Passport & Plate - Finnish Pulla 'Coffeebread'
Finland | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 5 photos
Ingredients
• 4 tsp yeast
• .5 c. warm water
• 1 c. semi-skimmed milk (2%)
• 1 c. whole cream
• 1 c. sugar; additional sugar for glaze
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cardamom pods, crushed into powder
• 3 eggs for bread; 1 egg for glaze
• 7-8 c. bread or all purpose flour
• 1.5 c. raisins
• .5 c. melted butter
How to prepare this recipe1. Stir the yeast into the water until dissolved. Pour into a large bowl or pot. Mix the milk and cream, warming in the microwave or on the stovetop. Pour into the bowl. Add in sugar, salt, cardamom, and 3 eggs.
2. Slowly adding 5 cups of flour, stirring with your hand.
3. Pour in the melted butter. Mix with your hand and add cups of flour and raisins slowly, mixing and adding flour until your hand comes away relatively clean.
4. Continue the knead the dough, adding small amounts of flour as necessary. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is elastic and smooth.
5. Cover the bowl and let rise. Rising in these conditions should take about 2-3 hours to ripen. If you would prefer (as I do) to let it rise overnight, place the dough in the fridge, still covered, and it will be ready in about 6-8 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit while you work, with the bread stone in the oven. Punch down the dough and remove it from the bowl onto a floured surface. Divide the dough into two sections. Roll these out into ‘loaves.’ Then slice the ‘loaves’ vertically to create three ribbons.
7. While there is a more traditional four-ribbon braiding technique, I suggest a standard three-ribbon method for beginners. Pinch the ends together here as well. Squeeze them well if they are floury, and tuck them under the bread. Set this aside and continue with the other loaf, or roll it into cup-sized balls for small rolls.
8. Beat an egg in a cup and brush the beaten egg over the bread dough. Top with covered almonds or pearl sugar.
9. Bake at 300 degrees for around 30 minutes. Be careful to cook the bread all the way through and ensure that the bottom does not burn. Alterations on time and temperature may be necessary. Rolls are generally ready after 10-15 minutes.
10. Let cool and serve with coffee, blueberry jam, or honeycomb. Dipping in the coffee is a Finnish favorite. The bread will last for 2 days in an airtight container, and is perfect for freezing.
The story behind this recipe‘Family recipe’ does not inevitably equal comfort and familiarity. During my first trip to Finland, I can recall hunching over an old wooden table, surrounded by old wooden farm tools and a handful of old wooden people, having a hard time adjusting to Finnish cuisine. I was still green to the experience of never-say-no eating.
Finland is a land of little verbal communication, long, dark winters and uncomfortable sauna sessions. My father told me stories of foraging for wild mushrooms and tiny blueberries in the forest underbrush. I did not speak the language. I did not understand the casual attitude towards nakedness. The nights melted away into eternal midsummer afternoons and peachy dawns. It was a different world from ‘home.’ I questioned how deep my roots truly grew into the cold, soggy Finnish soil.
Cardamom ‘coffee-bread’ reminds me now, though, of the sparkling little eyes and the stale indoor air of my grandmother’s kitchen. My grandparents spoke no English, but Finns are very quiet people and this didn’t bother them much. The porous, fluffy texture of the bread was perfect for dipping in drinks or slathering with bread and jam. The braided strips provide the perfect little valleys for pearl sugar and toasted almond slivers to fall into. Sweet, warm, honest bread is always perfect. It encouraged me to become a more adventurous eater, and was a humble first step on a culinary adventure that would take me across many cultures.
My family were bakers for two generations; they baked during the endless summer days and endless winter nights. As Finns are very quiet, they can seem unfriendly to foreigners. However, their hearts are like the braided pulla bread: sweet and toasty. This recipe evokes the smells, tastes, and heartiness of a Finnish bakery and teatime in Scandinavia. I have provided instructions for overnight or one-day baking for the baker’s convenience.
