One of the things I love most about cooking & baking is how both have the potential to broaden your culinary horizons. Cardamom is an excellent example of this capacity. While I’ve been an avid baker for a while now, it was only during these past few weeks that I began to use cardamom in something other than homemade chai or as a supporting player in Indian spice mixes. I knew that it was a member of the ginger family, that it is commonly used in Middle Eastern coffee, and that Cleopatra used it to perfume her palace apartments - but if you asked me, “What does cardamom taste like?”, I couldn’t answer you with confidence.

That changed when I began making Scandinavian treats in my kitchen. Cardamom is used more frequently in Scandinavia than cinnamon and is featured in many of the recipes in The Great Scandinavian Baking Book, from whence the pulla recipe in this post comes. By the time I tried my second recipe from this book I recognized the distinctive, slightly floral aroma of cardamom. And when a fifth recipe made an appearance in my kitchen the citrus-like, warming flavor of the spice was forever recorded in my mind. In this way cardamom left the more abstract, historical realm and leaped into my life. I now like cardamom so much that I made cardamom ice cream, and have even began putting it in my coffee with a dash of cinnamon, a teaspoon of sugar and a generous helping of whipped cream. If you haven’t become acquainted with cardamom I highly recommend you change that, and there’s my bit of unsolicited advice for the day.

Cardamom is the world’s third most expensive spice after saffron and vanilla. The reason it’s so pricey is that cardamom seeds sprout in clusters of fibrous capsules that ripen at different times, so in order for cardamom to be harvested the capsules must be picked by hand, one at a time, slightly before each capsule reaches maturity. Cardamom has long been used in hot Middle Eastern drinks like gahwa, which is a drink made by brewing freshly roasted/ground coffee beans with split green cardamom pods. Beverages like this are so popular in the Middle East that Arab countries consume 80% of the world’s cardamom supply, while Scandinavia consumes 10%. Pulla, a basic yeasted coffee bread, is one example of the many scrumptious treats Scandinavians make with the spice. Pulla is the Finnish name for the bread, while the Swedes call it vetebröd, Norwegians call it hvetebröd, the Danes call it hvedebrød, and the Icelandics call it hveitibraud - all of which mean, “wheat bread.” (source) Pulla’s sweetness and often braided appearance reminds me very much of challah, the main difference being the use of evaporated milk (which I suppose could also be used in challah) and cardamom (which could definitely be used in challah, you know I love adding things to it). When I saw an extra half loaf of pulla sitting on my counter this similarity inspired me to use a few slices the way I would leftover challah - by making a Charlotte! Charlottes are traditionally made with apples or pears, and since the former is easier to come by this time of the year I went the Apple Charlotte route. The wonderful thing about this dish (aside from its exquisite flavor) is that it’s immensely simple to put together, but produces impressive looking results. The same can be said of pulla actually, and if you serve either of these treats to your friends they’ll be impressed. It’s times like this that the savvy baker just soaks up all the praise - “Oh no, it was nothing,” you’ll say - and you’ll mean it, but everyone else will think you’re just being humble.

Pulla (Cardamom Coffeebread)
Reprinted with permission from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas.

Ingredients: Makes 3 loaves

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water, 105 degrees F to 115 degrees F
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounce can) undiluted evaporated milk, warmed
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup sugar (I used 1 cup)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom or seeds of 12 cardamom pods, crushed
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 7 to 8 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup melted butter

For the glaze:

• 1 slightly beaten egg
• 2 tablespoons milk

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water; add the 1 teaspoon sugar, stir, and let stand for 5 minutes until yeast foams. Empty the milk into a pan and warm just to between 105 degrees F and 115 degrees F. (If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer handy just dip your finger - carefully - into the milk. If it is about the right temperature for a warmed baby bottle then it’s good to go. I use the same test for warmed water when I don’t want to fuss with the thermometer.) Add milk, sugar according to sweetness desired, salt, cardamom, eggs, and half the flour. Beat with an electric mixer or spoon (I prefer a wooden spoon) until dough is smooth and shiny. Beat in the melted butter. Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until dough is stiff but not dry. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead until satiny and smooth, about 10 minutes. (You can also do this in a mixer with a hook attachment.) Wash bowl, grease it (with about 1 tsp of olive oil or butter), and add dough to bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover (loosely, with saran wrap) and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn risen dough out onto breadboard or counter top and divide into 3 portions.

Divide each portion into 3 parts. Roll out to make strands about 24 inches long. Make 3 braids using 3 strands each. (If you are unsure how to do this, you can view my instructions for braiding dough here or here.) Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover (loosely, with saran wrap) and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix egg and milk to make glaze and brush braids with the mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

———————–
The Great Scandinavian Baking Book is an addictive collection of recipes from author Beatrice Ojakangas. From Cardamom Coffeebread (Pulla) and Sweet Cream Waffles to Danish Strawberry Scones (Kraemmerhuse) and almond glazed Swedish Tea Rings (Vetekrans), once you start baking from this book you’ll have a hard time putting it away. I was delighted with everything I made and appreciated how Ojakangas introduced me to the many delectable ways Scandinavians use cardamom in their baking. Her recipes are easy to follow and accompanied by conversational intros that share cultural tidbits or serving tips. Although there are no photos in this book, when more complicated steps are required to complete a recipe the how-to portion is frequently illustrated with helpful diagrams. The lack of photographs is really the only thing about it I didn’t absolutely adore about the book, which will make a welcome addition to any kitchen and is appropriate for beginner and experienced bakers alike. You’ll revel in the heavenly aromas emanating from your oven, not to mention the baked goods you’ll soon be enjoying with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

Chapters: Breads for Meals, Breads for Coffeetime, Cookies and Little Cakes, Cakes and Tortes, Pastries and Pies, Savory Pies and Filled Breads. Chapters about mail order sources, baking tips and ingredients are also included.

———————–

Apple Charlotte (My Recipe)

Ingredients: Makes 1 large Charlotte or 2 small

• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
• 1/2 cup sugar + 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• About 5 thin (1/2 inch thick) slices of pulla (you can also use challah), crusts removed

Places the apple slices, 1/2 cup of sugar, and cinnamon in a medium sized saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until apples are soft and light golden, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar, set aside.

Remove the crusts from about 5 slices of pulla or challah, depending on the size of your ramekin. Measure the slices against the side of the ramekin, then cut eat slice into 1 1/2 inch wide strips that are as tall as your ramekin and 1/4 inch thick. Dip one side of each strip into the butter-sugar. Line the sides of the ramekins with the pulla strips, buttered sides pressed against the ramekin, overlapping the pieces of bread.

Spoon apple mixture into the mold - enough for the apples to reach the top of the ramekin, making sure that the apples are up against the pulla. Brush the tops of the pulla slices with butter. Put the ramekin on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Allow the charlotte to cool for 10 minutes, then gently run a butter knife around the edges. Place a small plate on top of the ramekin and, using oven mitts, invert the ramekin/plate so that the Charlotte falls onto the plate. Serve with crème anglaise (recipe here), vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream.

I’ve known for some time now that I’m a food lover. I take almost indecent delight in cooking, baking and experimenting in my kitchen, and few things make me happier than sharing the cakes, cookies or breads I make with friends. Yet the true measure of my ‘foodieness’ was revealed only this past weekend, when I returned from a week-long visit with family in San Diego, California - because while we left with three suitcases, we returned with an extra duffel bag I’d stuffed with some 20 lbs of tortillas from Mexico (flour & corn), tamales (sweet corn, pineapple, and jalapeño cheese), and jars of nopales (prickly pear cactus). Ok it was 33lbs. But can you blame me when quality tortillas, tamales and nopales are so difficult to find in Connecticut? I think not.

Seeing my family after nearly 3 years apart was such a joy, though of course the trip ended too soon. We went to Disneyland, visited relatives, and spent time enjoying good food and conversation. I taught my parents how to make my honey-vanilla challah, which they had never tasted before; my Mom and Nana how to make the baked rigatoni my Mom so infamously poured hot sauce on several years ago (she now says it definitely does not need hot sauce); and even convinced my brother to learn how to make pizza from scratch. This last bit was a feat because my brother is one of those guys who refuses to learn how to use a kitchen. My Mom is an accomplished cook, as is his girlfriend, so he figures: why bother? But for pizza he made an exception and for the record it was delicious. He got such a kick out of eating a pizza he made himself, as opposed to the frozen or delivery variety he’s always had in the past. I hear his girlfriend has already set a date for him to demonstrate his newfound culinary prowess in her kitchen, which if you ask me, is pretty darn cute.

My husband and I arrived back in Connecticut around 5am on Sunday morning and I had every intention of getting to work in the kitchen so that I could post on Monday. But then the homesickness hit, not to mention the tiredness, and a wee cold… the result being that I didn’t do anything until yesterday evening. Vetekrans, a kind of Swedish tea ring, was my recipe of choice for several reasons, not the least of which being its tempting combination of cardamom and cinnamon. I could just imagine the aromatic fragrance of these two spices, and was curious to see if cardamom (a member of the ginger family) would enhance the flavor of cinnamon in the same way that ground ginger does. I was also intrigued by the author’s method of dough preparation, which requires no kneading and asks you to refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours. So I put the dough together, then popped it into the fridge before relaxing with a book and hitting the sack shortly after the New Year arrived. This morning I rolled the dough out, spread it with butter and cinnamon-sugar, then rolled it up jelly-roll style and bound the ends together before cutting into the dough with sharp scissors. The whole process took less than an hour (including resting time) and the end product was the scrumptious tea ring you see featured here. The cardamom undertones gently enhanced the cinnamon, creating something that is, in a word, decadent: like the best cinnamon buns you’ve ever had strung together in a fragrant cardamom spiced wreath, then drizzled with an almond glaze. Oh. Yea.

I initially planned to post a review of The Great Scandinavian Baking Book, from whence this Vetekrans recipe comes, in this entry. However, I’m going to wait until my next post. True, I’ve made four things from this book and could certainly formulate a review based on the results… but then I wouldn’t have an excuse to share another delectable recipe with you, would I? Yet I will reveal the winner of the the raffle in which I gave away one copy of The Great Scandinavian Baking Book: Deborah (#43) of Taste and Tell! Thank you to everyone who participated in my Holiday Cookbook Giveaway, I only wish I could have sent cookbooks to each and everyone one of you.

Have a wonderful New Year’s day!

Vetekrans (Swedish Tea Ring)
Reprinted with permission from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas.

Ingredients: Makes 1 large ring

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water, about 105 degrees to 115 degrees F
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 slightly beaten eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I ended up using closer to 5 1/2 cups of flour)
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup blanched almonds, finely chopped (optional)

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons hot coffee or milk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the 1/2 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, the eggs, salt, cardamom, and 4 cups flour until dough is smooth (it took about 5 1/2 cups of flour for my dough to achieve a smooth, soft texture). Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. (I refrigerated mine for about 12 hours. When you take it out of the fridge the dough will be very firm and may break apart as you remove it from the bowl. This is normal, just remove all the pieces then gently press them back together. Allow the dough to rest on your counter top for about 20-30 minutes before proceeding.)

Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and roll out to make a 20×20 to 24×24 inch square. Spread with a thin layer of softened butter right to the edge. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the butter. Sprinkle the almonds over the cinnamon sugar. Roll up as for a jelly roll. (Beginning with the bottom edge closest to you, gently roll the dough away from you, pinching the ends together to prevent cinnamon sugar from spilling out.)

Grease a baking sheet and place the roll on the sheet, shaping it into a ring. Pinch ends together to close the circle. With scissors, cut almost through the ring at 1/2 inch intervals. Turn each piece so that the cut side is exposed. Let rise until almost doubled (about 1 hour in a warm location).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until just golden. (I baked mine for 15 minutes, then rotated it in the oven and baked it for another 5 minutes). While the ring bakes, mix the glaze ingredients. Brush the ring while hot with the glaze.