormick spices has a white cardamom pod available. My mom preferred the white to the green (mediterranian) pods. Green are OK though, white are harder to find.

** I use 4½ by 8½ loaf pans, or you can compress the braids slightly (lengthwise) and bake on a cookie sheet. I've never done it that way, think they might require closer watching so they don't overbrown.