We had a Saturday where we had no plans, very few chores to get done and time to do a few things. One of those things was this Swedish Bread recipe. I hand kneaded it because - well... it seemed like that's what I should do. Let's rewind. First I totally screwed up the warm milk. The recipe wasn't really clear on the melted butter, warm milk information. I melted the butter and added the milk, it got WAY too hot. Like 50-60 degrees too hot. I spent way too much time trying to cool that off, but not too much, and three different thermometers to get it down to 115 degrees. Finally got it there - then added it to the yeast - and no foam, froth or whatever you are supposed to get. That didn't seem to be a great sign.
The dough did rise as it should, I rolled it out, and added the filling, I let it rise again. Then the fancy cuts which Bronwyn thought I was crazy for doing. "Why are you cutting that with scissors?!" Oh, it looked pretty after it baked, and bake it I did! I was worried it was underdone so I gave it some extra time.
I let it cool and then wrapped it up for breakfast on Sunday. I cut into the middle of the loaf for slices. No go. Bronwyn didn't like it, Andy didn't eat it, Nicholas and I ate it... but maybe we were hungry? It was dry, needed icing or frosting, Andy thought it was underbaked - yet some of it was clearly over baked. The cardamom in it was... not what I had hoped.
So... enjoy the pictures they are surely pretty and the bread smelled amazing. So it made our house smell great and was fun to do, but eat? Eh... not so much. Maybe I need to make some cinnamon rolls next weekend just to redeem myself. LOTS of frosting... LOTS.
Swedish Cinnamon-and-Cardamom Bread
For the Dough
7 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1⁄2 cups whole milk, heated to 115°
2 tsp. active dry yeast
4 1⁄2 cups flour, plus more for dusting
1⁄4 cup sugar
1 1⁄2 tsp. cardamom seeds, lightly crushed
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
For the Filling and Topping
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
7 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 1⁄2 tsp. cardamom seeds, finely crushed
1 egg, beaten
Pearl sugar, for topping
Instructions
Melt butter in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium. Remove from heat and stir in milk and yeast; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Whisk flour, sugar, cardamom, and salt in a bowl. Stir in yeast mixture until dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Return dough to bowl and cover with a clean dish towel; let sit in a warm place until dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Mix granulated sugar, butter, cinnamon, and cardamom in a bowl until smooth.
Assemble the bread: On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11″ x 17″ rectangle, about 1⁄4″ thick. Spread filling over dough, leaving a 1⁄2″ border along edges. Working from one long end, roll dough into a tight cylinder; transfer seam side down to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover with dish towel; let sit in a warm place until dough has doubled in size once more, about 45 minutes.
Heat oven to 375°. Using kitchen shears and starting 1″ from ends of dough, make crosswise cuts, spaced 1″ apart, three-quarters of the way through dough. Fan dough slices away from the center, alternating left to right. Brush dough with egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar; bake until golden brown, about 22 minutes. Let bread cool completely before serving.
Melt butter in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium. Remove from heat and stir in milk and yeast; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Whisk flour, sugar, cardamom, and salt in a bowl. Stir in yeast mixture until dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Return dough to bowl and cover with a clean dish towel; let sit in a warm place until dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Mix granulated sugar, butter, cinnamon, and cardamom in a bowl until smooth.
Assemble the bread: On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11″ x 17″ rectangle, about 1⁄4″ thick. Spread filling over dough, leaving a 1⁄2″ border along edges. Working from one long end, roll dough into a tight cylinder; transfer seam side down to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover with dish towel; let sit in a warm place until dough has doubled in size once more, about 45 minutes.
Heat oven to 375°. Using kitchen shears and starting 1″ from ends of dough, make crosswise cuts, spaced 1″ apart, three-quarters of the way through dough. Fan dough slices away from the center, alternating left to right. Brush dough with egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar; bake until golden brown, about 22 minutes. Let bread cool completely before serving.
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