Yulekake - Norwegian Christmas Bread

Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (1 3/4 ounce) jar ground cardamom (fine powder, use 1/4 of the jar for this 2-loaf recipe)
• 1 cup chopped citron
• 1 1/2 cups golden raisins
• 1 1/2 cups regular raisins
• 5 cups boiling water (approximately)
• 2 (1/4 ounce) packages each dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups scalded 2% low-fat milk or 2 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup salted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 beaten eggs
• 8 cups flour
• 1 beaten egg, used to brush on top loaves before baking
• 2 tablespoons melted butter, to brush on top loaves after baking is complete

Recipe

• 1 in a heatproof bowl, put all raisins together and cover with approximately 5 cups of boiling water to soften. set aside.
• 2 mix the 2 packages of dry yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water. mix well and let sit.
• 3 boil 2 cups of milk until scalded. turn down heat to medium and add the 3/4 cup of butter until melted. remove from heat and set aside.
• 4 in a large bowl measure 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 of the container of cardamom. mix well.
• 5 add the two beaten eggs to the dry mixture. then add the milk/butter mixture. gradually add 6 of the 8 cups of flour and the dissolved yeast.
• 6 drain the raisins. add the raisins and citron to the mix. now add the remaining 2 cups of flour.
• 7 time to knead the bread! i use my heavy-duty mixer as it is easier on my hands and back. if manual knead, place dough on floured breadboard and knead completely.
• 8 once the bread is kneaded, place into a large pre-floured bowl and cover with a dish towel or cloth allowing it to rise for 1 hour.
• 9 after the dough has risen, cut it into two loaves. place each into a pre-greased, pre-floured baking loaf pan.
• 10 again, cover each loaf pan and allow to rise for another hour.
• 11 before placing the loaves into a pre-heated 300 degree oven, cut the top of each loaf with an x design, or a fancy cut design of your choice, and brush with 1 beaten egg.
• 12 bake the loaves for 45 minutes at 300 degrees. increase the heat to 325 degrees for the next 30-45 minutes (test after 30 minutes with a toothpick for doneness - make take longer, make take less depending on your oven temperature).
• 13 remove the loaves from the oven and brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
• 14 let loaves cool completely before removing from pans.
• 15 note: if you choose to omit the citron, which i do often, use 2 cups each of the golden and regular raisins instead.