Finnish-Canadian Pulla Bread

If you have not heard of Pulla bread, it is a traditional Finnish bread. It uses an enriched brioche-style dough with the addition of cardamom. Cardamom is very fragrant and gives this bread it’s distinct flavour. This bread often has a sweet glaze brushed on, after it comes out of the often. It is eaten as a sweet snack with coffee and tea.

The dough can be made into a few variations, like rolls, or a long braided circular loaf. It can sometimes have raisins inside, dusted with sugar, or almonds. Variations of this bread, and other cardamom breads, are common in many Nordic countries, like Sweden where it is called Kardemummabröd and kardemummabullar.

I use cardamom a lot in my baking. It is an amazing spice that lends itself to most baked goods. Cardamom has a citrus fragrance with a sweet ginger smell mixed in. If you have not had it before, you should give it a try!

Finnish-Canadian, Pulla Bread?

Just like The United States, Canada is a land of immigrants. Most, “Canadian Cuisine” is made up of recipes brought over from different parts of the world and adapted to the new local ingredients that were available.

Canada has large communities’ of people who’s ancestors originally hailed from Finland.

Finland was under Russian rule in 1809 and many Finnish people moved, and found work, on the opposite side Russia, which is now Alaska. Then in 1867 the United States purchased Alaska from Russia. Many of the Finnish people moved south into British Colombia, Canada. Now, people who’s ancestors came from Finland live all over Canada. They continue to make many of the delicious recipes that have been passed down to them. Now it is one of the recipes that make up a wide array of Canadian Cuisine.

Other uses for the Pulla bread dough

This dough is a wonderful sweet bread dough. You can easily adapt, and make into all sorts of baked goods.

Yeasted doughnuts

Roll out your dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out your doughnut circles, and with a smaller circle cut out your middles. Cover and let rise until they double in size (1-2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen). Once they have risen, fry them in oil on medium-high for 2-3 mins. Flip them over and continue to fry for another 2-3 mins or until they are golden on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a wire rack. Dust with cinnamon-sugar, brush on a vanilla glaze, drizzle with chocolate, or top how you would like.

Cinnamon buns

Chill dough for about an hour. Roll out the dough to to a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. In a bowl combine 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cinnamon. Butter all of the top of the rolled out dough. Sprinkle on your sugar mixture and mix it slightly into the butter layer on top of your dough. From the long side of your rectangle, roll into a long log. Cut the log into cinnamon buns, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place in a, greased, rectangular casserole dish. Cover and let rise 1 hour (depending on the temperature of your kitchen). Once they have doubled, uncover. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (176 degree C) oven for 20-25 mins, or until slightly golden. Cool slightly. Make your icing. Mix together a 3 oz package of cream cheese (softened), 1/4 cup of butter (softened), 1 1/2 cup of icing sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1teaspoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Cinnamon raison bread

Knead into your dough 1 cup of raisins. Cover and let rise 1 hour (or until doubled in size. Roll out your dough into a rectangle. Brush on some milk, to wet the dough slightly. In a bowl, mix 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Sprinkle over the dough. Roll into a log, and cut in to two of three (about the length of your loaf pan.) Place into greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise about 1 hour (or until doubled). Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (176 degree C) oven for 45 mins, or until golden.

Croissants

Follow the instructions here but use this dough instead.

These are just a few ideas, there are many more great uses for this amazing bread dough!

Ingredients for Pulla Bread

1/3 cup milk

¼ cup white sugar

½teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter, softened

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 egg

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ cup warm water

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

For the Pulla bread glaze

2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling at the end

1 tablespoon hot coffee

Method

1. In a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) mix ¼ cup white sugar, salt, butter, and cardamom.
2. Heat milk on med heat, until it starts to steam. Add the milk to the bowl.
3. Stir to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter. Set aside to cool, until it is warm but not hot.
4. Meanwhile, dissolve the ½ teaspoon of sugar in ¼ cup of water. Sprinkle the yeast on top. It should become foamy, in about 5 minutes.
5. To the large bowl, that has now cooled, stir in the beaten egg.
6. Once foamy, stir and add in the yeast mixture. Stir everything to combine.
7. Stir in half of the flour.
8. Once incorporated, add in the rest of the flour. Mix with your hands until mostly combined, then tip out onto your counter and knead the dough, for about 5 minutes. (Or with the dough hook attachment, knead the dough with the stand mixer until smooth. (About 4-5 minutes)
9. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
10. Once it has doubled, split the dough into 3 equal parts. Roll each between the counter and your hands to form a long, rounded, strip. Pinch them together at the top and braid. Pinch them together at the bottom. Cover and let rise another 1 hour (depending on the temperature of your kitchen.) Or until doubled in volume.
11. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
12. Place on a lined tray and bake for 30-35 mins.
13. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of sugar with 2 tablespoon of hot coffee. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
14. Remove bread from oven and brush on the glaze. Sprinkle with a little bit of sugar.
15. Cool slightly, and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed the recipe! Do you have a special bread recipe that is common in your country? Let me know!