Erin MacPherson's Mummu's Cardamom Bread

Erin MacPherson is an amateur cook by day and a writer by night. A former food editor for Nickelodeon, Erin loves to cook and try out new recipes on her family. She lives in the country—on the outskirts of Austin—with her three kids, her husband and her trusty Golden Retriever Jack who is always happy to sample her cooking scraps. She is the author of the Christian Mama's Guide series and she blogs about parenting and food at www.christianmamasguide.com.

Erin's Newest Release: The Christian Mama's Guide to Baby's First Year

An entertaining, practical guide for first-time mamas and those who need a baby refresher course. The new mom initiation ritual involves sleepless nights, an inexplicable obsession with baby booties, and more questions than answers. This take on everything baby offers new moms the Christian girlfriend advice she needs to feel confident in her new role, including: 

• getting into the motherhood groove
• breastfeeding advice
• suggestions for losing the baby weight—before your baby is no longer a baby
• time management tips that may just help you find time to do laundry—before you run out of clean underwear
• how you can manage to be a godly mother and a good wife on less than three hours of sleep a night

Easy-to-read and relatable, this been-there-done-that guide answers these questions and more with a dose of humor an a lot of grace so that new moms can become the moms that God intended them to be during their baby's first year. Check out all of her guide series on Amazon HERE. 

Erin MacPherson's Mummu's Cardamom Bread

My grandmother ("Mummu" in Finnish) immigrated to the United States in 1950 using a borrowed visa. As my grandma adjusted to life in a new culture, she clung to comforts from home. One of those was her mom's cardamom bread, which she made nearly every day to go with her husband's morning coffee. My grandma is still alive and a few weeks ago, she came to visit me. My kids and I rolled out the red-carpet—or hand-me-down, hand-stitched linens if you will. We woke up early and made Mummu's famous bread and then set the table with our best mismatched china, fresh coffee and butter. My grandma loved it. And I loved sharing a glimmer of my childhood—of my grandma's childhood—with my kids.

¾ cup milk

¼ cup water

1 pkg. yeast

4 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon ground cardamom (Warning: Ground cardamom is expensive.  I buy whole pods in the spice section and grind them myself with a mortar and pestle.)

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

3 eggs, beaten, separated

Put water and milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Warm, stirring frequently, just until the liquid starts to steam. Remove from heat, let set 1 minute. Add yeast, set aside and let sit for 10 minutes until activated.

In a large bowl, mix flour, cardamom, salt, and sugar. Add yeast-mixture to flour mixture, along with melted butter and 2 beaten eggs. Stir just until mixed.

Pour dough onto bread board or Silpat mat (or if you want, put it in your Kitchenaid with a dough hook) and start to knead. The dough will start off soft and sticky. Knead until it's smooth and elastic. Let rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours or overnight. Punch dough down.  Break into 3 equal parts. Roll each part into a long snake. Braid the snakes into a small loaf.  Brush with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with 1 tbsp sugar. Let rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes. Bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes until crust is golden-brown. Serve with coffee or tea.