per your request

a couple of you have asked that i post the recipe for the cardamom bread that david and i made last weekend. so, without further ado, i bring you . . .

cardamom coffee cake braids
from the kitchen of les c.

2 packages dry yeast, dissolved in ½ cup warm water
1 ½ cups warm water
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 eggs, well beaten
½ cup melted butter, cooled to lukewarm
1 teaspoons ground cardamom, or 25 pods, finely crushed*
6 - 6 ½ cups flour
¾ cup instant non-fat dry milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons cinnamon

dissolve the dry yeast in ½ cup warm water. let sit for five minutes or until yeast bubbles. put the 1 ½ cups warm water in a large mixing bowl. stir in ¾ cups sugar, salt, eggs, and dissolved yeast. add ½ cup of the flour. then stir in the cooled melted butter. mix the dry milk and cardamom with 2 cups of the flour and add, mixing very well. add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

knead** until smooth, adding small amounts of flour as needed. place in large, greased bowl. cover and let rise in warm place until doubled. punch down and let rise until nearly doubled. divide into four parts. cut each part into three sections. roll each section to elongate and braid after placing on greased baking sheet. brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Let rise about 30 to 40 minutes or until light. Bake at 350° until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Makes 4 braids.

* after tasting the final product, it became clear that the amount of cardamom could have been doubled. this will depend on your own personal taste, of course.
** we used our mixer to do all of the mixing and kneading, but it was brought to my attention--by les himself--that kneading it by hand may produce a lighter, fluffier coffee cake. just an observation.

as my swedish friend magnus would say, "enyoy!"