Swedish Coffee Braids Bread Recipes

BREAD MACHINE SWEDISH COFFEE BREAD

Steps:

• Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
• When the dough cycle has finished, divide into three equal portions. Roll each piece into a rope 12 to 14 inches long. Lay the three ropes side by side, then braid together. Tuck the ends underneath, and place onto a greased baking sheet, cover loosely with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in bulk.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Brush the braid with beaten egg white and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

SWEDISH CARDAMOM BRAIDS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, egg yolks, cardamom, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down; divide in half. Divide each half into three portions. On a lightly floured surface, shape each portion into a 16-in.-long rope. Place three ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Brush warm loaves with butter. Combine the pecans, sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over loaves.

SWEDISH COFFEE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, butter, sugar, eggs, cardamom and salt; beat until smooth. Gradually add 8 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into nine equal portions. Shape each portion into a 14-in. rope. For each loaf, braid three ropes together on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends to seal. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. , In a small bowl, combine flour and sugar; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over braids. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Combine glaze ingredients until smooth; brush some over loaves. Bake for 5 minutes. Brush with remaining glaze; bake 5-10 minutes more. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks.

SWEDISH COFFEE BRAIDS (BREAD)

Steps:

• Soften yeast with 1/4 cup warm water and 1/2 tsp sugar and set aside.
• In mixing bowl combine scalded milk, sugar, salt and Crisco, cool to lukewarm, and add yeast and 1 of the eggs.
• Gradually add flour to form a soft dough.
• Knead in remaining flour until smooth and satiny, about 5-8 minutes.
• Cover and let rise until double.
• Divide dough in two and on a floured surface with a rolling pin roll out each dough to about 12x9 size.
• Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar and chopped walnuts.
• Starting with 12-inch side, roll up jelly roll style seal seams and ends and place each roll seam side down on cookie sheet (greased).
• Take scissors (or knife) and snip part way through each bread roll one inch apart in a tractor tread style.
• Cover and let rise again.
• Brush both bread rolls with another beaten egg and sprinkle nuts over both.
• Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes.
• Allow to cool slightly and if desired ice with favorite icing recipe.

SWEDISH CARDAMOM BRAID

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, measure 1 cup flour and add the dry ingredients.
• Blend with a wooden spoon. pour in the hot water and stir with 25 strong strokes, or for 2 minutes with the mixer flat beater.
• Cut the soft butter into several pieces and drop into the batterlike dough.
• Add the egg, cardamom and raisins.
• Stir in additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, first with the spoon and then by hand, or with the beater and then the dough hook.
• The dough will form a rough mass and clean the sides of the bowl.
• Because of the large amount of butter, the dough will not be sticky. It should be firm, but not stiff.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. With a strong push turn fold action, knead till the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes, or knead with the mixer under the dough hook for the same length of time.
• Return the dough to the bowl; cover with plastic wrap and put aside at room temperature till the dough has doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and turn it onto a floured surface; knead briefly to work out air bubbles.
• Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. Roll each part under your palms into a strand 14 inches long.
• Beginning in the middle of the strands, braid loosely to one end. Reverse the loaf and again braid from middle to end.
• Pinch the ends closed and place on a baking sheet.
• Cover the dough with wax paper and leave till doubled in bulk and puffy to the touch, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F 20 minutes before baking.
• Before baking, brush the braid with the egg white glaze.
• Bake till the crust is rich brown, about 45 minutes.
• A wooden toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
• Remove braid from the oven. Use a metal spatula to lift it off the baking sheet, because the hot loaf will be fragile and might break.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• This bread keeps well and toasts beautifully and also freezes well.

SWEDISH COFFEE BREAD

Steps:

• Using a standing electric mixer with a bread hook attachment, or by hand, combine 1 cup sugar with the yeast, cardamom and salt. In a small saucepan, melt the 1 stick butter, then add the 2 1/4 cups milk and heat until lukewarm (about 115 degrees F). Pour the warm milk and butter into the mixer bowl. Mix in the flour 1 cup at a time until incorporated. Beat until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Cover with a dry towel and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
• Position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into thirds. Cover and refrigerate 2 sections. Roll out the third piece of dough into a 9-by-14-inch rectangle (about 1/4 inch thick). Spread 2 tablespoons softened butter over the dough and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Sprinkle with one third of the raisins and 1/2 cup almonds. Roll the dough into a tight log and pinch the ends closed. Repeat with the other two pieces of dough and the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, 1 more cup almonds and the raisins; place the loaves on the prepared baking sheets.
• Using scissors, cut incisions straight down into each loaf, about 2 inches apart, stopping just short of the bottom of the dough. Gently pull the slices apart from each other, in alternating directions. Repeat with the remaining two logs.
• Place the loaves on top of the stove to rise for 10 minutes. Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons milk and the egg and brush the mixture onto the loaves. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons almonds and some extra sugar. Bake the bread, switching the pans from upper to lower racks halfway through, until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Place on a rack, cover with a towel and let cool.