Cardamom Bread

Cardamom bread--one of our favorites! It is simple to make & delicious to eat! If I were to add candied fruits and glaze the top of each loaf with a white frosting, it would be called "Julekake" (a Scandinavian Christmas bread). I typically do not add candied fruit (blech!). I add either golden raisins or currants--however, you don't need to add raisins or currants either.  This bread is delicious with a slathering of butter and especially good with Norwegian goat cheese (Gjetost--I prefer the "Ski Queen" brand) . This bread  makes for a great sandwich as well. I make the dough in my bread machine using the dough cycle. *Sorry for the poor quality photo--I used my cell phone camera because I was too lazy to walk upstairs to get my camera.

Speaking of bread machines (we were--weren't we?), THE best bread machine I've ever owned is made by Zojirushi. The pictures above are of the newer models. They make & bake a very nice 2 lb loaf of bread and the dough cycle is simply wonderful. I admit to using the dough cycle more frequently than I do the bread cycle--but both work beautifully!The other nice thing about this machine is that it bakes "normal" looking loaves of bread. I remember my former (cheaper) machines making tall loaves of bread and this always seemed so wrong to me. Yes, the Zojirushi is pricier than the machines that make those goofy looking loaves of bread--but this machine is a total work horse that makes wonderfully delicious breads. It's in a whole different league and is worth every extra dollar you spend!

Speaking of bread flour (Oh, we weren't? My apologies.) I favor the King Arthur brand. I have found that my bread & roll doughs have a higher rise and, in return, I am rewarded with a beautiful loaf of bread or pan of rolls. This is my staple bread flour. I honestly have never used any other flour quite as consistent and reliable as King Arthur bread flour. Wow. I'm starting to sound like a commercial/advertisement for King Arthur.

Guess what I'll be making more of on this beautiful (cold!) snowy day.....


Here is my bread machine recipe for Cardamom Bread:


Cardamom Bread 
(Using the dough cycle on your bread machine)


1 cup milk, warmed to 100 degrees f
1 egg
3 cups bread flour (preferably King Arthur brand)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cardamom (make sure it's fresh for optimal flavor)
4 TBSP butter, cut up
2 1/2 tsp. bread machine yeast
2/3 cup raisins or currants (dust with a little flour so that they won't stick or clump together)
*2/3 cup candied fruits or sliced citron *optional ingredients


Add ingredients to your bread machine in the order they are listed. Do not add the raisins, currants or candied fruits until your bread machine cycle alerts you (usually a series of beeps).


When dough is ready, divide it in half and shape into 2 loafs on a large good quality baking/cookie sheet (I usually spray the cookie sheet with Pam). Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for approximately 30 minutes. You want the top of the loaves to be a medium brown. Remove from oven and transfer to bread rack to cool. While fresh (as in hot) from the oven, take a stick of butter and rub over the top of each loaf. Enjoy!