Pulla — Finnish Cardamom Bread

This recipe is from one of my mother's sisters, my Aunt Linda, who had married into a Finnish family. The word pulla technically just means "buns" but often refers to this somewhat sweet, rich bread, also known as Kahvileipä (coffee bread), or even just nisu (wheat). I've been making it since I was quite young, and no longer have any sense of how close my recipe, with my penchant for adjusting things, has remained. It scores big points with every Scandinavian I've fed it to, though - cardamom breads are highly appreciated there.

There are definitely some similarities between pulla and challah, although I tend to think of challah as a savoury or neutral bread, it does have its sweet versions, too. I took one of these loaves in to work with me, and one of my colleagues remarked on its similarity to German Hefezopf (yeast braid), but noted that the German version doesn't have the cardamom. This is a sharply distinguishing feature, though, as the Finnish variety simply must have cardamom.

Pulla

Yield: 2 large braided loaves
Total prep and cooking time: 3.5 hours

15 mL (1 tablespoon) dry active yeast
60 mL (1/4 cup) warm water (warm, but not hot - test on your wrist)
180 mL (3/4 cup) warm milk
120 mL (1/2 cup) sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 eggs, plus extra for glazing*
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1.12 litres (4 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour (approximate - you may need more)
112 grams (1/2 cup) butter, melted
Cinnamon for dusting
Coarse sugar (or pearl sugar) for finishing (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and warm water with a pinch of the sugar. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy. Blend in milk, sugar, salt, eggs, cardamom, and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Add the butter, stirring until it all becomes incorporated and smooth once more. Then stir in the rest of the flour (the exact amount you need will depend on the humidity and they type of flour you have) and knead the dough until it is smooth and satiny - approximately 5 - 10 minutes. Place in a large, greased bowl to rise, turning the dough over so that the top is lightly greased. Cover the dough lightly with plastic or a tea towel and let it stand in a draught-free place (such as the inside of an oven, with the light on) for 1.5 - 2 hours, or until doubled. Knead lightly on a floured board, just enough to press the air out of the risen dough.

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, and roll each between your palms and counter top to make 6 14-inch "snakes." Braid into two loaves, pinching the ends to seal well, and folding the ends under the loaves. Place the braids side-by-side with room to expand on a greased baking sheet. Let rise for 1/2 hour only - bread should look puffed but not doubled - and gently brush the tops and sides with beaten egg. Sprinkle with cinnamon and coarse sugar. The bread will rise more in the oven, a phenomenon known as "oven spring".



Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 25 - 35 minutes or until the loaves are richly browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom (you will of course need to lift the loaf off the sheet pan for this test). Let the loaves cool completely on a rack before bagging. You can store them at room temperature for a day or two, but after that put them in the fridge.

As this makes 2 big loaves, I sometimes braid only one loaf, and turn the other half of the dough into buns by rolling it out to a 1/2" rectangle, sprinkling with brown sugar and extra spices, rolling up and slicing into 9 pieces. Place slices cut-side up in a greased 8" metal pan, let rise 1/2 hour, and bake for 25 minutes. These freeze beautifully: cool completely, break apart, and wrap individually.

* It doesn't take a whole egg to provide the egg wash for two loaves of bread. It uses maybe 1/3 of an egg. I usually put the leftover beaten egg in a small lidded plastic container in the fridge, and the next day fry it up to put on toast for breakfast. Your mileage may vary.

Last thing to mention - if you take more than a day or two to get to the end of the loaf, I note that pulla toasts up beautifully. I like it with a slice of cheese at that point, but butter, nutella, honey, or even just plain are all delicious options.