Finnish Pulla

My mother is an awesome Finnish Pulla baker, and I thought I'd document. She has made this hundreds of times, from this ancient cookbook.

Here is the English translation

Sugar 1 cup

1 ½ tsp Salt

Yeast 1 tbsp

Milk 500 cc (=2 cups)

Butter 250 g (this works out to 1.08 cups- 1 cup of butter is 227 g)

Flour 3 L (=12 1/2 cups)

Raisins ~ ½ cup

3 tsp Ground cardamom (she says make sure it's ground, not powdered) 

1. Put 1 full tbsp sugar and 1 full tbsp yeast into 1/3 cup warm tap water, and wait for 5 minutes or more for it to dissolve and foam up

2. crack 2 eggs into mixmaster bowl fitted with the dough hook. Put 3 full tsp ground cardamom on eggs and beat together a little.

3. Heat up 500 cc milk with sugar, 1 ½ tsp salt to 35 celcius- warm to touch. Pour over eggs and beat together with hand whisk (Mixer turned off, bowl down).

4. Using the dough hook of  a Kitchen Aid mixer,  mix in about 2 L flour, start with 1.5 L. Melt 250 g (1.08 cups) butter in a microwave and add to mixing bowl. Keep adding flour until 2-3 L total - until the dough holds together and comes off the sides of the bowl, and doesn’t stick to your fingers at all when touched. Smooth and elastic. Kneads a long time to become whole and elastic.

5. Fill stockpot with very warm water and put mixer bowl into bath, cover with a tea towel and allow 1 hour at least to rise.

6. when the dough rises over the top of the mixer bowl,, spread counter top with a little flour, turn out dough and knead into long log. Cut into 6 pieces. Roll out each piece, flatten and can at this point sprinkle with raisins (not too much- use enough to see between the raisins). Close dough over top the raisins, knead into long ropes. Cross 2 ropes over each other, crossing over each long strand until a braid is formed. When dough is into braids, place on a baking sheet, cover with a clean tea towel, and allow to rise.

7. brush generously with a beaten egg, and sprinkle with pearl sugar if you want them decorated as they are below. Bake 350 for 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting.