Swedish Cardamom Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Make dough:
• In a large bowl combine water, butter, and sugar. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand 5 minutes, or until foamy. Stir in eggs, salt and dry milk until combined. With a wooden spoon stir in 5 sups flour, 1 cup at a time, and stir mixture until a dough is formed.
• On a floured surface, knead dough about 10 minutes, adding enough of the remaining 1 cup flour to make dough smooth and elastic. Put dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat, and let rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Punch down dough and on floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll into a 15- by 20-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough and sprinkle with granulated sugar, cinnamon and cardamom.
• With a long side facing you, roll up dough jelly-roll fashion and cut crosswise into approximately 1 1/2-inch-thick slices with a cut side down. Working with 1 slice at a time gently twist opposite ends of slice around twice to form a figure eight. Crimp ends together. Arrange rolls, a swirled side up, on a buttered baking sheet about 2 inches apart and let rise in a warm place until increased 1 1/2 times in bulk, about 1 hour.
• While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 350F.
• Brush tops of rolls with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake rolls in middle of oven until tops are pale golden, about 25 minutes.

Steps:

• Start by making the dough. Place the cubed butter in a small saucepan with the milk. Heat over a low heat until the cubes of butter have completely melted, then remove from the heat and set to one side to allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes.
• Place the flour in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment, and add the yeast to one side of the bowl and the salt, sugar and cardamom to the other. If you put the salt directly on the yeast it may kill it, which will stop your dough from rising.
• Gradually pour the warm butter and milk into the bowl with the flour,mixing all the time, using your hands or the dough-hook attachment, until a sticky dough forms. You may not need to add all the milk mixture, or you might need to add a little more milk - you want to add just enough to make a sticky but not wet dough.
• Dust your worktop lightly with flour, tip the dough out on to it and knead it for 5-10 minutes (or knead using the dough hook on the stand mixer) until the dough is no longer sticky and has become smooth and elastic. Grease the bowl in which you mixed the dough with oil, place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a tea towel or cling film and leave to rise at room temperature for 1-3 hours or until doubled in size. You can leave the dough to prove in the fridge overnight if you want these for breakfast!
• While the dough is rising, combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl to make a thick paste. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment.
• Tip the risen dough out of the bowl on to a worktop lightly dusted with flour and fold it in on itself a couple of times to knock out any large air pockets.
• Roll out the dough thinly to make a very large rectangle measuring roughly 50 x 30cm. Spread the cardamom filling mixture all over the dough, making sure it goes right to the edges.
• Fold one of the short ends over two-thirds of the dough, then fold the remaining third over - as if you are folding a letter or making puff pastry. You should have one neat rectangle consisting of three layers of dough, and all the filling should be enclosed inside.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 even strips. Taking one of the strips, stretch out and twist it a few times. Tie it into a loose knot, tucking the edges in. Place the knot on a lined baking tray and repeat with the remaining strips, arranging them on the tray and leaving a few centimeters between each. Leave for 45 minutes at room temperature to rise again.
• While the knots are proving, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Make the cardamom syrup by bringing the sugar, ground cardamom and 50ml of water to the boil in a small saucepan and letting it bubble for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat.
• Bake the buns for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, then brush with the cardamom syrup as soon as they come out of the oven. Sprinkle with pearl sugar, if you wish, and serve warm.

Steps:

• Grease a large bowl; set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water with sugar; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir honey, sugar, and salt into scalded milk; cool to lukewarm. Add milk mixture and 2 cups flour to dissolved yeast; beat until smooth. Add butter, eggs, cardamom, and raisins, beating until thoroughly blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a well floured board; knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in prepared bowl; grease top lightly. Cover; let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick vegetable spray.
• Punch dough down; knead briefly. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces; roll each piece into a 14-inch rope. Place 3 ropes side-by-side and braid, pinching ends together to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 3 ropes. Grease tops lightly. Cover; let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Combine egg white and water, whisk. Brush tops of loaves with mixture. Bake 35 to 50 minutes or until loaves are a deep golden brown and tester inserted in center comes out clean. Carefully remove from baking sheet; cool completely on a wire rack.

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, measure 1 cup flour and add the dry ingredients.
• Blend with a wooden spoon. pour in the hot water and stir with 25 strong strokes, or for 2 minutes with the mixer flat beater.
• Cut the soft butter into several pieces and drop into the batterlike dough.
• Add the egg, cardamom and raisins.
• Stir in additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, first with the spoon and then by hand, or with the beater and then the dough hook.
• The dough will form a rough mass and clean the sides of the bowl.
• Because of the large amount of butter, the dough will not be sticky. It should be firm, but not stiff.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. With a strong push turn fold action, knead till the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes, or knead with the mixer under the dough hook for the same length of time.
• Return the dough to the bowl; cover with plastic wrap and put aside at room temperature till the dough has doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and turn it onto a floured surface; knead briefly to work out air bubbles.
• Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. Roll each part under your palms into a strand 14 inches long.
• Beginning in the middle of the strands, braid loosely to one end. Reverse the loaf and again braid from middle to end.
• Pinch the ends closed and place on a baking sheet.
• Cover the dough with wax paper and leave till doubled in bulk and puffy to the touch, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F 20 minutes before baking.
• Before baking, brush the braid with the egg white glaze.
• Bake till the crust is rich brown, about 45 minutes.
• A wooden toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
• Remove braid from the oven. Use a metal spatula to lift it off the baking sheet, because the hot loaf will be fragile and might break.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• This bread keeps well and toasts beautifully and also freezes well.

Steps:

• Place ingredients in bread machine in order given.
• Use dough cycle.
• Cut dough into 8 pieces.
• Shape into a round ball.
• Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
• Let rise 20 minutes.
• Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.