Julekage has a lovely buttery crumb studded with candied peels, raisins and currants. The crust is sweet and a slice of Julekage pairs beautifully with a cup of hot coffee.
The air is crisp and cold. Moon peeps from behind the hill across and in no time rises up. It looks like a huge buttery ball. A thousand stars blink in the sky.
Morning is clear, bright and cold. There is frost on the leaves and grass. Chilly winds blow. Birds are huddled together in trees. Winter has arrived. Days are warm and the Sun is mellow and comforting. A great Barbet perches on the sides of the bird bath and drinks to its heart's content.
A group of Himalayan Magpies visit the bare orchards routinely in the evening. They give out loud calls, bathe, play, chase each other, and make our garden their playground.
We are ringing in Christmas by baking Norwegian Christmas Bread Julekage.
Julekage is a famous Norwegian Christmas fruit bread filled with candied peels, raisins and cardamom. It has a soft buttery crumb and a lovely glistening crust. Home smells heavenly when Julekage bakes.
I have made an eggless version of the bread. You may use one egg and reduce two tablespoons of water.
I have given the recipe for egg wash as well as milk wash. You may go ahead with either of the two.
A slice of Julekage with a cup of coffee is pure bliss.
Julekage (Eggless)
Dough
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 1/3 cup evaporated milk
- 2/3 cups + 2-3 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup candied citrus peels
- 2 tablespoons black currants
Glaze (Egg wash or milk wash depending on your preference)
Egg Wash
Combine 1 large egg and 1 tablespoon milk
Milk Wash
Heat 4 tablespoons of milk until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon butter.
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Icing
- ½ cup icing sugar
- ½ tablespoon water
- ½ tablespoon butter (softened)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, take 1 cup flour, yeast, salt and sugar.
- In a saucepan, heat evaporated milk, water and butter until nice and warm (not hot) and almost all the butter melts. Add to flour mixture. Mix for about 3-4 minutes to get a smooth and homogenous mixture.
- Add the remaining flour and mix with a spoon. Knead on the floured counter for 5-6 minutes to get a smooth and elastic dough.
- Place dough in an oiled bowl. Turn to grease top. Cover and keep in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours or until puffy.
- Combine cardamom, raisins, currants and candied peels in a bowl. Keep aside.
- Punch dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface.
- Flatten the dough and spread the raisins, currants and peels across the dough. Fold the dough and knead fruits evenly throughout the dough. Cover and let the dough relax for 10 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it in the centre of the parchment paper-lined baking tray.
- Brush glaze (egg wash or milk wash) over the top and sides of the dough. Cover and let it rise in a warm place until the dough almost doubles and indentation remain after pressing with a finger. Brush again with glaze and sprinkle sugar on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 30-35 minutes or until the top turns golden. Remove from the oven and cool on the rack.
- Combine all the ingredients of icing to get a thick flowing consistency. Drizzle over the cooled loaf. Add some glace cherries.
- Garlic Parmesan Sourdough Dinner rolls from Karen's Kitchen Stories
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- Soft and Fluffy Croissants Bread Rolls from Sneha's Recipe
- Julekage from Ambrosia
- Sweet Coconut Almond Swirls from Magical Ingredients
- Sourdough St.Lucia Buns from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who
get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme.
Follow our Pinterest board right
here. Links are also updated each month on this home
page.
We take turns
hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
The theme this month
is Christmas Breads
Recipe: Redstar Yeast
