This month’s bread in “We Knead to Bake” group was Julekake. It is a Norwegian Cardamom scented Christmas bread. I was so excited when Aparna posted the recipe in the beginning of the month. I always wanted to try a bread with dried fruits, it reminds of the bread I used to eat when I was a kid. Also, everyone keeps talking about Christmas breads/cakes during this season. I thought I would bake this soon and post the recipe on time (24th ie). But that never happened. It is winter here and kids started falling sick one after the other in loop. I am having hard time just keeping up with everyday food. Then finally I baked this last week. It was an instant hit. Even my 8 month old tried few pieces and loved it.
Pictorial: Make the dough. Add the dry fruits to the dough. Let it rise again. Shape the dough and make the egg wash. Brush the egg wash on the bread and spread almonds. Bake the bread.
Julekake (Norwegian Cardamom Scented Christmas Bread)
Ingredients
- 2 tea spn active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
- 1 egg
- 50 gm 3 and 1/2 tbl spn butter, soft at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 to 5 pods cardamom powdered
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup mixed candied fruit or peel I used dried papaya and dried pineapple
- 1/4 cup golden or dark raisins
Glaze
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 tbsp milk
- Chopped almonds
Instructions
- Take the lukewarm water, 1 tbl spn (from 1/4 cup) sugar and add yeast to it.
- Keep it aside till the yeast becomes active (frothy).
- Add remaining milk, sugar, egg, butter, salt and mix it well.
- Now add powdered cardamom, flour and knead till a smooth dough is formed.
- Knead for some time to get a elastic dough.
- Spread the dough on a flat surface and sprinkle the fruits and raisins on it.
- Roll the dough and knead lightly so that the fruits are spread across the dough.
- Brush a big bowl with some oil and keep the dough in it.
- Cover with a wet cloth and leave it aside till it doubles in volume (about 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours)
- Lightly deflate the dough and shape it into a ball.
- Keep on a oiled baking sheet (or a baking pan like I did) and leave it aside for another 45mins.
- Preheat the oven at 350F for 10mins.
- Lightly beat the egg with milk. Brush this mixture on the dough.
- Spread the almonds on top of dough.
- Bake for about 30mins or till bread is golden brown, cover the bread with a foil if it is browning too fast.
- Cool the bread completely before cutting it.
Julekake (Norwegian Cardamom Scented Christmas Bread)
Ingredients
- 2 tea spn active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
- 1 egg
- 50 gm 3 and 1/2 tbl spn butter, soft at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 to 5 pods cardamom powdered
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup mixed candied fruit or peel I used dried papaya and dried pineapple
- 1/4 cup golden or dark raisins
Glaze
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 tbsp milk
- Chopped almonds
Instructions
- Take the lukewarm water, 1 tbl spn (from 1/4 cup) sugar and add yeast to it.
- Keep it aside till the yeast becomes active (frothy).
- Add remaining milk, sugar, egg, butter, salt and mix it well.
- Now add powdered cardamom, flour and knead till a smooth dough is formed.
- Knead for some time to get a elastic dough.
- Spread the dough on a flat surface and sprinkle the fruits and raisins on it.
- Roll the dough and knead lightly so that the fruits are spread across the dough.
- Brush a big bowl with some oil and keep the dough in it.
- Cover with a wet cloth and leave it aside till it doubles in volume (about 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours)
- Lightly deflate the dough and shape it into a ball.
- Keep on a oiled baking sheet (or a baking pan like I did) and leave it aside for another 45mins.
- Preheat the oven at 350F for 10mins.
- Lightly beat the egg with milk. Brush this mixture on the dough.
- Spread the almonds on top of dough.
- Bake for about 30mins or till bread is golden brown, cover the bread with a foil if it is browning too fast.
- Cool the bread completely before cutting it.
Living in Kansas for more than 9 years now, we have made some very close friends. We feel it is such a blessing when we are so far away from family. One of our friends invited us for dinner during Thanksgiving holidays. I was supposed to take a dish, but I had no energy to make anything that day. So my friend prepared the whole dinner. The dish that I loved most was a eggs in coriander leaves curry. I remember I had tasted a similar curry sometime before, but don’t know where. She shared her recipe with me. I tried it at home with few changes and we loved it.
Pictorial: Boil eggs and cut them into half. Make the spice paste. Fry onion and add the ground paste. Make the wheat flour paste. Add eggs tomatoes and the wheat flour paste to the curry.
Eggs in Green Curry
Ingredients
- 5 boiled eggs
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 4-5 cloves
- 2 green chillies
- 2 " cinnamon
- 1 tea spn chopped garlic
- 1 tea spn chopped ginger
- 1/2 cup tomatoes optional
- 1 tbl spn wheat flour mixed with little water
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves use all thick stems and leaves
- Oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Heat a little oil and add cloves,cinnamon.
- When they are fried, add 1/2 cup onion and fry till they are translucent.
- Grind the onions with coriander leaves, ginger, garlic, green chillies and 1/4 cup tomatoes.
- Heat little oil and add remaining onions, fry till translucent.
- Add the ground paste, enough water to bring to required consistency.
- Slowly slide in the halved boiled eggs, remaining tomatoes, salt.
- Now add the wheat flour mixed in water and carefully mix, taking care not to break the eggs.
- Cook till the gravy starts boiling.
- Serve hot with chapati or rice.
