cardamom bread – Bees Knees Recipes

I pulled this recipe from last year’s Bake from Scratch, holiday edition, and I wanted to make it based solely on its appearance. It’s absolutely stunning. The original recipe calls for a homemade cranberry filling, but going with the Scandinavian flavors here, I opened a bottle of nice lingonberry jam instead. I liked the flavors tremendously, and I liked saving myself a step, too. I really recommend following suit! I also made a big batch of candied orange peel for the Christmas season, so I used that as well, but if you aren’t inclined to make your own, a purchased one could also work, as could just the zest of an orange grated into the jam. I ended up serving this bread Christmas morning (I baked it a few days in advance, froze it, defrosted it overnight, and then warmed it the morning of Christmas in the oven). I loved this bread (I ate it over the Christmas Kringle we had), and I hope to make it for many years to come. It also got the distinguished title from my father-in-law as “the best thing you’ve ever made.” Has a nice sound to it, doesn’t it?

Cardamom Berry Braid

¾ c. (180 grams) whole milk
½ c. (100 grams) granulated sugar
¼ c. (57 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1½ t. (4.5 grams) kosher salt
½ c. (120 grams) warm water (105°F/40°C to 110°F/43°C)
1 T. (6 grams) instant yeast
2 large eggs (100 grams)
5½ c. (688 grams) all-purpose flour
1 t. (2 grams) ground cardamom
Lingonberry Jam or Cranberry Filling (recipe below)
Storebought or Homemade Candied Orange Peel, diced
Vanilla Glaze (recipe below)

In a small saucepan, bring milk to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat; add sugar, butter, and salt, stirring until completely incorporated. Set aside until cooled to 120°F (49°C) to 130°F (54°C).
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine ½ cup (120 grams) warm water and yeast. Add warm milk mixture. Stir in eggs. With mixer on low speed, add flour and cardamom, beating until combined. Increase mixer speed to medium-low, and beat until smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover directly with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 24×12-inch rectangle. Spread Lingonberry Jam onto dough, leaving a ½-inch border on all sides. Sprinkle with diced Candied Orange Peel. Starting at one long side, roll up dough, jelly roll style; press edge to seal. Place on prepared pan.
Using a serrated knife, cut roll in half lengthwise. With cut sides facing up, carefully twist dough pieces around each other. Form into a circle, pinching ends to seal. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Bake until golden brown and internal temperature registers 190°F (88°C), about 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Drizzle with Vanilla Glaze. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Cranberry Filling (optional)

1⅓ c. (171 grams) dried cranberries
⅓ c. (67 grams) granulated sugar
1 T. (14 grams) unsalted butter, cubed
½ t. (1 gram) ground cardamom
¼ t. ground cinnamon

In a small saucepan, bring cranberries and water to cover by 1 inch to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and cook until cranberries are softened, about 20 minutes. Drain cranberries, reserving 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cooking liquid.
In the work bowl of a food processor, place warm cranberries, reserved 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cooking liquid, sugar, butter, cardamom, and cinnamon; pulse until mixture has the texture of jam. Let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Vanilla Glaze

1 c. (120 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
¼ c. (60 grams) heavy whipping cream
1 t. (4 grams) vanilla extract
½ t. (1.5 grams) kosher salt

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately.

Swedish Cardamom Bread

This recipe is the type of recipe that when I make, I think, I should make this everyday. Life would be a lot happier if I had this to look forward to in the morning or afternoon. Or evening. But, as it happens, I don’t make it everyday, and when I do make it, I’m lucky to get one slice, before all the kids, and darling friends of kids, quickly grab as much as they can.

This recipe is similar to a cinnamon roll, but you don’t cut the individual rolls, making the prep time a little bit faster, and the presentation much different. I love how the shaping of it encourages everyone to tear a handful and just eat! This recipe comes from the Jan. 2015 Saveur.

Swedish Cinnamon-Cardamom Bread
For the dough

7 T. unsalted butter

1 ¹⁄₂ c. whole milk, heated to 115°

2 t. active dry yeast

4 ¹⁄₂ c. flour, plus more for dusting

¹⁄₄ c. sugar

1 ¹⁄₂ t. cardamom seeds, lightly crushed (or ground cardamom)

¹⁄₄ t. kosher salt

For the filling

¹⁄₂c. granulated sugar

7 T. unsalted butter, softened

1 T. ground cinnamon

1 ¹⁄₂t. cardamom seeds, finely crushed (or ground cardamom)

1 egg, beaten

Pearl sugar, for topping

Make the dough:

Melt butter in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium. Remove from heat and stir in milk and yeast; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Whisk flour, sugar, cardamom, and salt in a bowl. Stir in yeast mixture until dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Return dough to bowl and cover with a clean dish towel; let sit in a warm place until dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Make the filling:

Mix granulated sugar, butter, cinnamon, and cardamom in a bowl until smooth.

Assemble the bread:

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11″ x 17″ rectangle, about ¹⁄₄″ thick. Spread filling over dough, leaving a ¹⁄₂″ border along edges. [I’ve found it works better to divide the dough into two and make two separate loaves. They fit on an baking sheet better. They spread quite a bit in baking!] Working from one long end, roll dough into a tight cylinder; transfer seam side down to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover with dish towel; let sit in a warm place until dough has doubled in size once more, about 45 minutes.

Bake the bread:

Heat oven to 375°. Using kitchen shears and starting 1″ from ends of dough, make crosswise cuts, spaced 1″ apart, three-quarters of the way through dough. Fan dough slices away from the center, alternating left to right. Brush dough with egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar; bake until golden brown, about 22 minutes. Let bread cool completely before serving.