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| Mel, Charles and Anna Johnson |
My
parents divorced when I was twelve, and a few years later my mother
remarried. Her new husband was of
Swedish descent (on both sides), so I ended up with a pair of Swedish
step-grandparents. They filled their roles admirably: their son was an only
child, and they didn’t want to do anything to harm their relationship with him,
so they accepted a new wife and two teen-age step-grandchildren with good
grace. We spent many holidays and birthdays together, and they even attended my
college graduation.
Grandmother
Johnson was a baker by choice (a bank secretary by profession, retired by the
time we knew her). Each Christmas she
would make an array of cookies—spritz, and thin ginger cookies topped by an
almond—and breads like limpa, a traditional
Swedish rye bread flavored with fennel, caraway and anise. She also made a braided cardamom bread that
my sister and I both remember fondly—and that’s my Christmas offering to you.
Cardamom
is not widely used, and it may be an acquired taste, because its flavor is very
distinctive. It smells wonderful in baking. This is a raised bread. Sadly a lot of people don’t have the time to
make yeast breads these days (all that rising, you know), particularly if they’re
also trying to make cookies and dinner for the visiting relatives and decorate
the house and shop for gifts and … I’m tired just writing about it. But if you’re ever in the mood to experiment
and find yourself with time on your hands (ha!), this is a nice bread to try.
1-1/2
cups scalded milk (just short of boiling, with little bubbles around the edge)
1/4
cup butter (1/2 stick)
3/4
cup sugar
1/2
tsp salt
1
egg, beaten
1
tsp ground cardamom
1
pkg dry yeast
6
cups flour
Note: This bread asks for three risings. Since it’s sometimes hard to find a
consistently warm place in your home in winter, I suggest turning the oven on
to a low temperature and letting your bread rise on top. Then preheat it to cooking temperature during
the last rise.
Combine
the milk, butter (which will melt in the warm milk), sugar and salt and let the
mixture cool.
Dissolve
the yeast in a scant quarter-cup lukewarm water.
Add
the beaten egg, cardamom and the dissolved yeast to the milk mixture and blend.
Stir
in the flour. Knead for 10-15 minutes (if
you have a stand mixer, you can use your dough hook).
Form
into a ball. Generously grease a large bowl, and place the ball in it, turning
it once to cover all side (you don’t want the surface to dry out), cover with a
clean cloth, place in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size, 30-40
minutes.
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| Before and after rising |
Punch
it down (this is fun!). Then let rise
again until doubled. Punch once more.
Divide
the dough into three parts. Roll each
part into a long thin snake (about 18”) then braid them together. Make a circle of the braid and pinch the ends
together to make a wreath. Place on a greased baking sheet and cover with a
clean towel and let rise yet again, about 45 minutes or until doubled.
Preheat
your oven to 375 degrees.
(Yes,
you’ve now committed your entire day to sitting around waiting for your bread
to rise. Go write your holiday letter or
wrap presents while you wait.)
Mix
an egg with a little water and brush over the top of your bread, then sprinkle
with coarse sugar.
Place
in the preheated oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
Cool on a rack.
Confession
time: this recipe as given makes a
monster loaf that will serve a starving nation.
I’d suggest dividing this and making a pair of smaller, more manageable breads.
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| The big one |
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| The little one |
