Julekake #2 (Baked in Loaf Pans)

origamifreak's Note:

Norwegian holiday bread. My brother went to Norway for a AFS and brought back a recipe for Julekake, which our mother incoporated into the family holiday tradition. We don't have the original recipe, though, so he's translated two from a cookbook of the era. Translated by my brother from Kokebok; Statens Lærerskole I Husstell, Stabekk ;J.W. Cappelens Forlag, Oslo 1966.

• Total Time: 2 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 30

Yield: 4.0 loaves

• 1 kg flour
• 250 g margarine
• 225 g sugar
• 2 teaspoons cardamom
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ liter milk
• 2 eggs
• 40 g cake yeast
• 150 g raisins
• 120 g candied peel (finely sliced)

Directions:

1. Mix the margarine and flour together.
2. Make a cold raised dough that is firm and well kneaded. The fluid should be at room temperature (18 – 20°C) or cold, as one would use for weinerbread.
3. Knead in the raisins and candied peel.
4. Place in greased loaf pans.
5. Press the dough down along the middle and brush with water.
6. Cover the tins and let rise in a cool room overnight. The dough will require a longer rising time than warm raised. It can rise overnight or several hours. It should not be allowed to rise in a warm room or the fermentation will be too rapid and the dough can fall. Care must be taken to prevent the forming of a dry skin during the rising (by misting or covering).
7. Prior to baking, brush the loaves with egg and slice the top.
8. Bake for 1 hour at 200°C.