Finnish Pulla Bread

Yesterday, I made this Finnish Pulla Bread as a dry run for the Easter holidays.  It's a new recipe that I needed to try out before making it to give away.  It is wonderful.

The Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup warm water 110-115 F
• 1 tbsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten, room temperature
• 4 and 1/2 to 5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 stick unsalted butter melted

To Brush with:

• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp milk

For the Topping

• sliced almonds
  
  

Instructions

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, warm the milk until it reaches 110 F. In a large mixing bowl, stir the yeast in warm water and let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.

2. Add the milk, sugar, cardamom, salt, and eggs to the large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate everything. Add 2 cups of flour and stir until smooth. Stir in the butter and add just enough of the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough is formed. The dough should be able to gather together in a shaggy mass but is not dry.

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes. 

First Rise

1. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about ten minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic. Shape it into a ball and place it in a bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 1 hour or until doubled.

Shape The Dough

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Lightly knead the dough just to deflate it and divide it into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion into a long rope of about 36 inches in length. Braid the three ropes of dough from one end and once you reach the other end, lift the dough and transfer it to the sheet pan shaping it into a circle as you lay it down. Pinch and seal the ends together to close the circle.

Second Rise

1. Cover the assembled dough with a clean towel and let rise for about 45 minutes until puffy, but not necessarily doubled.

Bake the Pulla

1. Preheat oven to  375 F. Beat one egg with 1 tablespoon of milk and brush this glaze over the surface of the dough.  Sprinkle the top with sugar and almonds. Bake pulla for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden.
   

I made a few changes to this recipe which I will show.  After I rolled out the 3 pieces to braid, I split them open down the middle.

I ran a knife down the middle and then just spread each piece open.

Then, I rolled a container of almond paste into ropes and laid them down the length of each piece.

Next, I gently pinched the dough together over the almond paste and rolled them into long strands.

Then I braided them together. This makes a very long braid so make sure you have counter space.

Form it into a wreath on a piece of parchment paper. I can never quite get the ends to plait properly. Cover the wreath and let it rise for about 45 minutes.

The weird part sort of heals itself as it rises.  Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle it with slivered almonds. Place it in the preheated oven to bake.

Yum.

I mixed some confectioners sugar with a bit of milk and drizzled it over the warm wreath.

This is a perfect holiday bread to give to your friends or keep for yourself. You can certainly make this without the almond paste but the almond paste makes it very special.