YULEKAKE - NORWEGIAN CHRISTMAS BREAD

Yulekake - Norwegian Christmas Bread image

This recipe has been in my husband's Norweigan side of the family for generations. It was passed on from his great grandmother to his grandmother and so on. I noticed two recipes already posted in Recipezaar (julekake), but this one is prepared a bit different. It's a very dry fruit bread. Definitely used for dunking in your coffee or slathered with butter. I am not a big fan of it, but I make it at Christmastime for my husband as he adores it.

Provided by Lulu 280529

Time 4h30m

Yield 2 loaves, 24-30 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 15

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

Steps:

in a heatproof bowl, put all raisins together and cover with approximately 5 cups of boiling water to soften. set aside.
mix the 2 packages of dry yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water. mix well and let sit.
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.
in a large bowl measure 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 of the container of cardamom. mix well.
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.
drain the raisins. add the raisins and citron to the mix. now add the remaining 2 cups of flour.
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.
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.
after the dough has risen, cut it into two loaves. place each into a pre-greased, pre-floured baking loaf pan.
again, cover each loaf pan and allow to rise for another hour.
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.
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).
remove the loaves from the oven and brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
let loaves cool completely before removing from pans.
note: if you choose to omit the citron, which i do often, use 2 cups each of the golden and regular raisins instead.