Frigga Bread
by Tchipakkan
(Originally published in The Heathen Cookie Book from Asphodel Press.)
This recipe makes two rings. You can save one for later, or give it away as a gift. We traditionally have this as our breakfast for the autumn equinox.
For bread:
2 tbsp. yeast in
¼ cup warm water and
½ tbsp. sugar
½ cup milk, scalded
1/3 cup sugar or honey
½ cup butter
½ tsp. saffron
3 1/3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
½ cup mashed potatoes
(Note: If you haven’t got leftover mashed potatoes, you can make do with instant, but real is best. If you didn’t know it, the water used in boiling potatoes is an excellent addition to bread. Drain your potatoes over a bowl and use it instead of the milk or water you’d otherwise use.)
For topping:
½ cup melted butter
1 cup chopped almonds
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup dried cherries
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. cinnamon
For glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
¼ cup cream
1 tbsp. melted butter
½ tsp. almond extract
Proof the yeast in the warm water and sugar. Stir the butter into the milk while it is still scalding hot; it will melt the butter and help cool down the milk. Then add the sugar/honey and saffron to the milk mixture. Mix the flour in a bowl with the salt. When the yeast is foamy, and the milk cooled enough not to kill the yeast, pour it into the flour mix. Stir in the egg and the mashed potatoes. Knead well, cover and let rise in a warm place until double (about one hour). Punch down and knead again. Cut in two pieces. Roll each into a 18"x10" rectangle.
For the topping, brush the loaves with melted butter. Mix together the almonds, dried fruit, sugar, and spices, and cover the buttered areas with it.
Roll each rectangle into a roll and seal the dough together well. Curl each into a ring (I find that a pizza pan works well for this), then snip the ring most of the way through with scissors, or cut with a serrated knife, all around the ring. Pull each section out carefully and lay it flat, still attached.