I first tasted Pulla bread, known in Northern Ontario as Finn bread, when I purchased it a Christmas craft sale about 15 years ago. I had never tasted the spice cardamon before that, but I was hooked. Cardamon is peppery, but is perfect in baking. It even looks like flecks of pepper through the dough. The bread was as beautiful as it was tasty. Braided bread, who knew there was such a thing.
I had made it quite a few times after that using recipes I had found in local cook books and later on-line, but then the Bon-Appetite issue with their Master Sweet Dough recipe arrived! That was it, the perfect recipe for Pulla!
This recipe is also perfect for cinnamon buns, but those will have to wait for another day. Today was Pulla day. The bread is perfect sliced and slathered in butter. It is also great toasted with jam. If you are lucky enough to have day old bread it makes the most fantastic French Toast as well. But today we ate it warm from the oven with butter. It probably won’t last until breakfast. This bread makes a beautiful and tasty gift for giving at any holiday season.
You can make the dough in the morning and just let it rise in a large bowl until you are ready to form it in to a braid. Divide the dough into three sections and form into long strands. Place the strands side by side on a diagonal on a non-stick large cookie sheet. Starting in the middle braid out to one end and squeeze the ends together and tuck under. Flip the pan around and braid the other side out to the other end. I find braiding this way makes for a neater, more even braid, but then I was never very good at braiding hair as my daughter will attest to.
Let the loaf rise again for about 30-40 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Slide the loaf onto a cooling rack very carefully as it is quite tender and may crack if you aren’t careful.
Let it cool completely if you can before slicing and enjoy!!!
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 5 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1¾ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon ground cardamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature,
- Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat or in a microwave until an instant-read thermometer registers 110°–115°.
- Transfer milk to bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook; stir in 1 Tbsp. sugar. Sprinkle yeast over milk and whisk to blend. Let sit until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add eggs; whisk until smooth.
- Whisk together the remaining 4 Tbsp. sugar, flour, cardamon, and salt in a medium sized bowl.
- Add to milk mixture. With mixer running, add ½ cup room-temperature butter, 1 piece at a time, blending well between additions. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Knead on medium-high speed until dough is soft and silky, about 5 minutes.
- Brush a medium bowl with some melted butter; place dough in bowl. Brush top of dough with remaining melted butter; cover with plastic wrap. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic; chill.
- Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, 1–1½ hours (or 2–2½ hours if dough has been refrigerated).
- On lightly floured surface, cut dough into 3 equal pieces and form into 3 strands about