Cardamom Bread

Here is the problem with being a bit avante-garde in the kitchen:  when you make something once and it turns out beautifully, you may never be able to make it turn out that way again.  This situation doesn't totally apply to the recipe I am going to give you today, but there is one very important ingredient that the Resident Taste Tester and I believe I may have goofed unknowlingly the first time I made this bread, only to find the loaf lacking the second time I made it earlier this week.

Cardamom seems to be an acquired taste, a bit like anise (more on anise later.  What?  I'm half Italian, anise is bound to show up sooner or later!).  In fact, the first time I made this bread, I wasn't sure I liked it.  Neither was the Resident Taste Tester.

So we ate some.

And ate some.

And ate some more.

And in the end we both discovered that there is only one way to eat this bread - with a great big heaping spoonful of nutella slathered on top.  I'm telling you, it's a beautiful way to go.

Then I made it again, just this Tuesday, and that's when the trouble started.  I added a teaspoon of cardamom, just one teaspoon.  Cardamom is quite strong as spices go, so that was a good amount.

It wasn't enough.

Somehow, someway, we are 99% positive that the first time I made it, I misread the recipe and made it with a tablespoon of cardamom, not a teaspoon.  That would explain not only the lighter flavor, but the lighter color.  No wonder we didn't know if we liked it!  I wholeheartedly endorse using a tablespoon, but if you are unsure of whether or not you will like such a strong spice, by all means, use a teaspoon.

One final note.  It is very possible that there will not be much in the way of recipes going up for at least a few weeks.  For those of you living in your air conditioned offices and homes, it is a balmy 90 degrees out there with no signs of slowing.  And we, unlike all of you, have no air conditioner.  If you think you feel too hot to eat, just think how we feel.  In fact, it was 74 in the house this morning when we got up at 6:30.  It's 78 inside now.  So I hope you'll forgive me, but the recipes may be few and far between, at least until I figure out how to cook outside over an open fire.  Which may or may not be happening, depending on how desperate I get to eat something other than lunchmeat and grapes...

Cardamom Bread

This bread is actually meant to be made for Christmas in the shape of a wreath, but I found that it works just as well as two loaves.  I will include the wreath-making instructions just in case you would like to try it that way, but the pictures here are for the loaves, and the loaves only, since I have never tried it any other way.


1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon OR 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
2 packages active dry yeast
7(ish) cups of flour
1 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a mixer bowl, combine sugar, salt, cardamom, yeast, and 2 cups of the flour.  In a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, heat butter or margarine and milk until between 120 and 130 degrees.  Turn mixer onto a low speed and beat liquids into the dry ingredients.  Turn mixer speed to medium.  Reserve one egg white and add the rest of the eggs to the mixer bowl with the mixer at a lower speed.  Beat in almond extract and about 2 more cups of flour.  Use a wooden spoon to stir in approximately 2 more cups, or as much flour as you can handle.  Turn out and knead the dough on a well-floured surface, adding more flour until the dough is soft and elastic, perhaps even a little oily and does not stick to your hands.  Place the dough in a greased bowl and allow to rise.  The original recipe says that it takes an hour for the dough to double, but that is a lie.  When the house is 74 degrees and it takes 2 hours to double, there is no way that a shorter amount of time will do.  Go read a book.  Take a bike ride.  Lie in front of the fan and try not to pant.  You're going to wait a while.

Punch down the dough (the above picture should prove that this is my favorite part).  Turn out on a clean surface.  Grease two loaf pans.  Cut dough in half and shape into loaves.  Place in pans.  Allow to rise until doubled again, up to two hours.  Read another book.  Take another bike ride.  I'm sure you'll find something to do.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush loaves with reserved egg white.  Bake for 1 hour, covering with foil for the last 15 minutes.  The bread will still come out pretty dark on top, but do not be worried.  This is perfectly normal.

Instructions for wreath (beginning after the first paragraph break above):  Grease a large cookie sheet and the exterior of a 2 quart oven-safe bowl.  Invert the bowl onto the sheet.  Reserve a handful of dough.  Mix egg white with a dash of milk.  Roll the rest of the dough into a 30 inch rectangle.  Roll longways into a rope and curl it around the bowl on the cookie sheet.  Roll out the reserved dough and cut out holly leaves, then roll the scraps into balls.  Position the leaves and balls on the wreath like holly berries.  Affix them with the egg white and milk mixture.  Allows to rise until double.  Brush with egg white.  Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.