Swedish Bread
This delicious recipe has been handed down for generations through the Ronnbeck and Peel families from Sweden. Learn the beautiful art of making Swedish Bread with Liz (Peel) Bittinger in this video and with the full recipe below.
SWEDISH BREAD
Category: Coffee Bread Recipe
Written By: Liz (Peel) Bittinger (and many generations before her)
Grandma Lillian Johannsen Ronnbeck brought this recipe from Sweden when she came to America at age 16. Her daughter, Esther R. Peel passed this on to her daughters, one who is Elizabeth Ann Bittinger and now she passes the recipe on to her daughter, Jennifer Marie ---fourth generation.
Ingredients:
5 pound bag of all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
4 eggs
4 sticks of regular salted butter (used for separate tasks in recipe)
3 cups white sugar total (used for separate tasks in recipe)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cardamom
4 packets dry yeast
¼ cup cinnamon
Maraschino cherries
Large batch---uses a mixing bowl about 22-24 inches diameter 10-12 inches deep.
Half batch –in parenthesis ( ) uses a mixing bowl about 16-18 inches in diameter
and 8-10 inches deep
STAGE 1: MAKING THE DOUGH
I. Measure into a large saucepan:
4 cups (2) of whole milk – do not use low fat milk---“must be whole milk”
Heat milk until “scalding”---turn off right before it boils.
II. In a very large bowl measure:
2 cups of white sugar (1)
2 tbsp of butter (1 tbsp)
1 tsp of salt (1/2 tsp)
2 tsp of ground cardamom (1 tsp)
When milk is hot—pour into sugar mixture—mix well until butter melts.
Allow too cool before adding eggs.
III. In small bowl, beat up:
4 eggs (2)
When adding eggs: Don’t coagulate the eggs!
Slowly add a tablespoon at a time of the milk/sugar mixture—INTO THE BEATEN EGGS-
Beating the eggs as you add the milk slowly. Until the egg mixture becomes the same temperature of the hot mix mixture. (Do not dump the raw eggs into the hot milk mixture---
it will cook the scrambled eggs)
IV. Prepare Yeast—before adding to milk mixture by mixing “warm” ---not boiling water with the yeast in a small bowl.
Large batch – 3-4 packets of dry yeast mix with 1 cup of warm water
Small batch – 2 packets of dry yeast mix with ½ cup of warm water
Stir yeast into warm water—thoroughly until all lumps are dissolved—mixture is creamy. The
Place mixture on stove with oven door open –350 degrees to keep yeast warm until it gets slightly white foamy on surface.
Add foaming yeast to milk/sugar mixture in large bowl. Stir.
V. Then start adding
Flour---about 5 lbs
Large Batch: Takes approximately 13-14 cups of flour.
Mix—8 cups of flour –mixing with wooden spoon –add two cups at a time and mix well. When too stiff for spoon---discard spoon and mix with one hand first---
Keeping one hand clean to reach for additional flour. Add about 3 more cups using one hand---when in a large ball—insert second hand to knead dough for about 5 more minutes—if still too sticky to form into a nice smooth ball—add one more cup of flour---keep kneading---form into a nice glossy ball—tucking in edges.
Small batch: Takes approximately 6-8 cups of flour
Mix in 4 cups of flour—using spoon. Then with one hand add 2 cups of flour. Then when kneading with both hand ---you may need one more cup of flour.
Be careful not to add too much flour---it will get dry and flakey.
Make a large big ball in middle of LARGE BOWL---cover with clean towels and set near a warm oven—but not on the stove---too hot will cook the dough. Keep covered for several hours until it doubles in size. Keep oven at 350 degrees with oven door open slightly.
STAGE 2: PREP FOR ROLLS
I. Melt in saucepan—
2 sticks of butter or more
You need a butter brush—to brush butter on rolled out dough. Small clean new paint brush works.
II. Mix the shaker (this can be homemade—by taking a nail and pounding holes into a lid of jar)
1 cup of white sugar
¼ cup of cinnamon
STAGE 3: MAKING THE ROLLS
I. Take a “baseball” size ball of dough off the side of large ball in bowl—keep the large ball covered.
Roll out the dough ---into a long oblong shape:
Brush with melted butter
Sprinkle with Cinnamon/sugar mixture
II. Roll up like a long snake, then curl into a coil like a snake on a pie tin— pie tin brushed with butter first. With a sharp pointed scissors—cut vertically across pinwheel and fold—starting at the outside end of pinwheel—then work into center.
Layer each fold in opposite directions to make the weaving of the dough.
*Optional---Push a maraschino cherry half in center.
III. Set Roll in Warm Place---stove top with oven door open on 350 degrees—watch that it does not get over heated. Cover the dough rings until double in size—about 1-2 hours.
IV. Bake the Rolls
In an oven---heated to 350 degree---bake the tins of bread rolls for 25-30 minutes—
Watch closely---until golden brown on top and not raw in center of dough ring.
Take out of oven—brush with melted butter—cool for 15 minutes. Then remove from the pan with metal spatula.
Allow cooling before wrapping with plastic wrap or tin foil.
Put into airtight bags then freeze or ENJOY!!
