Finland: Sweet Cardamom Bread

I just recently came to terms with the fact that I can not bake.  I think it's a combination of my inability to measure precisely and just plain old lack of experience.  My kitchen has not produced a baked good that I've been proud of in years.

Finland was my final attempt.  In Finland, breads and pastries abound.  There is a staple of the Finnish diet called "pulla", a sweet bread that is typically seasoned with cardamom and served with breakfast.  I found a version of pulla on epicurious.com that received great reviews.  So last Thursday, Henry and I tackled this recipe:  Finnish Sweet Cardamom Raisin Bread.

I was immediately intimidated by the use of yeast, the need to let the dough rise for hours, getting it to the perfect non-sticky consistency.... Maybe it was Henry, but somehow this just worked.  I made bread!  And it tasted GOOD!   So good I scored it a 3.5.  My confidence in the kitchen is back, just in time for France.

Until then, here are photos of my sous chef and our final product: