Cardamom Coffee Braid
Lightly sweet, fluffy bread spiced with cardamom is perfect for sharing with loved ones!
Servings 1 wreath
Calories 2980kcal
Ingredients
Dough
- 8 fl oz milk
- 2 fl oz water
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 4 oz sugar
- 2 oz unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 pkt instant yeast (2 1/4 tsps)
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 20 oz bread flour plus extra if needed
- 2 Tbsps bread enhancer optional
- 1 tsps salt
Toppings
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp water
- 2- 4 Tbsps coarse sugar
Instructions
- Scald the milk in a saucepan over medium- low heat. Heat until hot, around 150°F, but do not let it boil. Set aside to cool to 100°F - 115°F.
- Add the warm milk to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the water, eggs, sugar, and butter. Now add the dry ingredients: yeast, cardamom, flour, bread enhancer (if using) and salt. Always add salt to the side of the bowl and prevent direct contact with the yeast.
- Mix on low with a dough hook for 5- 8 minutes. Towards the end, add a small amount of flour if it looks too loose. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and finish kneading by hand. The dough is very soft, so try not to add too much flour. You are done kneading when the dough is smooth and elastic and you can do a window pane test.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap. Set aside in a warm, draft free location to rise until doubled in size. About 60- 90 minutes.
- Punch the dough down to expel the gas. Portion into 3 equal chunks. Loosely cover the dough and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
- Roll the 3 portions into long ropes of equal length. Braid them together loosely. Bring the two ends together, forming a wreath, and connect the ropes. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Combine the egg and water to create an egg wash. Brush the wreaths with the wash and top with coarse sugar. Cover and set aside to proof until puffy, about 20- 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F while the wreaths rise. When they are done proofing, bake for 25- 30 minutes. The wreath should be golden brown and the internal temperature will be 190°F.
- Let the bread cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
- If using active dry yeast, soak it in the warm water for 10 minutes and add it it with the wet ingredients.
- Do not top the wreath with regular granulated sugar. Use sparkling sugar or pearl sugar.