When I was a kid, my mom regularly contributed recipes to Taste of Home Magazine. I still think it’s pretty cool! You can search her name and “Taste of Home” and find all kinds of recipes we ate growing up.

When I was in late elementary school, The Taste of Home was going to showcase her Nisu recipe. For some reason, this one was more of a highlight piece. Taste of Home wanted a photo from my mom to include a little feature about her (they generally make and photograph the recipes themselves).
A few of us girls were going to be in the photo, too. We had our blonde hair done up, donned some simple blue and red cotton floral dresses, and posed for a photo in front a Finnish- inspired table spread, with nisu as the star.

Nisu, Nissua, or Nissu is a traditional Finnish recipe that has been passed down and enjoyed for generations. Modern Finns call it “Pulla”, but for us, it will always be the old-generation “nisu”.
I adapted this family recipe to sourdough from yeast.
It is a deliciously soft, slightly sweet, with warm cardamom, and a tang of sourdough taste.

This recipe starts with an enriched dough, which can be a little less beginner- friendly than other doughs.
My tips: give it lot of time to rise, and use flour as needed to prevent sticking.

This recipe can be made into standard bread loaves, braids, cinnamon rolls, or beautiful swirled loaves.

What you’ll need:

Sourdough starter: active and bubbly
Milk: preferably whole
Eggs
Butter
Sugar
Flour: bread flour is best for workable dough
Salt
Freshly ground cardamom: I buy Cardamom seeds (not pods) from my local bulk herb store and grind in an herb grinder (really, just a dedicated coffee grinder). Pre-ground cardamom works, but I have never been able to get the robust cardamom flavor that I want while using this.
You can also check Indian markets for cardamom seeds.

To make the recipe, you first need to heat the milk. I do it in a small pot on the stove, being careful to keep it low. If you are using raw milk, I recommend heating until it reaches 180° to kill any of that beneficial bacteria that will impede yeast growth.

After turning off the burner, throw the butter into the milk, then wait for the milk to cool down.
Sometimes the butter melts completely, sometimes it’s just softened in that time. Either is okay!

Once the milk is cooled to the touch, it can be mixed with all the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

If you don’t mind kneading, knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

If you’re like me, and avoid kneading at all costs, mix the dough well with your hands until all the ingredients are incorporated. Then, over the first 2 hours of rising, do a few series of stretch and folds until the dough is stretchy and elastic.

The dough should be smooth, soft, and sticky.

Bulk rise: Cover, and let rise at room temperature for 8-12 hours, or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. The dough should about double in this time.

After the first rise, dump the dough out on to the counter and divide into two.

Shape the loaves however you wish.

To make “swirly nisu”, as my oldest calls it, start by imitating the process of making cinnamon rolls.

Roll the dough into a large rectangle, and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of brown sugar and a healthy amount of cinnamon.
Roll the dough up (just like you’re rolling up cinnamon rolls), and pinch all the ends closed.
Then, slice it lengthwise down the middle of the “loaf” NOT like you are making cinnamon rolls ;), leaving just an inch attached at the top so it doesn’t unravel.
You should be left with two “strands” that can then be twisted around each other a couple times.
Place in a well-oiled (preferably parchment lined) loaf pan.

Let rise until doubled and puffy, and bake until golden.

Sourdough Finnish Cardamom Bread (Nisu)

This traditional Finnish bread is soft, sweet, with warm cardamom, and a slight sourdough tang.For best results, weigh your ingredients.

This recipe makes 2 loaves or a large batch of cinnamon rolls.

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Ingredients

240 g milk (1 cup)
1/4 cup butter
200 g active sourdough starter (1 cup)
100 g sugar (1/2 cup)
2 eggs
600 g bread flour* (about 5 cups)
6 g salt (1 tsp)
6 g freshly ground cardamom (2 tsp)

For Swirled Loaves

1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

In a small saucepan, heat milk until warm. Add butter to milk, and let sit until cool to touch. (Butter may not melt all the way, but that is okay)
When milk mixture is cooled, add with the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl (or stand mixer with dough hook). Mix until ingredients are fully incorporated.
Knead: There are two options here. You can knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Alternately, once the ingredients are fully incorporated, you can do a series of stretch and folds over the first couple hours of rise time.
First Rise: cover bowl and let sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours. Dough should about double in this time. A little more or less is okay.
If you need more time before final shaping and baking, dough can be placed in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Shape loaves: Pour the dough unto the counter and divide into two. Shape into loaves, and put into well-oiled bread pans.This is the fun part because you can also shape into braids, cinnamon rolls, or our favorite: swirly nisu. See post above for how to make twisted loaves.
Final Rise: Cover, and let rise until doubled. This could be anywhere from 2-4+ hours, depending on your room temperature.
Be patient! This is a slow dough and baking too soon will result in dense bread.
Bake: Preheat oven to 350°. Optional: brush loaves with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar before baking.Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the tops are golden.

Notes

I have not had luck making this recipe using all-purpose flour. If you are using all-purpose, I would reduce the milk down to 220g so it is easier to work with.

Recipe: Sourdough Finnish Cardamom Bread