Pulla Recipe

Name: Pulla
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 2 h 55 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Finnish
Ingredients: 500 g strong bread flour; 7 g instant yeast; 100 g caster sugar; 1 tsp salt; 2 tsp ground cardamom; 250 ml lukewarm milk; 1 egg; 100 g butter, softened; 1 egg, beaten, for glazing; 2 tbsp pearl sugar; 2 tbsp flaked almonds

Pulla

A Finnish braided cardamom coffee bread, soft and slightly sweet, risen for 90 minutes and baked for 25 minutes.

55 min prep and cooking plus 2 hr Rising 2 hr 55 min start to finish Serves 12 servings Medium

The Idea Behind Pulla

Do not bake pulla when you are in a hurry. It is the Finnish coffee bread, and like most good things it needs time to rise, twice. Pulla is the loaf you are given when you visit a Finnish home, sliced and buttered, with a cup of strong coffee, and its scent of cardamom is the taste of every Finnish childhood.

The dough is milk, yeast, sugar, egg, butter and ground cardamom, and the more butter you add, the softer the bread. Knead for 10 minutes, then leave it to rise for 90 minutes until doubled. Grind the cardamom seeds fresh, because they lose their fragrance as soon as they are ground. Divide into three, roll into ropes and braid, or make two small braids for neat slices.

Let the braid rise for 30 minutes on a lined tray. Brush with beaten egg and scatter with pearl sugar and flaked almonds. Bake at 200°C / 390°F for 25 minutes, until deep gold. Cool on a rack. The loaf is at its best on the day, but it can be sliced and frozen, and then toasted. Serve with butter and a good cup of coffee.

Pulla, Step by Step

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Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, cardamom, milk, egg and butter and knead for 10 minutes. Leave to rise for 90 minutes.
Divide into 3 and roll into 50 cm ropes. Braid and tuck the ends under on a lined tray. Leave for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Brush with the beaten egg and scatter with the pearl sugar and almonds.
Bake for 25 minutes until deep gold. Cool on a rack.

Notes for Getting It Right

Grind the cardamom fresh.
Let the braid rise before baking.
Serve with butter and coffee.

What to Serve with Pulla

Coffee
Butter
Tea

Storing & Reheating Pulla

Best fresh. Freeze sliced for 2 months.

Questions About Pulla

How long does Pulla take to make?

30 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking, plus 2 hours of Rising, so allow 2 hours 55 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 12.

Pulla Nutrition

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

286Calories

7gProtein

42gCarbs

10gFat

1gFibre

12gSugar

220mgSodium

Vegetarian

Pulla

Pulla, Step by Step

Notes for Getting It Right

What to Serve with Pulla

Storing & Reheating Pulla

Questions About Pulla

Pulla Nutrition

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Pulla, Step by Step

Notes for Getting It Right

What to Serve with Pulla

Storing & Reheating Pulla

Questions About Pulla

Pulla Nutrition

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

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