Norwegian Cardamom Braid

My husband's name and roots are Norwegian, while my roots are mostly English and Danish (with a smattering of Scot, Irish, Polish, German . . . I'm a definite American). Not too long ago, I decided to explore our common Scandinavian cooking roots.  While I have not made or eaten lutefisk (or anything like it) and have no desire to do so, I have had a lot of fun making cookies from those countries.  It was only recently I decided to look up a bread.

This bread appears to be claimed by other Scandinavian countries, in addition to Norway.  But since I found this recipe listed under my husband's ancestral country on Allrecipes.com, I'm keeping it that way.

Cardamom Braids

2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 1/2 cups warm milk (110-115 degrees F)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs (2 in the dough and 1 to brush on at the end)
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 cups all-purpose flour
Additional sugar

A note about cardamom:  I had never used or purchased cardamom until I started making Scandinavian Christmas cookies.  Since that time, I've been amazed at the places I've found cardamom used, from Scandinavia all the way to the Near East.  How this marvelous spice escaped my notice for 41 years is a real puzzle to me . . .

I like to keep things simple, so I decided to use 2 cups warm water and enough powdered milk for 1 1/2 cups milk.  (The proportions are on the side of the container.)  I put the water in the stand mixer bowl, along with the yeast and the sugar.  In about five minutes, when the yeast has dissolved, I added the powdered milk, the softened butter, and 2 of the eggs, previously beaten.  After mixing some with the bread hook attachment, I added the cardamom and the salt, then started adding the flour.  (For more information about mixing yeast dough in a stand mixer, please see this page.)

When the dough was firm enough to start cleaning the sides of the bowl, I mixed for a few minutes to activate the gluten, then poured a little oil in the bowl, allowed the mixer to move the dough around the bowl one more time, then turned off the mixer.  After removing the bread hook, I turned the dough over to coat it with oil, covered the bowl with paper towels, and placed the bowl in a warm place to rise.

The first time I made this bread, I made the mistake of starting at 8:00 at night.  I didn't think there would be a problem.  After all, when I make my "normal bread", it takes me about 2 hours, from start to finish.  What I didn't take into account is that a bread recipe this far removed from my "normal bread" recipe--more dense, with more dough by weight, etc.--is bound to take longer to rise.

As a matter of fact, it took a lot longer to rise.  By the time I finished making the bread that first time around, I was up until 2:00 am, after having desperately tried to find ways to make the dough rise more quickly (wondering if I'd killed my yeast, etc.).  So now, I make absolutely sure to find a nice, warm place for it to rise, like on top of my stove with my heated oven turned off (one of these days, I should try heating the oven just to around 90 degrees F, then turning it off and putting the dough inside) . . . Even then, it can take roughly 2 hours, just for this first rise.  So plan accordingly.

After the dough has risen to about double the original size (or until you simply can't take it any longer and are willing to just settle with whatever you get), grease a baking sheet (or two) and prepare a work surface with a little flour.  Divide the dough into four portions.  Take each portion and divide it into thirds.

Roll each third into a rope. 

Place three ropes on the greased baking sheet and braid.  (I realize my ropes and braids would win no beauty contests . . . need more practice.)

Starting the braid somewhere in the middle and working out to either end is a trick I read somewhere a long time ago.  I think it is supposed to prevent undue distortion due to the weight of the ropes, but that is only a guess.

Pinch each end to seal and tuck the ends under the loaf.  Do this with each of the dough portions. 
I can fit three loaves on one rather large baking sheet, which means I have one lonely loaf to put on a smaller baking sheet.  It also means I have to stagger the baking, so I put the lonely loaf in a slightly cooler place to allow it to rise a little more slowly, but not much.

Again . . . this dough takes forever to rise . . . so plan accordingly.  When you see about an hour later the dough is close to being risen (hooray), preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Just before baking the loaves, beat that last egg and brush it on the loaves, then sprinkle them with sugar.

Bake them for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

They smell heavenly!  Make sure to remove the loaves and place them on wire racks when they are finished baking.  (That way, you can get a slice sooner . . . as well as have them cool enough to put away before it gets too far past your bedtime . . . This time around, start to finish, was about 5 hours.)

This bread freezes well, if it is wrapped sufficiently.  Wrapping the loaves in a double layer of plastic wrap works if you are not planning on keeping them in the freezer long.  Or they can be wrapped in a layer of plastic wrap and placed in the bread bag you saved from the last time you had to buy a large amount of hot dog buns or something.

This is a sweet bread, good all by itself or with a little butter and maybe a little strawberry jam.  The texture is a bit denser than some breads and a little cake-like.  Don't be surprised if you notice the cardamom flavor has intensified a little bit by the next morning.  (This happens to cookies made with cardamom, too.)  The flavor is different than any bread I've eaten before, but it is strangely addicting.

My kids enjoy eating slices at breakfast or for after-school snacks.  I anticipate seeing these four loaves disappear in a little over a week, despite the fact I put two in the freezer.