Cardamon, grown in tropical Guatemala-they say it's the queen of spices. . .I love its sweet-mysterious aroma and flavor (what does it smell like? I ask myself eveytime I unskrew the jar!) they say Cardamon is added to most Scandanavian pasteries; I like to think that my Danish grandmother put Cardamon in her Chritmas stollen!
So, most years I make a Swedish coffee bread in December, to eat and to give away-a simple yeast bread, braided and with Cardamon. Hmmm, how I love the aroma of the spice when added to the hot milk, sugar, and melted butter.
When I make Swedish coffee bread I think of my neighbor in Portand, Oregon who 30 years ago gave me this recipe. We made it together, maybe 20 loaves that year-a recipe from her father who came from Sweden. I make the bread, add the Cardamon and think of how God graciously placed this sweet woman in the corner house in my neighborhood, not just for Swedish coffee bread at Christmas, but because I needed her. . .mostly to teach me by example to love my husband and to lovingly train my little daughter.
4 comments:
it's fun to read about your Christmas loaves going out as I sit here in my kitchen with my neighborhood packets all wrapped up and ready to go . . .
Happy Christmas to you, Darcie!
The kids arrived safely. We are enjoying good times together.
Blessings,
Dawn xo
MMM! I love that bread!!!
Darcie, I would like to compare recipes with you! I make the braided wreaths every Christmas as well; a tradition handed down to me by my sweet mother-in-law who used to make many each Christmas....and so it goes. I love the traditions of Christmas. The love that goes into each loaf is much more fragrant than the cardamom! And by the way, I was out of cardamom this year so Julia and I substituted mace. It was also very good!
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