My Finnish pulla is a sweet, festive, and delicious braided cardamom loaf that's a suitable treat for any holiday or event. It's made with simple, easy-to-find ingredients, flavored with ground cardamom, and topped with pearl sugar.
My family and I enjoy Finnish pulla all year round, but it's extra special on holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas — the robust, cozy cardamom flavor just screams wintertime. If you love a sweet, enriched bake, you'll also love my fluffy sourdough discard cinnamon rolls and banana cinnamon rolls — or a cozy quick loaf like my sourdough banana bread.
Quick Look: Finnish Pulla Cardamom Bread
⏱️ Ready In: about 2 hours 20 minutes
🔥 Bake Time: 25–30 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 1 large loaf (about 12 slices)
✨ Calories: 340 per slice
🥄 Main Ingredients: flour, cardamom, butter, milk, pearl sugar
🌿 Dietary: Vegetarian
💛 Why You'll Love It: a festive, cozy braided cardamom loaf ready in under 3 hours
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Cozy cardamom flavor. Ground cardamom gives this loaf its signature warm, festive aroma — pure holiday comfort.
A showstopping braid. The three-strand braid looks impressive but is genuinely simple to do.
Soft, enriched crumb. Butter, milk, and eggs make a tender, slightly sweet bread, much like my lemon raspberry sweet rolls.
Ready in under 3 hours. No overnight proof — a quick rise gets this on the table the same day.
Perfect for gatherings.Festive enough for Christmas and Easter, lovely enough to gift, like my chocolate espresso cinnamon rolls and same-day sourdough crescent rolls.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Finnish Pulla Cardamom Bread
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Easy Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Finnish Pulla Cardamom Bread
- Expert Tips
- What Makes This Recipe Special?
- Finnish Pulla Cardamom Bread FAQs
- Finnish Pulla Troubleshooting Guide
- Storage
- Other Holiday Recipes to Consider
- Finnish Pulla Braided Cardamom Bread
Ingredients
- Warm water and dry active yeast — to bloom the yeast (with a little sugar to feed it).
- Sugar — for a lightly sweet dough.
- Warm whole milk — for a tender, enriched crumb.
- Unsalted butter — room temperature, for richness and softness.
- Eggs — for structure and a golden crumb.
- All-purpose flour and kosher salt — the base and seasoning.
- Ground cardamom — the star flavor; warm, floral, and festive.
- Pearl sugar — for that signature crunchy, sparkly topping.
- Heavy cream — brushed on before baking for a golden finish.
See recipe card for quantities.
Easy Substitutions & Variations
Heavy cream wash: Use milk or an egg wash instead.
No pearl sugar? Use regular cane sugar, or drizzle with a milk-and-powdered-sugar glaze after baking.
Dairy-free: Use a high-fat non-dairy milk and a non-dairy butter.
Cinnamon sugar: Top with cinnamon sugar instead of pearl sugar.
Glaze it: Skip the pearl sugar and drizzle with a sweet glaze.
Make it chai: Add chai spices to the dough — ¼ teaspoon each of ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg, plus ½ teaspoon cinnamon — for a warm twist, like my chewy sourdough gingerbread cookies.
How to Make Finnish Pulla Cardamom Bread
- Step 1: Proof yeast and mix all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Knead until it can pass the windowpane test.
- Step 2: allow to rest covered until doubled in size. Split into 3 equal sized pieces.
- Step 3: Roll the dough balls until they're roughly 12 inches long. Pinch the top of the three of them together (pictured) and begin to braid the dough tightly. When you reach the end, tuck the end under and pinch it together.
- Step 4: When the dough is lightly puffy (after 30 mins or so) brush it with heavy cream.
- Step 5: Top with pearl sugar.
- Step 6: Bake on the top rack at 375F for 25-30 mins or when the bread is golden and fully cooked. The internal temperature should be 180F. Alow to cool before cutting!
Hint: this bread can brown easily on the bottom. Avoid this by placing it on the top rack of your oven (allowing for space to proof) and place an additional pan on the rack below to block some of the direct heat.
Expert Tips
1. Check your liquid temperature. Water and milk should be 110–120°F — warm enough to activate the yeast but not so hot it dies. Make sure the yeast foams before continuing.
2. Add flour slowly. You may not need the full 6 cups. Add it gradually until the dough is smooth and passes the windowpane test.
3. Bake on the top rack. This bread browns easily on the bottom — bake on the top rack and place an empty pan on the rack below to block direct heat.
4. Use a thermometer. The loaf is done at an internal temperature of 180°F, which takes the guesswork out of doneness.
5. Cool before slicing. Let it cool fully so the crumb sets — slicing warm makes it gummy.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
Pulla is a beloved Finnish coffee bread, and its magic is all in the cardamom. That warm, floral spice woven through a soft, buttery, enriched dough is what makes this loaf feel so cozy and festive — it's the smell of the holidays in bread form. The three-strand braid turns a simple dough into a centerpiece worthy of any celebration table.
Best of all, it's approachable: a quick same-day rise, a brush of cream, and a sprinkle of crunchy pearl sugar deliver a bakery-worthy loaf in under three hours. It's the same special-occasion-but-doable spirit as my soft sourdough sandwich bread, sourdough discard ciabatta rolls, and sourdough discard coffee cake.
Finnish Pulla Cardamom Bread FAQs
Yes! Just use non-dairy butter and milk. See my "substitutions" section above for my recommended dairy-free options!
Soft, lightly sweet, and rich with warm cardamom — somewhere between a brioche and a sweet braided bread.
Use regular cane sugar, or drizzle with a milk-and-powdered-sugar glaze after baking.
This bread browns easily underneath — bake on the top rack and slide an empty pan onto the rack below to shield it from direct heat.
Finnish Pulla Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Yeast didn't foam | Liquid too hot/cold, or old yeast | Use 110–120°F liquid and fresh yeast |
| Dense, heavy loaf | Too much flour, or under-risen | Add flour gradually; let it fully double |
| Bottom browned too fast | Too close to bottom heat | Bake on the top rack; shield with a pan below |
| Gummy crumb | Sliced while warm | Cool completely before cutting |
| Braid lost definition | Over-proofed before baking | Bake when just lightly puffy, ~30 min |
Storage
Room temperature: Store in an airtight container or bag for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge to prevent condensation from making it soggy.
Other Holiday Recipes to Consider
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Finnish Pulla Braided Cardamom Bread
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Kitchen Scale
- Baking sheet
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 80 g warm water ⅓ cup, 110–120°F
- 104 g sugar ½ cup + 1 tsp, divided
- 7 g dry active yeast 2¼ tsp, 1 packet
- 160 g warm whole milk ⅔ cup, 110–120°F
- 113 g unsalted butter ½ cup, room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 690 –720g all-purpose flour 5¾–6 cups, divided
- 8 g kosher salt 1¼ teaspoon Morton or 2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal
- 2 –3 teaspoon ground cardamom preferably freshly ground
- Pearl sugar for topping
- Heavy cream for brushing
Instructions
- Proof the yeast in the warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until bloomed. Add the butter, milk, remaining sugar, and eggs and mix lightly.80 g warm water, 104 g sugar, 7 g dry active yeast, 160 g warm whole milk, 113 g unsalted butter, 2 large eggs
- Add the flour (slowly — you may not need all of it), salt, and cardamom. Knead with the dough hook until smooth and it passes the windowpane test.690 –720g all-purpose flour, 8 g kosher salt, 2 –3 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into three equal balls and roll each into a rope about 12 inches long.
- Pinch the three together at the top, braid tightly, then tuck and pinch the ends to seal.
- Place on a lined baking sheet, cover, and let rest until lightly puffy (~30 minutes). Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Brush the loaf with heavy cream and top generously with pearl sugar.Heavy cream, Pearl sugar
- Bake on the top rack at 375°F for 25–30 minutes, until golden and cooked through (internal temp 180°F). Cool fully before slicing.
Notes
- Instead of heavy cream, you can use milk or an egg wash.
- No pearl sugar? Use regular sugar or a sweet glaze drizzled on top.
- This bread browns easily on the bottom — bake on the top rack and place an empty pan on the rack below to block direct heat.
- Weigh your ingredients for the most consistent results. Store at room temperature up to 5 days, or freeze up to 6 months.
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