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Danish Christmas Fruit Loaf
(Julekage)
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| What You Need: |
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2 packages or cakes of active dry or compressed yeast
¼ cup sugar
½ cup lukewarm milk
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
3 to 4 cups sifted flour
1 cup mixed candied fruits (lemon, orange, cherry, pineapple)
1 tablespoon flour
8 tablespoons (1 quarter-pound stick) unsalted butter, softened
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Sprinkle the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the lukewarm milk. Let the mixture stand in the cup for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir gently to dissolve them. Set in a warm place, perhaps in an unlighted oven.
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2. When the yeast begins to bubble in about 8 to 10 minutes, stir it gently, and with a rubber spatula, transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the salt, vanilla, lemon rind, eggs, cardamom and the remaining sugar.
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3. Then add 3 cups of flour, a little at a time, stirring at first and then kneading with your hands until the dough becomes firm enough to be formed into a ball.
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4. Shake the candied fruits in a small paper bag with 1 tablespoon of flour. (The flour will prevent the fruits from sticking together and enable them to disperse evenly throughout the dough.)
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5. Now add the fruits and the softened butter to the dough and knead for about 10 minutes, adding more flour, if necessary, to make the dough medium-soft.
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6. The finished dough should be shiny and elastic, and its surface blistered. Shape into a ball and place in a large bowl. Dust the top lightly with flour, cover with a kitchen towel and set it in a warm, draft-free spot (again, an unlighted oven is ideal).
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7. In 45 minutes to 1 hour the dough should double in bulk and leave a deep depression when two fingers are pressed into the center.
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8. After removing the dough, preheat the oven to 350°F. Punch the dough down with your fists and knead again quickly. Shape it into a fat loaf and put it into a lightly buttered 1½ -quart loaf pan.
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9. Cover again with the towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 15 to 20 minutes until it is almost double in bulk.
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10. Bake the "Julekage" in the center of the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool on a cake rack. It will keep well for 2 or 3 weeks if wrapped well in aluminum foil and refrigerated.
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