Swedish Sweet Bread

Swedish Sweet Bread (Rolls or Braids)

(this recipe yields about 3 good size loaves of bread, or 24 rolls for brunch, but you can do 1/3 recipe for 1 loaf if you like)

3 cups milk
3 packets yeast
1 cup brown sugar (or raw sugar if you have it)

3 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tbs vanilla
1 stick butter (room temperature - NOT melted!)

10 cups flour (8 for dough, 2 reserved for kneading in)

Mix the milk and the sugar in a microwaveable bowl, microwave on high for 2 minutes or until warm to the touch. Add in yeast, stir, and set aside.

In a large bowl or mixing bowl (like Kitchenaid) beat eggs, salt, vanilla, and butter. The butter should be in small bits. (The reason you want the butter in bits and not melted is because the space of the butter helps to form the texture of the bread.)

Pour in the yeast, milk & sugar mixture, blending with the eggs and butter. At this point you could add 2 tsp of orange extract OR 2 tsp of maple extract if you like to make a different taste.

When all ingredients are well mixed (it should look murky and like the butter is clumpy), begin to add in flour one cup at a time, still mixing. I like to use my Kitchenaid mixer for this because the constant working of the dough forms better gluten strings and the bread has a nicer texture. You can also do this by hand, but be sure to either stand on a stool to gain some height on your dough, or work on a lower surface.

Add in about 8 - 9 cups of flour total. At this point, the dough should still be sticky to the touch.

Grease a LARGE bowl, and turn the sticky dough into the greased bowl. sprinkle a generous amount of flour on the top of the dough, and cover with plastic wrap. Lay a clean kitchen towel over the bowl, and leave to rise in a warm spot for about 1 - 2 hours.

When the dough is about double in size, PUNCH it down into the bowl using the heel of your hand or a tight fist. Leave it to rise a little more while you prepare your pans for baking. This dough is really versatile, so you can either section it out for braids, loaves, or buns/rolls. I have also made circular loaves with this.

I have recently begun to turn my dough out onto a floured, rimmed cookie sheet - I find that it keeps the flour from flying all over my counters as I knead it.

Preheat your oven to 350F. If you have convection, it makes a nice crust on the bread. Otherwise, regular baking setting is just fine.

Work the dough by kneading it and alternating it, folding it back into itself, and adding flour until it becomes velvety and is no longer sticky to the touch. This may end up being about a cup to two additional.

When your dough is ready, Grease tins, bread pans, or cookie sheets depending on what shape you'd like your bread to be.

Divide dough equally and allow to bake until golden brown on top - rolls are around 20 minutes, loaves are about 40 minutes, and braids are about 35 minutes. KEEP CHECKING.

When done, remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack OUT of the tins. Otherwise, as they cool, they will sweat and get a little soggy.

A really good icing for the bread is about 1 cup of confectioners sugar and 1 tsp cardamom (or if you don't like cardamom, use 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg) with a little water dribbled in to make a tasty topping. I usually use about 1 tsp water to begin, and add water by drops until I get the consistency right.

Allow the bread to cool completely, then ice. This bread is also REALLY great sliced and toasted for breakfast with butter and icing.

Enjoy!