Finnish Cardamom Bread (Pulla)

This recipe is a hand-me-down from a Finnish fishing family that lived close to my dad when he was growing up. They pretty much adopted him into the family because he spent so much time there, hanging out with their kids (and probably for the amazing pickled fish and baking that their mom would do.)

Helmi would make this bread for the men to take on the fishing boats with them, but dried into rusks instead of fresh so that it would keep longer. Either way, it's fabulous and I'm sure that this is the source of my cardamom addiction as an adult.

This recipe makes a LOT of bread; don't expect it to last long though, it's SO good.

Pulla

Cream together:

• 1 lb butter (NOT MARGERINE)
• 2 1/2 cups white sugar

Add:

• 1 dozen lightly beaten eggs
• 1 quart whole milk
• 2 Tbsp ground black cardamom (I use 3 because I really love cardamom)
• 2 tsp yeast (can make a sponge with the milk first if you prefer)

Mix in:

• About 15 - 17 cups of flour

Don't add too much flour, you want the dough soft but not really sticky. Because this is a sweet bread, it will tend to be a little stickier anyways, so be careful.

Drizzle a little oil on the top of the dough and turn it so that it's oiled all over to keep it from drying out. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch dough down and shape. The traditional shape for this bread is braids, but you can make it into buns, loaves, rings.. whatever you like. This dough makes KILLER cinnamon buns.

Let dough rise again until doubled. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven.

Recipe from: Helmi Liimatta