The Best Norwegian Christmas Bread With Cardamom (Julekake)
Norwegian Christmas bread is soft but with a firm crumb, earthy spiced, and with a delicious top crust. It is shaped into a rustic ball and egg-washed before baking to give it a soft shine and sprinkled with coarse sugar.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of scaled milk
- 6-6 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter one stick at room temperature
- 1/4 cup of coconut oil solid at room temperature
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups total of dried raisins and cranberries
- Yeast mixture - 3 teaspoons of active dry yeast mixed into 1/3 cup of warm water less than 100 degrees
- Topping - Egg wash of one egg beaten with two teaspoons of water. Sprinkle top with turbinado or larger cane sugar.
Instructions
- Scald the milk - measure out the milk into a saucepan and heat to a temperature of 180 degrees F (not boiling). Remove from heat and let cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Make the yeast mixture - in a small bowl or cup sprinkle yeast onto 1/3 cup of lukewarm water and mix.
- In the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and coconut oil until combined.
- Add in the warm milk (less than 110 or you'll kill the yeast), the yeast mixture, cardamom, cinnamon, and three (3) cups of flour. Beat for one minute.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment and add in the egg, turn the machine to medium and add one cup of flour at a time. Watch the bread dough come together and pull from the sides when it is ready. Add in the raisins and cranberries. Let the mixer knead the dough for 6-8 minutes.
- After the 8 minutes, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for a minute to feel its consistency. It should be a soft dough that comes together to form a tight ball.
- Place dough into a large bowl (greased bowl) and cover it with plastic wrap (or a shower cap like me) and a tea towel. Set the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until almost doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and turn it out onto the counter. Form dough into a tight round ball again (or whatever shape you want) and set it on a prepared baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover with a towel and let rest for 40 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top of the dough with an eggwash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then cover the top very loosely with aluminum foil to prevent the top from burning. Continue baking for another 20-25 minutes. (50-55 minutes total)
- Check the temperature with a digital thermometer and when the bread reaches 190 degrees F it is done.
- Set it on a cooling rack and cool completely before cutting. Enjoy!
Notes
Bread flour is okay to substitute for all-purpose flour.
Add more cardamom or cinnamon if you like. Also, try nutmeg or allspice!
For the salt, I use fine ground pink sea salt.
Substitutes for sugar would be brown sugar for a rich flavor or monk fruit sweetener for a lower-carb option.
The amount of flour you add will depend on temperature and climate. The sweet spot is somewhere between 6-6 1/2 cups
You can knead the dough by hand. Knead until the dough comes together and springs back lightly when touched.
Turbinado sugar or large cane sugar gives the top of the bread a sweetened flavor and a slightly crisp texture. Don't skip this step!