recipe reviews for:

Norwegian Christmas Bread

“When my husband became a minister for a church in an area populated with Norwegians, my father-in-law was delighted because I had easy access to recipes he enjoyed as a child. This is a traditional Christmas bread, but I make it for any holiday we get together. --Deborah Petersen, Princeton, New Jersey”

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Reviewed: Dec. 4, 2011

My first time making this. My boyfriend who is half Norwegian and half Swedish said that it tastes correct. The only changes I made was omitting the dried candied fruit. I added a teaspoon of orange zest. Also, the bread did rise as much as I had hoped.

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1 user found this review helpful

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SanderellaSF

Reviewed: May 24, 2011

Very good. Reminds me of Christmas with family!

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2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Moe

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Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Living In: Highlands Ranch, Colorado, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 27, 2010

I have an older male friend of Nowegian heritage and as a little Christmas surprise I made this for him. His warm blue eyes lit in delight when he saw the first loaf. He ate the first slice, asked for a 2nd, and then a 3rd. His beloved told me he NEVER goes back for 2nds on anything, and 3rds is unheard of. In his endearing, succinct way, he said "This is just like my grandmothers." I don't have a Norwegian grandmother, but I do know that we all enjoyed this wonderful bread. It is a tender bread, just the right amount of sweet, and fragrant and delicious with the cardamon. I also had a bit of difficulty with the bread rising. The 2nd rise took closer to 2 hrs, and it was still only filled about 3/4 of the height of the cake pan. I realized that this was not going to be a tall bread because of all the heavy fillings. The loaves rose further during baking, and the loaf was equal to the height of the cake pan, cresting a bit in the middle. Thank you so much, Deborah, for sharing this wonderful recipe. It is going into my keeper file!

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6 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

KATYPI

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Dec. 25, 2009

My bread did not rise properly and I don't like Christmas Bread -- not even Norwegian Christmas Bread -- but it tastes amazing! So I like Norwegian Christmas Bread now! Thank you!

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7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

sparkytoo

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Dec. 22, 2009

I couldn't find candied fruit in the stores so I used dried fruit pieces (Sunmaid brand, contains raisins, apples, apricots, etc). The bread was to DIE for! I brought a loaf into work and it was gone in about 20 minutes. People came back later asking for another slice. I'm making it again today. Just a wonderfully fragrant, perfectly sweet bread.

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7 users found this review helpful

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jennifer_sporty

Reviewed: Dec. 16, 2009

I've been making julekage for years. I'm never quite happy with my recipe, but, forget by the next year and make the same recipe all over again before I remember. This year I remembered to look for a different recipe. I made this one in my bread machine pretty much as given, though I know I like a little more salt in my bread so I put in 1 tsp. I held out 1/4 cup of the flour and didn't end up needing it. It turned out wonderful. Just the flavor I was looking for!

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5 users found this review helpful

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lizabell

Reviewed: Feb. 13, 2009

Just like my Norwegian grandmother's! I use white raisins, but Grandma used currants. She had a bush in her garden in Northe Dakota! We grew up having this for Christmas morning breakfast.I grated my own cardamon for years, as the ground was impossible to find.

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3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

TxVee

Reviewed: Dec. 29, 2008

This is almost the same as the Christmas Bread my husband's mother makes. I usually make it in our bread maker for convenience, with the following adjustments: Add liquids first, flour, then yeast on top. After first knead, add fruits. Bread makers tend to further chop up the fruits, so if you want big chunks you may want to knead them in by hand. Also, due to the warm milk and eggs, make immediately (vs delayed timer, which may cause spoilage). The last time I made it I mistakenly added too much sugar (2x), but it actually made the bread rise better. Finally, if you don't like the candied fruits, try making it with other dried fruits (raisins, applies, apricots, cherries, etc.).

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21 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Jenny

Reviewed: Dec. 7, 2008

I made this today for my mother, whose mother was from Norway. She used to make "YuleKake" ever year and send it to us. We've been trying to find a similar recipe and this is it! I used the fruit cake candied fruit mix instead of just citron to add more color and also dusted the raisins and fruit with flour before mixing them in. I may soak the raisins next time to plump them up. Anyway, great blend of tastes. Nice and subtle. No one item overwhelms the other (such as the cardamon). Thanks for this!

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Reviewer:

Nancy Cotton

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: San Diego, California, USA

Living In: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2007

I haven't tried the recipe yet, however it is very close to the one that I use. I am not at my home, and cannot get to my recipes there. This is the closest I have found to my recipe. Try it with geitost cheese, a unique brown goat cheese, you can usually find in a good grocery store or cheese shop around the holidays. We call the bread Julekake - Christmas Bread. Thank you for sharing.

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5 users found this review helpful