The Best Treat of the Winter!

The absolutely best part of these cold, snowy, dark winters for me is coming up in just a couple of weeks, 'Laskiainen' in Finnish - Shrovetide. And it is my favorite because of this delicious pastry.
In Finland, Sweden and Norway, these pastries are part of the celebration. Cafes and bakeries sell them a couple weeks before Shrove Tuesday, but never after. They are a bit time consuming to make at home, but worth every minute of your time.
They are made with sweet yeast rolls, whipped cream, and almond paste or raspberry jam, depending on your region and taste buds.
Either way you go, you are in for a treat of the year, just in time for the Shrovetide, fasting before Easter.
~ Cheers!

FINNISH 'PULLA'  / SWEET YEAST ROLL RECIPE

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cardamom seed, crushed (you can use a mortar & pestle or coffee grinder)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
• 4 1/2-5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Glaze Ingredients

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk

1 Scald the milk in a small saucepan (heat until a ring of small bubbles is visible around the sides of the pan). Remove from heat and let cool.

2 In a large bowl, whisk yeast into the warm water and set aside for 5 minutes.

3 Whisk the milk, sugar, cardamom, salt, and eggs into the yeast mixture.

4 Add 2 cups of the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.

5 Beat in the butter and as much additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time, as you can until the dough is stiff but not dry.

6 Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

7 Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes.

8 Shape the dough into a ball, place into a lightly greased bowl, turn it over in the bowl to grease the top, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature 45-60 minutes until doubled in size.

9 Lightly oil a cool work surface.

10 "Punch down" or lightly knead the air bubbles out of the dough on the oiled surface.

11 Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

12 Cover the braids with a towel and let rise at room temperature about 45 minutes.

13 Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F

14 Combine the beaten egg and 1 tablespoon of milk to make the glaze.

15 Brush the egg glaze over the bread (a pastry brush works well for this).

16 Bake 10-12 minutes until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature before cutting.

17 The bread is best eaten the day it is made, but can be stored 1-2 days covered in plastic wrap.