Holiday Yeast Breads

By Hklbrries

The arrival of winter solstice - with the resulting increase in daylight and the promise of spring and renewal - was a source of creativity for cooks all over the world.

In Alaska, holiday breads trickle down from a number of ethnic sources. For example, many Scandinavian fishermen and loggers moved North from the Seattle area or the Midwest to settle in southeastern Alaska in the early 20th century. They brought with them the taste for a Finnish bread called pulla and and Norwegian treat named jule kake.

In the Aleutians, on Kodiak Island and in villages like Seldovia, holiday cooks lean toward the delectable Russian sweet bread, kulich. This decorative bread is baked in tall cans to resemble the domed towers of Orthodox churches. For Easter, strips of dough are placed atop each loaf to form the letters, "XV," meaning "Christ is risen." Although kulich (pronounced kool-eech) is traditionally served at Easter, as religious practices loosen, it has become "traditional" on nearly any celebratory occasion.

Dave Fremming of Douglas shares a Finnish coffee cake recipe, as prepared by his grandmother, Lizzie Lapalainanen. "Do not expect pulla to be light and fluffy," Fremming cautions. "It is a rich, moist coffee bread. It is served without butter and is a delight when it is hot. The Finnish housewife usually bakes on Saturday so there will be fresh pulla for Sunday morning coffee."

Pulla is usually baked as straight breads, says Fremming, but may be curled into wreaths for special occasions such as name days, birthdays, anniversaries or other celebrations. "In Finland, one's 'name day,' or saint's day - the day that bears the name of the saint after whom one is named - is celebrated by adults instead of the birthday. Children, do, however, celebrate birthdays."

Ann Chandonnet, Alaska magazine

Recipes in collection associated with this article: Pulla Coffee Bread, Jule Kake (Norwegian Christmas Bread), Kulich and Kulich Glaze.

Ingredients

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Preparation

Step 1

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