Every household in Norway has a recipe for julekake. Literally translated, it means ‘Christmas cake’, but as it’s a dough with yeast, it’s actually closer to a bread (some Norwegians do call it julebrød, or ‘Christmas bread’). Throughout the festive season julekake is enjoyed warm or toasted, with lashings of butter and brunost (Norway’s sweet brown whey cheese).
Ingredients
- ⅞ oz (25 g) fresh yeast
- ¾ cup (200 ml) whole milk, heated to 36–37°C/97–98°F (no hotter than this)
- ¼ cup (50 g) caster/superfine sugar
- ⅓ cup (100 ml) soured milk (or other similar dairy product)
- 3½ tablespoons (50 g) butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3–3½ cups (400–500 g) white strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 egg, beaten
- oil, for brushing
- pearl/nibbed sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Filling
- ⅜ cup (50 g) raisins
- 1 freshly squeezed orange juice
- ⅜–⅔ cup (50–75 g) chopped mixed peel (optional)
How to Make It
- A few hours before you start to bake, soak the raisins for the filling in the orange juice.
- Add the yeast and warm milk to the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to dissolve. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve a bit, then add the soured milk and soft butter. Add the salt to half of the flour and add this to the mixture along with the ground cardamom and mix until smooth.
- Pour in the beaten egg, reserving some for brushing. Spoon in more flour if needed, until you have a smooth, kneaded dough that is still slightly sticky. Squeeze any excess juice from the raisins and add them to the dough. At this stage, you can add mixed peel if you like, depending on how fruity you like your loaf.
- Brush the dough lightly with oil and cover it with clingfilm/plastic wrap. Leave it to rise until it has doubled in size (this should take about an hour or so, depending on how warm the kitchen is).
- On a floured surface, turn out the dough and knead it to get the air out. Shape it into a round cob-loaf style and place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment (you don’t need a loaf pan). Leave the bread to rise for another 20–25 minutes, then brush it with the remaining egg.
- Preheat the oven to around 170°C (340°F) Gas 3½.
- Bake the bread in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes until baked through. If the loaf starts going a bit too dark during baking, cover it with foil. As soon as the bread is done, remove it from the oven and sprinkle pearl/nibbed sugar over the top if you wish, then cover with a damp tea towel/dish towel to prevent a hard crust forming while it cools.