Pulla

pulla dough after kneading

Making breads is great.  There is something really nice about putting together a dough, then watching it rise once or twice, popping it into the oven, and pulling out something that tastes and smells heavenly.

Pulla (sometimes called nisu) is a bread from Finland that is flavored with cardamom.  Most people think of India with respect to cardamom.  But traditional Scandinavian cooking frequently uses it as well.  Finland has made use of this spice with style in this bread.  I have never been to Finland, but I am told that one finds this bread everywhere, in every good eating establishment, in every home, at every social gathering.  Perhaps that is exaggerated, but it tastes so wonderful that I would be surprised if it weren't everywhere.

pulla dough ready to rise

The ingredients in pulla include flour, melted butter, salt, milk, yeast, sugar, eggs and cardamom, usually crushed cardamom seeds, but in a pinch ground cardamom is fine.  Only a small amount of sugar is used so this is a very lightly sweet bread.  The eggs and melted butter add richness and are a big reason why the texture of the bread is so nice.  The dough once made is kneaded for several minutes, but I always find that it is such a silky smooth dough that no flour is required in the kneading process.  It simply doesn't stick to a surface as is the case with so many other doughs.  And as it is kneaded, it gets smoother and smoother until finally it is ready to go into a bowl for rising.

pulla dough after rising

I enjoy seeing the difference between a dough pre-rise and post-rise.  One of these days I should video an entire rise session and then post it here in time-lapse.  That would be a captivating sight, I would think.  I'm certain that's been done elsewhere, but it's something I might try in the future anyway just for the satisfaction of doing it myself.

small and large pulla braided loaves

The dough can be made into a variety of shapes.  I love making braided loaves because I can make them small or large quite easily.

pulla ring

But one of the most often used shapes is the ring loaf.  As you can see, it looks fun and festive.  Pulla is usually brushed with egg wash (I use milk with this particular egg wash), and then sprinkled with sliced almonds and sugar before going into the oven.  I always use Swedish pearl sugar which is one of my favorite decorative sugars, especially for breads of various types.  

The end product is lightly sweet, has a mild aroma, a wonderful texture, and that taste of cardamom that is delicately present in every bite.  If you've never had a chance to try pulla, take the opportunity when it comes.  You won't be sorry.