Description
Beautiful, delicious, and easy; your friends will be impressed. I make this around the holidays, it makes awesome french toast, if there is any left over.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm whole milk (110 degrees F (43 degrees C))
- ⅓ cup warm water (110 degrees F (43 degrees C))
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cardamom
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup melted butter
- ½ cup raisins (Optional)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (Optional)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup pearl sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together the warm milk
- warm water
- sugar
- and 2 tablespoons melted butter in a mixing bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over top
- and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Once the yeast is foamy
- stir in the flour
- adding more if needed to make a stiff dough. When the dough has pulled together
- turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic
- about 8 minutes. Place into an oiled bowl
- cover with a cloth
- and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk
- about 1 hour.
- Combine 1/2 cup sugar with the cardamom and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 9×13-inch rectangle
- and brush with 1/2 cup of melted butter. Sprinkle with the cardamom sugar
- raisins
- and walnuts. Roll into a log
- pinch the edges closed
- and place onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover with a cloth
- and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk
- about 1 hour.
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- With a sharp knife score the top layer of the roll with V-shapes that don’t quite meet in the middle the whole length of the roll
- this will make the bread look braided
- and is very pretty
- but could be skipped. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash over the top of the bread. Sprinkle with almonds and pearl sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the bread is golden-brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom
- 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 4 hrs
Servings: 10