Tie One On-recipe and apron

The theme for Tie One On for November is to share a holiday recipe and show an apron. Any apron. That's it. I wanted to make it easy on us all. . so find your favorite apron, take a photo, and dig though your recipe cards. And while you are at it, please check out Hannah's cool new food/recipe blog, the recipe box. She has some great recipes already up and even a pdf of a super cool blank recipe card to print out, all ready for your box. I think we should all e-mail her our Tie One On recipes as well for this awesome project, can't have too much of good thing.

This is one of my all time favorite family recipes. It comes from our family cookbook that my mom and aunts put together in 1981, which deserves it's own post. The apron is one of my all time favorites that I thought would kind of go with the recipe. I got it for Christmas last year and love it to bits. Best pockets ever.

Christmas Braid

2 3/4 cup flour
1 package yeast
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg

In a mixing bowl combine the yeast, 3/4 cup flour, and cardamom. In a small sauce pan (or the microwave) heat the milk, butter, and sugar until warm. (not hot) Add the milk mixture to the dry and mix on low for 30 seconds, scrape. Add egg. Beat for 3 min on a high speed. Slowly add the remaining flour to make a soft dough (you may us a little less or a little more flour than the 2 remaining cups.) Mix until the dough is smooth, (use a dough hook here) Put in a greased bowl to rise until doubled (depends on the yeast you use, 30-50 minutes) Punch down dough. Turn onto a floured surface and make 3 balls. Let rest for 10 min. Roll balls into 3 ropes (16" long) and braid loosely. Start in the middle and work out to each end, tucking/pinching ends under. Cover with a towel and let rise again until double in size.**  Brush braid with a little milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes.

**I always pre-heat the oven during the second rise and put the dough nearby or even on top of the oven. It makes it rise faster.

The smell of this braid baking is 100% Christmas to me. It's wonderful with butter and jam and even better as French toast the next morning. Thanks grammie!! Send me your favorite family recipe and apron photo. . share the love, man!

Comments

[Barb]

Your lucky that everyone doesn't own that same apron, because I could see it being posted over and over as a favourite...for sure!

[Barb]

I meant to say "you're lucky", not "your"...must have gotten carried away after looking at the apron and was lost for words!

[hannah]

oooh, yes this recipe already smells good. thanks for the props, i would love to post the tie one on recipes as well. were you wearing that apron when i was there? i am thinking yes. it is lovely.

[Rachel]

thanks for sharing the recipe. It sounds wonderful. Love that apron too.

[geek+nerd]

this recipe looks wonderful - and that has got to be the coolest apron ever! thanks for sharing! cheers, sarah

[Kat with a K]

The apron is really cute, and the recipe sounds yummy!

[Carol]

Thanks for sharing the great recipe. No surprise on your favorite apron, very you, very nice :)

[Pip]

I love how favorite recipes end up on blogs around the holidays. They're always the first to get tried for me. I'll post a pic if I attempt it!

[Amanda]

I actually make that recipe EVERY YEAR. We call it Swedish Christmas Bread because my great grandma brought over the recipe from Sweden when she moved to the US when my gram was little. I top mine with colored sugar and like to eat mine slightly toasted with a bit of butter. YUM!

My other fav is routmousse...another Swedish recipe. It's like mashed potatoes but mashed turnips and potatoes together. It is DELISH!

[Heidi]

Love the new blog header graphic!

[Madeline]

That is an absolutely gorgeous apron. Can you believe the only apron I own is one from when I worked at Blockbuster Music a few years ago? *hangs head in shame*

[molly]

could that apron be any more perfect?!
thanks for the recipe. i'd love to try it once i recover for thanksgiving baking.
and Hannah's site IS wonderful!!

[carolyn]

I'm going to pass this recipe on to my husband, he loves to bake bread and i'm sure he will be delighted with a Christmassy one.Thanks.

[denice]

Oh, yum, you always post such fantastic recipes!

[Morgan]

Recipe looks delish! Can't wait to try it out...

Apron: is to die for : )

[Stephanie]

Great apron! Lovely ideas with the CD "houses"! My 4 year old nephew would really like the firehouse idea. Maybe I'll get my kids to make one for him :)

[carolb]

Hi Angry Chicken! I got the December 2006 edition of Martha Stewart Living, and I'm pretty sure she's been reading your website. There's a whole article on all the different aprons she's been making for Christmas gifts this year. Hmmmm...

[Amy]

I recently did a post about this bread too. It's called Pulla and is very common in Finland. My father's family came to Canada from Finland when he was about eight years old. He grew up with his mother making this bread regularly (it's also known as Finnish Coffee Bread). His mother passed the recipe on to my mother...

There seems to be lots of crossover between Sweden and Finland, as I can see from the comments here. My grandmother was Swedish, but grew up in Finland and married a Finn.

I've just been reading through your blog for the first time and I'm really enjoying it!