Julekage or Julekake, traditional Scandinavian Christmas bread. A rich, flavorful bread served at Christmas in many Scandinavian countries, particularly popular in Norway and Denmark.
The bread may also be known as Julekaka, which means “Yule Bread” in Norwegian.
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Holiday Bakes
The word itself engulfs you with the warm aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Warm bread loaded with candied fruits and crispy nuts, paired with warm butter and hot cocoa, brings you the holiday feel, isn't?
Christmas fruit cake is a regular at home every year. In fact I start baking 2 weeks early as i make small gift packs for my close friends. These berries and raisins loaded Oats & berries breakfast rolls are my next favorite. If you are looking for a beautiful centerpiece bake, this Nutella star bread, must be your choice. I made a similar bake with puff pastry sheets, Baklava star loaded with nuts and served with saffron syrup.
More Holiday Bakes
Julekake | Julekage
Like many holiday breads, Julekage involves candied fruit and nuts, and it is heavily spiced. The traditional spice used in Julekage is cardamom, although nutmeg, cinnamon, and other flavors may be used as well. The bread tastes best when served warm straight out of the Oven, it can also be served next day with a generous spread of butter!!
As I have already baked a cardamom flavored finnish bread pulla, I knew the taste, so I readily baked it and with all dried fruits added it was really rich bread apt for the festive season. I didn't have any candied fruit in hand, so I have used some dried cherries, berries along with raisins. The bread can be topped with sugar glaze, I avoided it for the obvious reason, instead topped it with chopped almonds, it gave a nice crunch to the crust.
Step by Step Instructions to make Julekage
Please check recipe card below for exact measurements of each ingredient used and also for the detailed instructions
- Warm milk in a microwave for 20 seconds and add buter to the milk. Take flour, instant yeast, sugar together in bow and mix well to combine. Slowly add warm milk-butter to this and mix using a spatula.
- Once flour and liquid are well mixed, take the flour to the kneading surface and knead well to form a smooth dough.
- Stretch the dough to form a rough rectangle, spread the dried fruits and nuts, roll it into log, and knead well again.
- Let the kneaded dough rest for an hour or until it doubles. Punch down the extra air, knead again and make a ball/boule. Let the boule rest in a baking tray for another 45 minutes.
- Brush the top of the bread with milk-oil mixture and bake in a preheated oven @ 180C for 30 minutes or until the top turns golden brown. Once done, remove and let it cool well on a wire-rack.
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Recipe
Eggless Julekake | Julekage- Norwegian Christmas Bread
Equipment
- Convection oven
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups bread flour
- 1.5 teaspoon instant yeast
- 3.5 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup warm milk
- ½ cup candied fruit I used dried cherries & berries
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon milk plus a teaspoon of oil mixed for brushing the bread
- 2 tablespoon chopped almonds & Pearl sugar for topping
Instructions
- Take bread flour, instant yeast, sugar together in a bowl. Mix well to combine. Warm milk in microwave for 20 seconds add butter to the milk.
- Now slowly add this milk mixture to the flour mix. Using a spatula start mixing the flour.
- Temperature of the liquid added is more important while making bread dough. Too hot or too cold it will kill the yeast. One way to know whether the temperature is correct, is to touch the liquid with your finger, it should be hot and not scaling hot, that is correct temperature.
- Once both the flour and milk is incorporated well. Take the flour on to a kneading surface and knead well to form a smooth elastic dough.
- Nowt o add the dried fruits to the dough. Stretch the dough roughly into ar ectangle, spread the dried fruits on it and now roll the dough into a jellyroll and knead it to form a dough.
- Let the dough rest in a well oiled bowl for an hour or until it doubles
- ·Take the dough on to a flat surface, punch down the extra air and knead the dough for a minute again and shape it into a boule/ball.
- Grease a flat baking tray and lay it with parchment. Lay the prepared boule/ball on a prepared baking tray. Let the dough rest another 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Brush the bread with milk-oil mix and bake it for 30 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.
- Let the bread sit in the oven for 2 minutes, take it out of the oven and let itcool in the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool completely. Slice and enjoy warm along with tea.
- Any leftover bread, can be tightly cling-wrapped and stored on the kitchen counter for a day. I have never stored it outside for more than one day. If storing for more days i prefer refrigeration.
Disclaimer
I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.
Bake this amazing, dry fruits loaded Julekake | Julekage, traditional Christmas bread for the coming holiday season. Share it with your friends and family. This beautiful julekake will make a wonderful gift this festive season.
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Varada's Kitchen
Very festive with all the additions. I love cinnamon flavored breads too. Nice one.
Unknown
such a perfectly baked one!!!
Priya Suresh
Julekake came out simply prefect, prefect xmas bread.
Srivalli
Looks so amazing Priya..very nicely done..
MySpicyKitchen
Bread slices are tempting and inviting with candied fruit peeking out of it. Nice bread.
Pavani
What a delicious and flavorful bread.
Sneha's Recipe
Wow what a delicious bread. Well baked.
Chef Mireille
what a beautiful looking sweet bread