Thank you so much for a smaller (1 loaf instead of 3) and quick version of my great-great-aunt's "Vetebrod" (umlout omitted, as I don't know how to type it )! To keep the temperature consistant for the dough to rise, I've found that if you turn on the oven to 400 degrees for 1 minute, then turn it off and put the bread in immediately (covered with a clean, lint free cloth) and allow it to sit for 1 hour. It keeps the temp more consistant in my draftly kitchen. :) I think the crust was a little tougher than normal this way (but still good) and I had to add a little flour during the knead cycle to keep it from sticking to the sides of the bread machine. If you can't find pearl sugar, regular granulated works well. A quick heads up for anyone who has not purchased Cardamom before - it's expensive and can be difficult to find. Only one local store here (it's a small town) carries it ground (Spice Islands) at $11.99 for a jar. Keep in mind that ground loses it's potency once opened, so keep the jar TIGHTLY closed for it's next use. Thanks again for the recipe!!
this bread is absolutely wonderful!! I added a bit of cinnamon with the cardamon & used brown sugar instead of pearl. it was AMAZING!!
For flavor I give this 5 stars but for it actually turned out I'd give it 4 but I gave it 5 because I think it was my error more than anything. Not as light and fluffy as I would like. The bread ended up being more dense. I don't think I gave it enough time to rise though. I don't really make bread so an estimated rising time for this recipe would have been nice. I also overcooked it a bit so the bottom and top were hard and very brown. My errors. May take less time than stated. I think this is the perfect amount of cardamom. You need to like the taste to really enjoy this bread! I added about a teaspoon of cinnamon on top of the cardamom since I enjoy those flavors together. As for the pearl sugar. That is very Swedish and does go with the bread. You can find it decently priced at Ikea in their food market. I also love cardamom bread with just granulated sugar on top granulated sugar and cinnamon together or a light icing made with powdered sugar milk a little butter and almond extract. Sprinkle shaved almonds on top. Mmmmm... Now that is a treat! So if you don't have pearl sugar on hand one of those toppings will work!
I don't have a bread machine any longer so I started by activating the yeast with the milk very warmed and then added the wet ingredients then the dry. It came out great! Don't worry if your dough strands are uneven when braiding- you won't notice after it rises and bakes! Just great!
Finally...an easy to use recipe that makes a cardamom braid just like my mother used to make. I'm just baking my sixth one for Xmas treats for my children.
Giving it a 5 because the recipe itself is perfect. I don't think I'm a huge cardamom fan though so the flavor isn't all that pleasing to me. The texture/bread is perfect though; I might replace some (or all) of the cardamom with cinnamon next time. (I also used brown sugar on top and it came out great.)
My Swedish mother in law approves of this recipe so that in itself says a lot! Please note that it is important to use fresh cardamom -NOT a bottle that has been in your spice rack for a while. The second time I made the recipe I used the same cardamon I had used the previous Christmas and it was not as flavorful. I went out and bought a new bottle at a gourmet spice shop and it was WONDERFUL.
I've been looking for a cardamom bread recipe for a while and thought this was going to be it. I'm not sure what happened but this is not what I was expecting. I found 3 tsp of cardamom to be way too strong (there's a reason most other recipes call for 1/2 - 1 tsp) for this small loaf and the pearl sugar is too coarse for a topping. I'm a fan of spice but it was just overpowering and not at all like a bread but more of a dense spice cake.
My dad was from Sweden. His mom my grandmother didn't even speak English only Swedish and she lived with us my whole life. She made this bread a LOT and I miss it! This recipe was perfect. Note to other reviewers: it is CARDAMOM bread. It is supposed to taste like cardamom! Also pearl sugar is the traditional topping. You don't mess with tradition!
