Finnish Pulla

By norsegal8

Like brioche and challah, Finnish pulla is a butter-and-egg-rich bread. Although it can be served at any time, it is often a celebration loaf. In this version, it is braided, rounded into a wreath, and finished with a bow, lending it a look quickly linked with Christmas. The traditional flavoring for a pulla is cardamom, which is best bought in a pod - powdered cardamom is invariably lackluster. Crack the pod, empty out the seeds and crush them, using a grinder or a mortar and pestle. If you crush the cardamom in a coffee grinder and then grind coffee, the residual cardamom will flavor the beans and your next pot of coffee in an authentically Scandinavian way.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (about 110°F)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds (from about 7 pods)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for glaze
• Sliced or slivered almonds, for topping
• Pearl sugar, for topping

Details

Servings 1

Preparation

Step 1

MIXING THE DOUGH Put the milk in a small saucepan and scald it (heat it until a ring of bubbles is visible around the sides of the pan). Remove the pan from the heat and cool the milk to a temperature between 105°F and 115°F.
In a large bowl, whisk the yeast into the warm water. Set aside for 5 minutes or until the yeast has dissolved and is creamy. Whisk in the milk, sugar, cardamom, salt and eggs. Switch to a wooden spoon, add 2 cups of the flour and beat until the mixture is smooth. Beat in the butter, and then as much additional flour, ½ cup at a time, as you can until the dough is stiff but not dry. (You can also make this dough in a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Follow the procedure for hand mixing, adding the ingredients in the same order.)

REST Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.

KNEADING THE DOUGH Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until it is smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. (If you are working in the mixer, knead the dough at medium speed; you may want to stop just short of a satiny dough and knead the dough by hand for the last few minutes – it will give you a feel for the dough.)

FIRST RISE Shape the dough into a ball. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turn it around in the bowl to grease the top, and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles in bulk, 45 minutes to one hour.
Line a 14-inch pizza pan or a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Lightly oil a cool work surface; marble would be ideal. (If your kitchen is very hot, fill a metal pan with ice cubes and run the bottom of the work surface to cool it.)

SHAPING THE DOUGH Turn the dough out onto the oiled surface and knead it lightly and briefly, just to deflate it and release the air. Divide the dough into thirds and roll each into a rope about 36 inches long. Braid the three strands, braiding as far down to the bottom of the strands as you can. Lift the long braid onto the parchment-lined pan, shaping it into a circle as you place it on the pan. Snip about 1 inch of dough off each end of the braid and fuse the ends together, pressing and pinching them (if necessary) to fit. Roll the trimmings into a rope about a foot long and form the rope into a bow shape. Place the bow over the seam you created when you fused the ends.

SECOND RISE Cover the wreath with a kitchen towel and allow it to rise until it is puffy, but not doubled, about 45 minutes.

BAKING THE BREAD Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.
Brush the egg glaze over the bread. Sprinkle the wreath with sliced almonds and pearl sugar.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden, taking care not to overbake the wreath. Transfer the loaf to a rack to cool to room temperature before cutting.

STORING The bread will keep for a day at room temperature, lightly covered with plastic. If you want to keep the bread longer, wrap it airtight and freeze it for up to a month. Thaw, still wrapped at room temperature.