Swedish Cardamom Bread (Pulla)

By Bree Hester Jump to Recipe

This Swedish Cardamom Bread is a great bread for the new bread baker with a special herbal, citrus character. It makes two delicious loaves, but the dough is excellent for cinnamon rolls, too.

I always feel so accomplished when I can say that I baked my own bread.

There really isn’t much that is more rewarding than making your own bread. And nothing compares to how it makes your house smell – especially this sweet scent of Cardamom Bread.

Plus, the dough also makes incredible cinnamon rolls. This recipe makes two loaves. Feel free to make one roll of bread and use the other half for cinnamon rolls. This recipe comes from the book Scandinavian Gatherings by Melissa Bahen.

What is Swedish Cardamom Bread? What is Pulla?

Cardamom bread, Finnish Pulla or nisu is a type of braided sweet bread or pastry flavored with cardamom.

It is extremely popular among Nordic countries (Sweden and Finland).

What Does Cardamom Bread Taste Like?

Cardamom is very strong and aromatic. It has a slightly herbal, spicy, citrusy flavor that goes well with orange or warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.

What Makes This Cardamom Bread So Good?

As mentioned, nothing beats homemade bread. I make this on lazy weekend afternoons because:

• It’s great for a new bread baker as it’s very forgiving and versatile.
• Two special ingredients expand your baking repertoire.
• It’s a double-duty dough best for bread and cinnamon rolls.

Serving Suggestions

I make a batch of this bread on Saturday, bake one loaf and reserve the other half of the dough for cinnamon rolls the next morning.

In Finland, the bread is traditionally served as a treat with coffee or tea.

The bread is wonderful lightly toasted with butter. The cinnamon roll version gets a heavy dose of sweet glaze when they are fresh from the oven.

How to Store

Leftover bread makes wonderful French toast. But it also freezes beautifully wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 1 month.

Simply defrost for a few hours on your countertop and rewarm in a low oven.

Swedish Cardamom Bread (Pulla)

Bree Hester

4.52 from 27 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course bread

Cuisine baking

Servings 2 Large loaves

Calories 2277 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 packets instant yeast or active dry yeast
• 6 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons pearl sugar

Instructions

 

• Add 2 cups milk and sugar to a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
  
• Whisk until combined and add butter.
  
• When the butter has melted, remove from the heat and let it cool down to a warm bath temperature before stirring-in yeast. Too cool and the yeast will not activate, and too hot and the yeast will die. I use a thermometer and like it to be in the 100° to 118° range. You will know that your yeast has activated when bubbles begin to form.
  
• While the yeast is cooling, add 2 cups flour, salt, cardamom, and one egg to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached.
  
• Pour the milk mixture into the bowl and stir until combined.
  
• Put in 3 more cups of flour.
  
• Stir until completely incorporated.
  
• Add the remaining cup of flour, a little at a time.
  
• Stop when the dough forms a ball and is no longer sticky to the touch.
  
• Transfer the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. I like to go an extra step and put the bowl inside of an extra large Ziploc bag. It creates a draft-free rising environment. Let rise until doubled, about one hour.
  
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board. Punch the dough down, knead by hand for one to two minutes, then let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°.
  
• Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. (I weigh the dough using a kitchen scale and then divide the weight by six to get the correct amount of dough.)
• Roll the pieces into a skinny rope about 15 inches long.
• Line up three pieces of dough and pinch the top together. Braid the three pieces into a loaf. Pinch the bottom and tuck underneath. Repeat with the other three ropes.
• Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and rise for another 30 minutes. Make an egg wash by whisking the remaining egg and one tablespoon milk. Brush the sides and top with wash and sprinkle pear sugar all over.
• Bake the loaves for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool before slicing.
  

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 2277kcalCarbohydrates: 374gProtein: 53gFat: 62gSaturated Fat: 36gSodium: 1401mgFiber: 11g

Keyword pearl sugar, pulla, Swedish

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!