Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (2024)

By: Krista Bjorn

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (1)

Growing up in a Scandinavian family introduced me to the pleasures of coffee breaks with relatives and guests, always accompanied by homemade sweet breads, cakes, or cookies. Now in my own home, I love making a Swedish cardamom bread to accompany our morning coffee and tea breaks, and this is the best cardamom bread recipe I've made thus far.

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (2)

Sweet, Spicy, and Swedish

Known as Vetebröd in Sweden, cardamom bread is a beautiful golden braided sweet bread sprinkled with raw sugar or sliced almonds, or drizzled with a simple icing.
While it is traditionally served with coffee, cardamom bread is equally good when paired with a cardamom vanilla crème tea like our Vanilla Latte Tea. It's also great served with Swedish glogg, a marvelous hot drink made of equal parts port wine, whiskey, and rum that is sweetened with sugar and mulled with spices, fruit, and nuts, then served in a glass with a portion of boozy nuts and fruit to spoon up when you get to the bottom. It's a wonderfully decadent thing to serve with warm slices of cardamom bread.
This gorgeous loaf of bread is sheer pleasure to make. When spring rains keeps you indoors, pull out your favorite big mixing bowl, and within a few hours you'll have a fragrant loaf so pretty you'd swear you picked it up at the local Swedish bakery. It's definitely a loaf you'll be proud of.

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (3)

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe

Cardamom is the shining light of this Swedish sweet bread. While pre-ground cardamom works fine in this recipe, grinding whole cardamom pods into powder just before you need it will take this already wonderful loaf into something exquisitely fragrant and full of flavor.
The sweetness of this loaf is adjustable to your preference, and I use between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup sugar to achieve the right balance of sweetness that really highlights the cardamom flavoring. I often exchange brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup for white sugar, but in this instance, the best cardamom bread recipe really is best with plain white sugar.
You could use oil for this cardamom bread, but melted butter is by far the better choice, adding richness and a distinctive butter flavor that is absolutely vital.
The other distinctive aspect of this loaf is its beautifully golden crust that glistens in the light. Once you've braided the dough, simply brush it with a wash of beaten egg and water, set it to rise once more, pop it in the oven, and when you pull that beauty out 30 minutes later, you'll be amazed at the rich, golden crust.
Be sure to cool your loaf for a few minutes before slicing, then cut into thick slices and slather with cold butter before serving with a hot cup of tea or strong coffee.
It also makes great breakfast toast, or a truly decadent version of French Toast when you dip thick slices in the traditional egg and milk mixture spiced with freshly ground cardamom instead of cinnamon.

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (4)


Best Cardamom Bread Recipe


Ingredients:

  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 1/4 cup white sugar (use 1/3 cup if you want the bread sweeter)
  • 2 rounded teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted and set aside
  • 1 egg (for egg wash)
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • Raw sugar for topping

Directions:
In large mixing bowl, stir together warm milk and sugar. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let stand 5 minutes.
Stir in 2 cups flour, eggs, ground cardamom, and salt and mix until smooth.
Stir in butter and mix until smooth.
Sprinkle 1 cup flour over dough, and knead. Add more remaining flour as needed until dough can be easily handled and doesn't stick to hands.
Mold dough into ball, place in bowl, and cover with a damp dish towel. Leave for 1 1/2 hours until doubled.
Punch down dough, divide into three pieces, and roll into 3 equal ropes about 20 inches long.
Braid the strands, tucking ends under, and place on baking paper-lined baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and water, sprinkle with raw sugar, and set aside to rise in warm, draft-free place about 40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375.
Place bread in oven and bake 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
Remove to baking rack and cool 5-10 minutes until ready to slice and eat.

Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (5)

Krista Bjorn

Canadian born Krista Bjorn has been traveling and exploring for over 20 years and loves every crazy, embarrassing, and wonderful moment. She's lived in Russia and Portugal and now makes her home in beautiful Queensland, Australia, saving her pennies for her next trip. Her food, photography and travel blog is Rambling Tart.

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Best Cardamom Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does cardamom taste like in bread? ›

It has a slightly herbal, spicy, citrusy flavor that goes well with orange or warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.

What is the secret to softer bread? ›

The Magic Behind Soft Bread
  1. Oil or Butter: These fats coat the flour proteins, leading to a tender crumb. ...
  2. Sugar: Not only does it sweeten the bread, but sugar also retains moisture. ...
  3. Baking Soda: When added, especially in recipes with acidic ingredients, it can make bread soft and spongy.
Sep 26, 2023

What is the secret to bread rising? ›

You can also put hot water in a heat-safe dish and place it on the floor of a cold oven (or on a lower shelf). The steam and heat from the water will help the temperature rise just enough that the yeast is active. The steam will also assist in keeping the surface of the dough moist so it will stretch as it rises.

What is the most popular bread in Sweden? ›

Pågenlimpan - Sweden's best-selling loaf.

Which cardamom is best for baking? ›

Green cardamom ground from the pod was the “most vibrant and balanced” whereas the white cardamom was a significant disappointment. The black cardamom tasted more smoky, so it'd be nice in more savory dishes but in the cookies it came across as a bit schizophrenic. The verdict from Cook's Illustrated? Go green.

What is the closest flavor to cardamom? ›

What you're trying to replicate when using a cardamom substitute is that cozy, earthy flavor that smells the way a warm, tight hug feels. The best replacements for ground cardamom are spices that have that same aroma and flavor, such as allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

How do bakeries get their bread so soft? ›

Commercial bread is softer due to the steam process used by bakeries, which is made to keep bread hydrated and fresh. Use cold water in a pan and put it on a rack beneath your bread to create steam.

How can I make my bread lighter and fluffy? ›

Adding dry milk powder to your bread dough will help your loaf rise higher. In addition, the loaf will stay soft and hold moisture longer which again means it will last longer. It also helps brown the crust. If you want a lighter fluffier bread loaf just add 2 Tbsp of dry milk to the flour per loaf of your bread.

Does letting bread rise longer make it fluffier? ›

Does Rising Bread Affect Its Texture? For a fluffy bread texture, the key is to let the bread rise long enough.

Can you let bread rise too long? ›

If the dough has risen too long, it's going to feel fragile and might even collapse as you poke it,” says Maggie. If this is the case, there's a chance you can save your dough by giving it a quick re-shape. Learn more about this fix in our blog on saving overproofed dough.

Can I let dough rise overnight on the counter? ›

Yes! If a recipe calls for proofing bread dough overnight in the refrigerator, it can be proofed on the counter at a warmer temperature for a shorter period. Rather than placing the dough in the refrigerator overnight, leave it covered on the counter for 1 to 4 hours until it's ready to bake.

Should I cover dough while it rises? ›

These dry patches won't stretch during rising to develop an elastic dough, resulting in a dense, squat loaf – not something you want! For best results, use a non-porous, tight fitting cover such as a saucepan lid, bowl cover or even a sheet pan laid on top of the bowl, weighted down with something.

Which country has the tastiest bread? ›

Top best bread of the world (Ranked by TasteAtlas)
  1. Roti canai, Malaysia.
  2. Pan de bono, Colombia.
  3. Butter garlic naan, India.
  4. Nan-e barbari, Iran.
  5. Pão de queijo, Brazil.
  6. Baguette, France.
  7. Naan (collectively), India.
  8. Piadina Romagnola, Italy.
Oct 10, 2023

What is Germany's favorite bread? ›

Rye bread, or Roggenbrot, is a popular and beloved type of bread in Germany, available in various shapes and sizes. While square loaves are commonly found, rye bread can also come in other forms. It is known for its sourdough flavour and dense, moist texture.

What bread do Norwegians eat? ›

She points out that even though Norwegians like to try out new trends, we often go back to what we know and love: healthy and nutritious 'everyday bread' filled with grain. In addition to our beloved grovbrød (wholegrain bread), we also eat a lot of kneippbrød, landbrød (country bread) and rye bread.

What flavor does cardamom add? ›

Cardamom has a unique and distinctive flavor. It's challenging to describe but has peppery, piney, eucalyptus, and menthol-like notes, but the taste of cardamom is also floral with hints of citrus. This blend of sweet, peppery, pungent, and aromatic flavors actually makes it an incredibly versatile spice.

What does cardamom taste like in cake? ›

If cinnamon is used in fall baking, then think of cardamom as its brighter, spring counterpart. Cardamom tastes of warmth while slightly peppery and with hints of fruit, pine, and citrus. It pairs well with light and fruity recipes as well as chocolate and coffee.

Does cardamom taste like cinnamon? ›

No, cardamom powder and cinnamon are not the same; they are two distinct spices with different flavors, aromas, and uses.

What can I use instead of cardamom in bread? ›

If you're all out and don't have time to run to the store, try a combination one of these substitutes:
  • Cloves.
  • Cinnamon.
  • Apple pie spice.
  • Nutmeg.
  • Ginger.
  • Allspice.
Dec 16, 2017

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