Julekake - Norwegian Christmas Bread

Submitted by Molly53

"Christmas for people of Norwegian descent wouldn't be Christmas without sweet gjetost, havarti cheese, smoked fish and flatbrød accompanied by glögg; lefse and limpa bread or julekake, with butter, sugar, fresh lingonberry sauce and cloudberries and some combination of cookies like fattigman bakelse, krumkake, sandbakkels, rosettes, berlinerkranser. From the Minnesota Scandinavian chapter of the United States Regional Cookbook, Culinary Arts Institute of Chicago, 1947."

 

• Ready In: 4hrs
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 3 loaves

ingredients

• 2 compressed yeast cakes, softened in
• 1⁄4 cup water, lukewarm
• 1 pint milk
• 1 1 cup lard or 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 7 cups flour (more as needed)
• 1⁄2 lb raisins or 1/2 lb sultana
• 4 ounces citron, sliced

• Glaze

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk or 3 tablespoons water

directions

1. For the glaze: mix ingredients together and brush over bread before baking.
2. Soften yeast in water; add milk.
3. Blend in 3 cups of flour and beat until smooth.
4. Cream the shortening, sugar and salt toether; add to this the beaten eggs and cardamom.
5. Add to batter along with remaining flour.
6. Knead until smooth, adding more flour as necessary.
7. Dust fruit with a little flour and add to dough.
8. Cover and let rise until doubled; punch down and let rise again until doubled.
9. Divide dough into three portions and shape into loaves.
10. Place in greased bread pans and dust lightly with flour.
11. Cover and let rise until doubled.
12. Lightly brush tops of loaves with glaze.
13. Bake at 350F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden and done.
14. Remove from oven, cool briefly in pan, then turn out onto cooling rack.