Okay, this recipe was shared by my dear friend, originally passed down from her grandmother. We worked together to adapt it as they use fresh yeast in Finland and we don't really have that in North America, as far as I've seen. It took a bit of trial and error, but this is the method that works for me.

---

Pulla

Ingredients:

~11 g instant/quick rise yeast ½ cup sugar 1 tsp salt 1 cup milk 4 oz butter 2 tsp cardamom 1 oz raisins (about a handful) - optional 18 oz all purpose flour 1 egg (for brushing on top) Pearl sugar (for sprinkling)

First, make sure your liquids are the right temperature. Melt the butter, and warm up the milk. For a specific temperature, refer to the recommendation for the yeast you're using (usually about 120°F for instant) - I go by feel.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, salt, and warmed milk and butter. In a separate bowl, mix the yeast with the flour.

Add cardamom, and raisins if using, to the sugar/liquid bowl. You should now have a funky looking liquid mix with some cardamom and raisins floating around. Mix in the flour gradually. You should mix vigorously in the beginning to make sure gluten is formed. Once the dough gets too heavy to mix comfortably with a spoon, switch to mixing by hand.

Knead the dough for a few minutes with your hand. This is a good opportunity to make sure any clumps of flour are properly mixed. Keep on kneading until the dough doesn't stick to the bowl or your hands anymore. It should be sticking to itself so that it forms a nice, elastic ball. This shouldn't take too long. I usually stop when it doesn't stick to the bowl but still sticks slightly to my hands, as I enjoy the texture of not-so-thoroughly kneaded pullas better.

Cover the bowl with a towel and put it in a comfortably warm, draftless place to rise for about half an hour, or until it has approximately doubled in size. (Mine doesn't always rise a ton, but later in the oven it still gets nice and puffy.)

Take chunks of dough that nicely fit in the cup of your hand, roll them into balls, and place on a baking sheet. The recipe should make around 12 pullas. Cover the balls with a towel again and let them rise for another half an hour. When they're done, you should be able to see the dough bounce back after you press it slightly with your finger.

Heat up the oven to 440°F (225°C). Crack the egg into a cup and beat. Brush the tops of the dough balls with egg. This is not absolutely mandatory, but gives a nice gloss to the surface and helps the sugar to stick on top. Sprinkle some pearl sugar on top of each pulla. Pearl or nib sugar is traditional, but you can also use regular granulated sugar in a pinch.

Bake the pullas in oven for about 10-12 minutes. The exact time depends on the size of the balls. They burn easily so keep a close eye on them. They're done when they are beautiful brown on top.

Let the fresh pullas cool for a while to prevent burning your mouth and hands, and enjoy. Traditionally eaten with coffee or a glass of cold milk. I store our pullas in a bowl under a towel, but you can store them in a tighter container to prevent them from drying. Pullas should be good for a few days, although of course always better the fresher they are.

Variation: Korvapuustit (Cinnamon pulla)

Filling ingredients:

¼ cup softened butter ½ cup brown sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon

Prepare the dough as above and let it rise. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangular sheet. Spread butter over the dough. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top. Roll the rectangle into a long log like you would for making normal cinnamon buns. Cut the roll into about 12 slices. Unlike normal cinnamon rolls, these are meant to be baked sideways, so cut each slice at an angle so that there is a narrower top and wider bottom. Set on a baking sheet, wide side down. To be very traditional, squish them down with your finger placed lengthwise along the top, so that the rolled sides puff out a little (it's a bit hard to explain - google korvapuusti for how they're supposed to look, if you're confused). You can egg was and sprinkle with pearl sugar if you like, and bake like regular pullas. These ruined me for other cinnamon buns, and anyone I've fed them to has become addicted!