Taste and See: Swedish cardamom bread…
in honor of Alyce
From the time I was small, I knew that cardamom bread and grandparents visiting were synonymous, rolling two wonderful things into one. Mormor would arrive with her beautifully scented bread; a sponge enabling me to drink coffee by the time I was four. How marvelous for a child to sit at the table catching bits of adult conversation while dipping slices of cardamom bread into a cup of creamy coffee. Wide-eyed, I once overheard my food-scientist father say that men who ground cardamom seeds in a spice factory could only do so for an hour, or they would become light-headed and loopy. I was amazed and determined to eat as much as my mother would allow.
As a newlywed, my love of cardamom bread only increased. My husband Eric and I became neighbors to Jim and Alyce Hawkinson in the North Park neighborhood of Chicago. What a pleasure to be welcomed into Jim and Alyce’s home, and especially Alyce’s kitchen, where the heady fragrance of cardamom rose from the oven. While my grandmother was my first baking teacher and studies in Sweden expanded my knowledge, Alyce was the baker who cemented my appreciation of cardamom bread and my passion for hospitality. I will always be grateful for suppers around the Hawkinson table. Alyce understood that the table was where we connected — sharing ideas, books, silly jokes, old stories, questions, joys and struggles. She was a people-gatherer and a natural encourager. I often left with new thoughts to ponder and a recipe in my hand. Both were treasures to be valued for years to come.
Alyce also encouraged me with her “can do” attitude. Nothing seemed too difficult for her. As a prolific baker she made hundreds of loaves of cardamom bread in a regular home oven, wrapping each one and freezing it for a special event. She also knew the persuasive power of cardamom bread. A neatly wrapped loaf set on top of extra-full garbage cans guaranteed all trash would be removed without question. And those Chicago garbage collectors were not the least bit Scandinavian; they just knew great bread when they tasted it.
Alyce’s clever example taught me to bake cardamom bread for anyone, regardless of a person’s heritage. She was right; my loaves have delighted neighbors from Trinidad, Korea, Virginia, Mexico and Romania. And of course, our Scandinavian friends would eat it out of an old shoe. At our house we call cardamom bread the answer to world peace. And why not? It seems unfathomable to sit with another human being to share a fresh loaf, and perhaps a hunk of cheese, and not feel love, warmth and a clear sense that breaking bread together is a good thing.
Of course, Alyce served many more dishes than simple cardamom bread, but she is lovingly known for her perfectly formed loaves that were as beautiful as her generous heart and her welcoming smile. Gladly, I will bake and remember Alyce, a dear friend who loved us around the table and through the bread she placed upon it.
Swedish cardamom bread
(with almond paste and cinnamon; my addition)
yield 4 good sized loaves
2 packages active dry yeast
¼ cup lukewarm water
2 cups milk
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into about eight pieces
1 cup sugar (scant)
2 t. salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 T. freshly ground cardamom*
8 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra to roll the dough
To finish bread:
pearl sugar
egg white
6 oz. almond paste
cinnamon sugar, heavy on the cinnamon
In a saucepan, scald milk; remove from heat. Add butter chunks to the milk and set aside. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. When the milk mixture is lukewarm add it to the yeast. Stir in eggs, sugar, salt and cardamom. Add half of the flour. Stir until smooth. Continue adding the rest of the flour a handful at a time, stirring after each addition, until the dough is difficult to stir. Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured surface, to create an elastic, glossy dough, that springs back when pressed with your finger. Place dough into a buttered bowl and flip it over. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in a slightly warm place. Allow dough to double in size.
Gently deflate dough and divide into four pieces.
Roll one piece of the dough into a 12x16-inch rectangle, using a minimal sprinkling of flour on the board and rolling pin, to prevent sticking. With the long side of the dough in front of you horizontally, grate 1½ oz. almond paste over the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, avoiding a half-inch at the top edge. Starting with the edge closest to you, roll dough, jelly-roll style and seal closed. Place dough on a parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down.
Using a scissor, clip dough every ¾ of an inch and twist each section to opposing sides, forming an even loaf. Repeat with the other pieces of dough, placing two loaves on a baking sheet. Allow loaves to rise for about 45 minutes as the oven preheats to 365º F.
Gently brush loaves with egg white and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake for 18 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown.
Cardamom buns
Yield 48 buns
One recipe of cardamom dough
plus:
¼ cup butter, soft
3 T. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
egg white
pearl sugar
Stir butter, sugar and cinnamon together, forming a smooth paste. Roll one quarter of the dough into a 12x16-inch rectangle with the long edge closest to you. Spread cinnamon paste over the bottom half of the dough. Fold top half of dough over the cinnamon-paste covered half. Using a pizza wheel cut dough into twelve even strips, cutting through the folded edge. Next slit each strip in half lengthwise, from the edge closet to you and up to, but not through, the fold. Twist the two “legs” of each strip around each other and settle into a little bun, tucking the legs underneath. Place one dozen buns on each baking sheet, evenly spaced. Repeat with the remainder of the dough.
Allow buns to rise for about 40 minutes. Bake at 365º F. for 12-15 minutes or until buns are golden brown.
* Cardamom is best when it is freshly ground. Buy it in seed form, removed from the shells and grind with a mortar and pestle or in a clean coffee grinder.
Use immediately.