My Miniature Pulla

Originated from Finland, Pulla is a mildly-sweet bread made with cardamom seeds and sometimes with raisins or sliced almonds. It is usually made as braided loaf and in the form of a ring shape during the Christmas season.

With the addition of saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, this luxurious version of Pulla is simply fantastic. I'm happy that the saffron used on my "petite-sized" Pulla had produced fruitful results. These breads are very soft and delicious and I love every single bite of them.

Here's the recipe from the book, The Bread Book by Sara Lewis
(with my modification in blue)

large pinch of saffron threads

275ml hand-hot water

12 cardamom pods (replaced with 1 tsp of ground cardamom)

475g strong white flour
3 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried yeast
4 tbsp honey
1 egg, beaten
egg yolk, to glaze
50g piece orange citron peel, cut into thin strips (I didn't add this)

To make this bread with a breadmaker:

Put the saffron into a bowl with the measured water and leave to infuse for 30 min or until cold. 

Peel the green pods off the cardamom and grind the black seeds using a pestle and mortar. (I didn't do this)

Life the tin out of the bread machine, fit the kneader blade then add saffron and the (now tepid) soaking water, ground cardamom, butter cut into pieces, beaten egg and honey. Spoon in the flour then add the salt. Make a dip in the center of the flour and add the yeast.

Insert the tin into the bread machine. Shut the lid and set to dough or enriched dough. Press start.

At the end of the program, life the tin out of the machine, tip the dough out on to a lightly floured surface. Knead well then cut into 3 pieces (see my note for smaller size breads). Shape each piece into a rope about 37 cm long. Plait the ropes together.

Lift the plait on to a large greased baking sheet and shape into a round, tucking the ends of the rope underneath so that the plait looks continuous. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place to rise for 40 min.

Remove the clingfilm. Brush the ring with the egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp of water, sprinkle with orange strips (I didn't sprinkle the bread of this) and bake in a preheated oven, 200°C for 20 min until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped with the fingertips. Check after 10 min and cover with foil if over-browning. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Note: Using half the recipe, I've baked 4 of these miniature-sized Pulla. To shape, I've divided the dough into 12 pieces and shaped them accordingly. My Pulla were lightly sprinkled with demerara sugar after egg wash, just before baking them at 200°C fan forced for 15 min.

Happy Baking

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