Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (2024)

By: Krista Bjorn

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (1)

Growing up in a Scandinavian family introduced me to the pleasures of coffee breaks with relatives and guests, always accompanied by homemade sweet breads, cakes, or cookies. Now in my own home, I love making a Swedish cardamom bread to accompany our morning coffee and tea breaks, and this is the best cardamom bread recipe I've made thus far.

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (2)

Sweet, Spicy, and Swedish

Known as Vetebröd in Sweden, cardamom bread is a beautiful golden braided sweet bread sprinkled with raw sugar or sliced almonds, or drizzled with a simple icing.
While it is traditionally served with coffee, cardamom bread is equally good when paired with a cardamom vanilla crème tea like our Vanilla Latte Tea. It's also great served with Swedish glogg, a marvelous hot drink made of equal parts port wine, whiskey, and rum that is sweetened with sugar and mulled with spices, fruit, and nuts, then served in a glass with a portion of boozy nuts and fruit to spoon up when you get to the bottom. It's a wonderfully decadent thing to serve with warm slices of cardamom bread.
This gorgeous loaf of bread is sheer pleasure to make. When spring rains keeps you indoors, pull out your favorite big mixing bowl, and within a few hours you'll have a fragrant loaf so pretty you'd swear you picked it up at the local Swedish bakery. It's definitely a loaf you'll be proud of.

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (3)

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe

Cardamom is the shining light of this Swedish sweet bread. While pre-ground cardamom works fine in this recipe, grinding whole cardamom pods into powder just before you need it will take this already wonderful loaf into something exquisitely fragrant and full of flavor.
The sweetness of this loaf is adjustable to your preference, and I use between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup sugar to achieve the right balance of sweetness that really highlights the cardamom flavoring. I often exchange brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup for white sugar, but in this instance, the best cardamom bread recipe really is best with plain white sugar.
You could use oil for this cardamom bread, but melted butter is by far the better choice, adding richness and a distinctive butter flavor that is absolutely vital.
The other distinctive aspect of this loaf is its beautifully golden crust that glistens in the light. Once you've braided the dough, simply brush it with a wash of beaten egg and water, set it to rise once more, pop it in the oven, and when you pull that beauty out 30 minutes later, you'll be amazed at the rich, golden crust.
Be sure to cool your loaf for a few minutes before slicing, then cut into thick slices and slather with cold butter before serving with a hot cup of tea or strong coffee.
It also makes great breakfast toast, or a truly decadent version of French Toast when you dip thick slices in the traditional egg and milk mixture spiced with freshly ground cardamom instead of cinnamon.

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (4)


Best Cardamom Bread Recipe


Ingredients:

  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 1/4 cup white sugar (use 1/3 cup if you want the bread sweeter)
  • 2 rounded teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted and set aside
  • 1 egg (for egg wash)
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • Raw sugar for topping

Directions:
In large mixing bowl, stir together warm milk and sugar. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let stand 5 minutes.
Stir in 2 cups flour, eggs, ground cardamom, and salt and mix until smooth.
Stir in butter and mix until smooth.
Sprinkle 1 cup flour over dough, and knead. Add more remaining flour as needed until dough can be easily handled and doesn't stick to hands.
Mold dough into ball, place in bowl, and cover with a damp dish towel. Leave for 1 1/2 hours until doubled.
Punch down dough, divide into three pieces, and roll into 3 equal ropes about 20 inches long.
Braid the strands, tucking ends under, and place on baking paper-lined baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and water, sprinkle with raw sugar, and set aside to rise in warm, draft-free place about 40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375.
Place bread in oven and bake 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
Remove to baking rack and cool 5-10 minutes until ready to slice and eat.

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (5)

Krista Bjorn

Canadian born Krista Bjorn has been traveling and exploring for over 20 years and loves every crazy, embarrassing, and wonderful moment. She's lived in Russia and Portugal and now makes her home in beautiful Queensland, Australia, saving her pennies for her next trip. Her food, photography and travel blog is Rambling Tart.

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Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you put cardamom in bread? ›

In stand mixer bowl, add 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, salt and cardamom; mix well. In saucepan or microwave-safe dish, heat milk, water to 120-130°F. Add warm milk/water and butter to flour mixture. Blend with paddle attachment on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on medium speed for 4 minutes..

Where did cardamom bread originate? ›

Finland, Sweden

What is the traditional bread of Sweden? ›

Limpa is a traditional Swedish bread made with rye and wheat flour. It is a sweetened with syrup, and flavored with a combination of 2-3 spices; caraway, fennel and anis. If you grew up in Sweden the chances are this was the to go loaf of bread at home.

What is the difference between Pulla and Nisu? ›

“It's English. This bread is pulla.” Some American Finns still call it nisu, which stems back to the old Finnish word for wheat. Wheat was such a precious commodity in the Scandinavian countries that it was only used to make fancy breads and cakes for the holidays.

Does cardamom affect yeast? ›

Cinnamon - Increases yeast activity in small amounts; retards yeast in larger amounts. Cardamom - Increases yeast activity.

What does cardamom do in baking? ›

Many Indian and Indian-inspired dishes call for cardamom, including curry dishes, Kheer (Indian rice pudding), and chai. Indian spice blends such as garam masala also feature cardamom. You'll also find cardamom adds warmth and depth to baked goods such as cookies, bread pudding, and even cheesecake.

Why do Swedes love cardamom? ›

Culinary archaeologist Daniel Serra, who co-wrote the book An Early Meal – a Viking Age Cookbook and Culinary Odyssey, believes that cardamom first became of interest in Scandinavia in the 13th Century for both its medicinal and culinary use, as documented in the old cookbook Libellus de Arte Coquinaria.

What culture uses cardamom the most? ›

Today cardamom is cultivated in Sri Lanka and Guatemala in addition to India and is the third most costly spice globally, after saffron and vanilla. Outside of India, it's primarily used in Arab, Iranian, and North African cuisines, tracing spice trade routes that connected these areas in ancient times.

Which country uses cardamom the most? ›

However, some 95% of cardamom produced in India is for domestic purposes, and India is itself by far the most important consuming country for cardamoms in the world. India also imports cardamom from Sri Lanka.

What bread do Norwegians eat? ›

She points out that even though Norwegians like to try out new trends, we often go back to what we know and love: healthy and nutritious 'everyday bread' filled with grain. In addition to our beloved grovbrød (wholegrain bread), we also eat a lot of kneippbrød, landbrød (country bread) and rye bread.

What is Sweden breakfast? ›

On your Sweden holiday, you can experience the many wonders of the Scandinavian breakfast selection which is a feast of breads, pastries, cheese, boiled eggs, and muesli.

What is Germany known for bread? ›

Pumpernickel, a steamed, sweet-tasting bread, is internationally well known, although not representative of German black bread as a whole. Most German breads are made with sourdough. Whole grain is also preferred for high fiber.

Who invented cardamom bun? ›

The Origin of Cardamom in Sweden

During the Middle Ages, traders brought spices from the East to Sweden, and cardamom was one of them. Over time, cardamom became a staple in Swedish baking and cooking, especially in sweet dishes like these buns.

What is Finnish famous bread? ›

Different regions of Finland developed their own slightly different versions of the rye bread, but without any doubt, this is the most famous and beloved type of bread all over the country. In 2017, Finland is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and rye bread was voted the country's national food!

What is the traditional bread of Finland? ›

Traditional Eastern Finnish rye bread is called limppu. The closest translation to English would be "loaf" (although limppu is always round and bulbous, while rectangular loaves are available). This bread is dark, sour in taste, dense, heavy and comparatively dry.

What does cardamom taste like in baking? ›

What Does Cardamom Taste Like? Cardamom has a unique and distinctive flavor. It's challenging to describe but has peppery, piney, eucalyptus, and menthol-like notes, but the taste of cardamom is also floral with hints of citrus.

What does cardamom taste like in baked goods? ›

What does cardamom taste like? Frisch says that cardamom has a complex aroma with a piney, fruity, and almost menthol-like flavor. When used too much, it can be slightly astringent. It pairs wonderfully with citrus, and works well in both desserts and savory dishes.

What spices go with cardamom in baking? ›

Cardamom harmonizes beautifully with warming spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, to infuse dishes with captivating essence. Bringing forth a medley of flavor, this remarkable spice can elevate a variety of dishes, like stews, soups and curries, baked goods, desserts, and beverages such as coffee or tea.

What can you add cardamom to? ›

Add the sweet, aromatic flavour of cardamom to your next soup, cake, pudding, curry or morning porridge.

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