Yulekake - Norwegian Christmas Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (1 3/4 ounce) jar ground cardamom (fine powder, use 1/4 of the jar for this 2-loaf recipe)
1 cup chopped citron
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1 1/2 cups regular raisins
5 cups boiling water (approximately)
2 (1/4 ounce) packages each dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups scalded 2% low-fat milk or 2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup salted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs
8 cups flour
1 beaten egg, used to brush on top loaves before baking
2 tablespoons melted butter, to brush on top loaves after baking is complete

Preparation

in a heatproof bowl, put all raisins together and cover with approximately 5 cups of boiling water to soften. set aside.
mix the 2 packages of dry yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water. mix well and let sit.
boil 2 cups of milk until scalded. turn down heat to medium and add the 3/4 cup of butter until melted. remove from heat and set aside.
in a large bowl measure 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 of the container of cardamom. mix well.
add the two beaten eggs to the dry mixture. then add the milk/butter mixture. gradually add 6 of the 8 cups of flour and the dissolved yeast.
drain the raisins. add the raisins and citron to the mix. now add the remaining 2 cups of flour.
time to knead the bread! i use my heavy-duty mixer as it is easier on my hands and back. if manual knead, place dough on floured breadboard and knead completely.
once the bread is kneaded, place into a large pre-floured bowl and cover with a dish towel or cloth allowing it to rise for 1 hour.
after the dough has risen, cut it into two loaves. place each into a pre-greased, pre-floured baking loaf pan.
again, cover each loaf pan and allow to rise for another hour.
before placing the loaves into a pre-heated 300 degree oven, cut the top of each loaf with an X design, or a fancy cut design of your choice, and brush with 1 beaten egg.
bake the loaves for 45 minutes at 300 degrees. increase the heat to 325 degrees for the next 30-45 minutes (test after 30 minutes with a toothpick for doneness - make take longer, make take less depending on your oven temperature).
remove the loaves from the oven and brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
let loaves cool completely before removing from pans.
note: if you choose to omit the citron, which i do often, use 2 cups each of the golden and regular raisins instead.