Scandinavian Almond Bread Recipes

SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Spray pan with cooking spray/Pam and flour.
• Beat sugar, egg, extract, and milk well. Add flour and baking powder. Add butter.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes. Edges must be golden brown.
• Cool in pan overnight before removing. Cake will break if removed too soon.
• Sprinkle with icing sugar.

DANISH PASTRY BRAID

Steps:

• Quick Method Danish Pastry:
• Measure 3 1/2 cups flour into a bowl or work bowl of food processor with steel blade in place. Cut the butter into 1/4-inch slices and add to the flour. Process or cut the butter into the flour until the butter is about the size of kidney beans.
• In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the cream or milk, cardamom, salt, eggs, and sugar.
• Turn the flour-butter mixture into the liquid ingredients, and with a rubber spatula mix carefully just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours, overnight, or up to 4 days.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board; dust with flour. Pound and flatten to make a 16- to 20-inch rectangle. Fold into thirds, making 3 layers. Turn dough around and roll out again. Fold from the short sides into thirds. This should result in a perfect square. Repeat folding and rolling again if you wish.
• Wrap and chill the dough 30 minutes or as long as overnight.
• To make the Danish Pastry Braid:
• Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease and flour them.
• Divide the chilled dough into 2 parts. Roll each part out to make a rectangle 12 by 6 inches. Place these strips on the prepared baking sheets.
• To make the filling, cream the butter and sugar until light. Blend in the almond extract, almonds, almond paste, and egg white.
• Spread filling down the length of the center of the strips. Cut slanting strips at 3/4-inch intervals along both sides up toward the center using a pastry wheel. Fold strips over the filling in a crisscross manner
• Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
• Let strips rise for 15 to 30 minutes, just until the pastry strips look puffy; they will not double.
• To make a glaze, beat the egg with the milk or water. Brush the pastry lightly with it. Sprinkle the sugar and/or sliced almonds over the top.
• Bake about 15 minutes or until golden.
• Frost, if desired, with almond-water icing. Blend the sugar, water, and almond extract until smooth and thin enough to drizzle over the braids.

SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND BREAD

Steps:

• Beat sugar, egg, extract, and milk, add flour and baking powder, finally add margarine.
• Pour into bundt cake pan sprayed with cooking spray (or specialized Scandinavian cake pan).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
• Edges must be golden brown.
• Cool in pan before removing.
• Bread will break if removed too soon.
• Sprinkle with confectionary sugar.
• Cool cake in pan before removing as it can break apart.
• Variation: before pouring batter into pan, sprinkle sliced almonds on the bottom.

SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a loaf pan with wax paper, then spray with cooking spray.
• Place the butter into a heavy saucepan, and melt over medium heat. Allow the butter to simmer until foam rises to the top of the butter, 5 to 10 minutes. Gently skim away the foam and discard; pour the golden, clear layer of butter through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove remaining milk solids, avoiding pouring any milk solids left in the bottom of the pan. Allow the clarified butter to cool.
• Beat sugar and egg with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the baking powder and almond extract. Stir in the clarified butter. Pour in the flour alternately with the cream in 2 or 3 installments, mixing until just incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Beat sugar, egg, extract, and milk together.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.
• Combine the two mixtures and add melted butter.
• Mix well.
• Grease loaf pan and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Pour in batter.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Edges must be golden brown. Cool in pan before removing. Cake will break if removed too soon!
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

SWEDISH ALMOND RUSK (MANDEL SKORPER)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sift together flour, cardamom, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
• Beat together butter, sugar, and extract with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in flour mixture at low speed just until combined, then stir in almonds.
• Form dough into 4 (11- by 2-inch) logs and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased large baking sheet.
• Bake logs in middle of oven until pale golden, about 20 minutes. Cool logs on sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and cut logs diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife using a sawing motion.
• Reduce temperature to 300°F.
• Arrange rusks, cut sides down, on baking sheets and bake in batches in middle of oven until golden, about 18 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.