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Swedish Cardamom Braids

"Swedish people love their coffee—especially with this classic coffee cake. The recipe came from my father's aunt, and I can remember my mother crushing cardamom seeds to make it. Back then, you couldn't buy cardamom already ground."

24 ServingsPrep: 45 min. + rising Bake: 20 min. + cooling

Ingredients

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1-1/4 cups warm 2% milk (110° to 115°)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2-1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 to 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
TOPPING:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

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

2 of 2

Swedish Cardamom Braids (continued)

Directions (continued)

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. Yield: 2 loaves
(12 slices each).

Nutrition Facts: 1 slice equals 175 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 39 mg cholesterol, 54 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.