Finn Bun (Pulla)

Thanks to Spicecat for sharing this recipe for Finn Bun, or Pulla. It is a Finnish family recipe from Lively Ontario, up Sudbury way. I made a batch of this delicious sweet bread tonight, and I can tell you it is very tasty.

Here's the recipe:

In a medium saucepan, scald a mixture of a 3/4 litre bag of milk, 1/4 cup shortening, 1 cup sugar, 10 cardamom seeds, shelled and ground, or 1 1/2 tbsp ground cardamom (which is what I used). Let the mixture cool until it is warm, rather than hot.

Mix an envelope of yeast in 1/2 cup water with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. When the milk mixture is no longer hot, combine it with the yeast mixture in a large bowl. Add an egg and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add flour until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers. This is quite a bit of flour, approximately 14 cups.

Knead the dough for several minutes, then set aside covered to rise. When the dough has doubled in size (about an hour), punch it down and knead again briefly. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Divide one piece into 3 equal pieces. Make long thin snakes of dough from each of the 3 pieces. Braid them, then let rise an hour.

Beat one egg with a splash of milk to make a glaze. Brush over the braids. Sprinkle liberally with sugar (and if you like, some cinnamon too).

Bake for 20-30 minutes @ 350f.

Makes 4 loaves. Awesome with coffee.