Name: Pulla
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Ingredients: 1kg all purpose flour; 2 1/2 cups milk, warm; 4 1/2 tsp yeast; 1 cup butter, melted; 1/2 cup butter, cold and cubed; 1 1/2 cups sugar; 2 eggs; 1/2 tbsp salt; 1 vanilla bean; 3 tbsp cardamom

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Pulla is a traditional Finnish cardamom sweet bread that is served with coffee and on special occasions. The bread is usually braided or made into buns, and then topped with butter and sugar, almond slivers, or coarse sugar. This recipe is for voisilmäpulla, my favorite version of this amazing bread, which is buns with a “butter eye” in the middle!

What are the health benefits of cardamom?

Not only is cardamom delicious, it also fights against cancer and tumors! In a study done on mice, researchers exposed them to chemicals that cause cancer. After 3 months, only 29% of the group that ate cardamom developed cancer compared to the 90% of the control group. Research done on human cells had similar results - cardamom stopped oral cancer cells from multiplying in a test tube. While studies have not been done on actual humans yet, the research that was done on mice and in test tubes is promising.

more about cardamom health benefits

How to make pulla?

Now let’s get back to what you came here for - pulla! To begin the recipe sprinkle yeast on top of the warm milk, stir and let sit for 5 minutes or until foaming. Then place the milk mixture in a large bowl, add 1 egg, vanilla, cardamom, salt, 1 cup sugar, and half of the flour. Knead until well combined and then mix in rest of the flour and melted butter. Keep kneading until dough is smooth. Then cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, then roll it into logs. Cut the logs into 110g pieces (about the size of your palm) and roll them into little balls. Place the balls on the cookie sheets and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425f. Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush the buns with it. Then gently push in 1cm x 1cm cube of cold butter in the middle of each bun and sprinkle about 1/2-1 tbsp of sugar on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Tips

For a neat presentation, tuck the bottom sides towards the center on the bottom until the dough ball is smooth. Then, place the bottom against a countertop and gently massage with your palm until you have a neat and tight dough ball.
Brush with the dough balls with egg wash, then push a cold butter cube in the center and sprinkle with desired amount of sugar (1-2 tablespoons).