Julekake Bread Recipe (Norwegian Christmas Bread)

A bread round or Julekake with text overlay.

5 from 5 votes

Julekake Bread Recipe (Norwegian Christmas Bread)

This sweet bread is made with all-purpose flour and lightly flavored with cardamom. Golden raisins and candied oranges are folded into the dough. It's a very simple bread to make, but plan a day for making this bread as it needs 3 rises. This recipe makes 4 loaves.

Prep Time50

Cook Time30

Rising time5 30

Total Time6 50

Course: Breakfast / Brunch

Cuisine: Scandanavian

Keyword: Chistmas bread, julekake

Servings:

Calories: 468kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Equipment

Instant thermometer
Kitchen scales
Large bowl
medium pot
Whisk
Standing mixer with dough hook attachment
baking sheet
Pastry brush
Wire Rack

Ingredients

2 (.25 ounce) packages of active dry yeast
½ cup warm water (110-115˚F, 43-46˚C)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons whole milk divided
1 cup white cane sugar
1 cup unsalted butter melted
4 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons sea salt
8 ½ cups (20.2 ounces) all-purpose flour divided
1 cup golden raisins
¾ cup chopped candied orange peels
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 large egg

Instructions

Bloom the yeast. Sprinkle the dry active yeast over a cup of warm water (110˚-115˚F, 43˚-46˚C) and stir it in. I use a measuring cup so that I can easily measure how active the yeast is when it bubbles up and expands.
Lightly cover the cup with plastic or a kitchen towel and set it in a warm spot to let it bloom. If the yeast is good, it will begin to bubble up in the water within 15 minutes. Sometimes I add a pinch of sugar to speed the blooming. Allow the yeast to bubble enough to double the volume (1 cup) while you get everything else ready for the first rising.
If there isn't any bubbling after 20 minutes, your dry yeast is probably no longer any good and should be discarded.
Pro tip: The temperature of the water is important. If it's too cool, the yeast won't become active. If it's too warm, it can kill it. The optimal range is 110˚-115˚F. In fact you may be surprised to feel how cool the water is at that temperature. Use an instant thermometer with a prong to measure the temperature.
Scald the milk. Heat 2 cups of milk in a medium pot over medium heat on the stovetop until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pot. Remove from the heat and pour the milk into a large mixing bowl.
Stir in the sugar, melted butter, and salt. Cool the milk mixture on the countertop until it reaches no higher than 115˚F (46˚C).
Pro tip: Continuing to stir the milk mixture promotes a faster cooling of the liquid.
First Rising. When the milk mixture cools to no more than 115˚F, stir in the yeast mixture and 4 cups (18 ounces) of the all-purpose flour using a wooden spoon.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set in a warm place that's free of any drafts. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours at sea level and 1 hour and 15 minutes at high altitude.
Second Rising. Punch the dough down using a wooden spoon and stir in the raisins, dried fruit, and cardamom.
If using a standing mixer, transfer the liquid-y bread dough to the bowl of the standing mixer at this stage and attach the dough hook. Work in the remaining flour ⅓ cup at a time until you have a soft dough that's very smooth.
Pro tip: Keep the mixer at it's lowest speed until a more solid dough begins to form. Then, transition to the next highest speed and maintain that speed.
If making the dough by hand, continue to stir in flour ⅓ cup at a time using a wooden spoon until it becomes stiff enough to knead. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and continue working in the flour by kneading the dough.
If you live in a more humid climate, you may need 4 ½ cups of the flour. I live in a very dry climate and only needed 4 cups.
Cover the bowl loosely with plastic or a kitchen towel, set in a warm place, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 2 ½-3 hours at sea level and about 2 hours at high altitude. This rising will take longer than the first rising.
Form round loaves. Transfer the bread dough to a work surface. You shouldn't need a lightly floured surface in order to work with the dough at this stage, but you can use a little flour if needed.
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. I use a kitchen scale so that the loaves are exactly the same size and will all bake at the same rate.
Cover 3 pieces of the divided dough with plastic. Knead the fourth piece of dough a few times and form it into a dome. It doesn't need to have a perfectly smooth surface as this is a fairly rustic bread, but do the best you can.
Cover with plastic and do the same with the other 3 pieces of dough.
Third rising. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and place 2 of the round loaves on each baking sheet a few inches apart.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours at sea level or 45-60 minutes at high altitude.
Bake. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Make the egg wash by vigorously whisking together the egg and the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl. Brush it onto the tops of the loaves and immediately bake at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes at sea level and 40-43 minutes at high altitude.
Cool on a cooling rack or other wire rack for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Pro-tip: Brush the entire domed surface of the dough rounds with the egg wash but don't go heavy as you apply it. You won't use all of the egg wash on the 4 loaves.

Notes

See the full post for more tips & ideas for customizations!

Nutrition