Finnish Coffee Bread (cardomom Bread)

If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

C.S. Lewis

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Eggs	Finnish	Breads	1	Servings

INGREDIENTS

2		Active Dry Yeast
2	c	Warm Water
1		Egg, room temperature
6	c	Up To 7 Flour sifted
1/2	t	Ground Cardamom
1/3	c	Sugar
2	t	Salt
1/4	c	Soft Butter Or Shortening
		Thin Confectioners' Sugar
		Icing

INSTRUCTIONS

Sprinkle yeast on warm water; stir to dissolve. Blend in egg, 3 cups
flour, cardomom, sugar and salt. Beat with mixer at medium speed  about
2 minutes until batter is smooth. Add butter and enough  remaining
flour, a little at a time, first with spoon and then with  hand, to
make a fairly soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl.  Turn onto
lightly floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic,  about 8
minutes. Place in greased bowl and turn dough over to grease  top.
Cover and let rise in warm place til doubled, about 1 hour.  Punch down
dough, turn over, cover and let rest 10 minutes. Turn out  onto board;
divide in half. Cut each half into 3 equal parts. Roll  each part under
hand to make a strip 11 to 12 inches long. Braid 3  strips, starting
from the center and braiding to each end, pinching  ends to seal. Place
in greased loaf pan. Repeat with remaining three  strips. Cover and let
rise in warm place until doubled, about 45  minutes. Bake in hot oven
(400 degrees) 40 to 50 minutes, covering  with sheet of foil during
last 15 minutes to prevent browning too  much. Remove from pans and
place on wire cooling racks. After loaves  are slightly cooked, brush
with confectioners' icing. Makes 2 loaves  Finnish Bread Variation -
Round loaves  Turn risen dough onto board; divide into 2 parts. Shape
into 2 loaves  and place in 2 greased 9" round layer cake pans. Make 3
or 4 slashes  on tops of loaves with very sharp knife. Cover, let rise
until  doubled; bake and cool like Finnish coffee bread. Omit icing.
Makes 2  round loaves.  NOTES : May be made in regular bread loaf pans
too. Makes awesome  toast! Posted to recipelu-digest Volume 01 Number
350 by James and  Susan Kirkland <kirkland@gj.net> on Dec 08, 1997

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