Time: 4 hours 25 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 8

Danish Christmas bread (Julekage) is fragrant with cardamom and cinnamon and filled with dried fruit, candied orange peel, and nuts. Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients: you likely already have most of them on hand, and the rest can be found at any grocery store. This festive bread, or cake, is traditionally dusted with oven-safe granulated pearl sugar, baked in a regular cake pan (as in this recipe) or simply as a ball on a baking sheet, and then drizzled with almond glaze. Embrace Scandinavian tradition and bake this wonderful bread for Christmas this coming year.

Ingredients:

Bread

• 3.5 cups premium flour + extra for working with the dough
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup dry milk
• 1 packet (7 g) of active dry yeast
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 cup warm water (48°C-54°C)
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten, + 1 large egg for brushing
• 110g unsalted butter, room temperature, plus melted butter for greasing the bowl and pan
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup chopped candied orange peel
• 1/3 cup almond needles
• 2 tbsp. whole milk
• 2 tablespoons Swedish pearl sugar
• Special equipment: stand mixer

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4-5 tsp whole milk
• 1/4 tsp almond extract

Substituting ingredients
Measuring containers used

1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Recipes with similar ingredients

yeast dough, eggs, milk, lemon zest, dry milk, powdered sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, dried cranberries, raisin, candied fruit, almond

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Preparation:

Step 1
• Bread:
  
  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1 cup flour with granulated sugar, dry milk powder, yeast, cardamom, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour in the hot water and mix on medium speed until a stiff dough forms, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest and mix until smooth. Add the butter and beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed, about 3 minutes. Pour in the beaten eggs and mix until smooth.
  
Step 2
• Switch the paddle attachment to the dough hook. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the remaining 2.5 cups of flour. Mix until the dough forms a rough ball, then increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is shiny and elastic, 8-10 minutes.
Step 3
• Lightly grease a large bowl with melted butter. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5 hours.
Step 4
• Generously grease a 9-inch (22-cm) tart pan with melted butter. Lightly flour the work surface. Punch down the dough and press it flat onto the work surface. Combine the cranberries, raisins, candied fruit, and almonds in a small bowl, then sprinkle half the mixture evenly over the surface of the dough. Fold the dough over and knead to evenly distribute the dried fruit and nuts. Flatten the dough again, top with the remaining fruit and nut mixture, and knead again.
Step 5
• Gather and shape the dough into a 13 cm diameter ball, then transfer it to the prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5 hours.
  
  
  Note
  
  When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and remove any excess. Scooping flour directly from the bag with a measuring cup will compact it, resulting in dry baked goods.
Step 6
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C. Mix the milk with the remaining egg.
Step 7
• Uncover the dough and brush evenly with the egg wash, then sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake until the top is golden brown and glossy, 30-40 minutes. Tap the loaf; it should sound hollow. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to cool completely, top side up.
Step 8
• Glaze:
  
  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 4 cups of milk, and almond extract until thick and smooth. Add an additional 1 teaspoon of milk if the glaze is too thick. Pour the glaze over the cooled bread. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
  

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