Finnish Pulla

Although the Finns eat this delicious sweetbread daily, it's a holiday tradition for our family. We use colored sugars, sliced almonds, and candied cherries to make it merry & bright.

Ingredients:
2 cups milk, warmed
1/2 cup warm water
2 TBS active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 TBS cardamom
1 cup sugar
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
1 egg white, beaten
8 cups flour
1 cup butter, melted

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, sugar, salt, cardamom, eggs + yolk, and enough flour to make a batter (about 2 cups). Beat until batter is smooth & elastic. Add 3 cups of flour; beat well. Stir in melted butter; beat until dough looks glossy. Stir in remaining flour until soft (but not sticky) dough forms. Knead until smooth & satiny. Place in a large lightly greased bowl, loosely covered, and allow dough to rise until it doubles in size. Punch it down with your fist. Let dough rise a second time, 30-45 min. (You can skip the second rise, the bread will just be less fluffy, but will still turn out good.)
Turn onto lightly floured board, divide dough into three parts. Divide each part into three more parts. Shape each part into a rope about 16 inches long by rolling between your palms and the board. Braid ropes together to form 3 braided loaves. Place them onto a lightly greased baking sheet. If you wish to make a wreath, make a circle with your braided loaf and pinch ends together. Allow braided loaves to rise, about 30-45 min.
Glaze loaves with beaten egg white and sprinkle generously with sugar and sliced almonds. You may also add candied cherries for decoration.
Bake at 335*F for 25-30 minutes until tops are golden brown. Over-baking will result in dry bread, so keep a close eye on it. Enjoy!