Swedish Coffee Bread (bullar)

1. Scald milk. Separately, melt butter. Let both cool to just warm. 2. . Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and put aside. 3. In a mixer combine butter; add sugar, salt, milk and cardamom. Mix. Add the egg,s which have been beaten slightly. Add yeast. Mix well. 4. Using an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment, add flour a little at a time, letting the dough hook do the kneading. 5. Place in a greased bowl in a warm, draft-free spot, to rise for about an hour. It should double in volume. Punch down and let rise 1 more hour. (JLT note: I've been told you can skip the 2nd rise and go to step 5. I haven't actually tried skipping it yet) 6. Divide dough into thirds. Divide each third into 3 rope-like strands, and braid. Place on greased baking sheet. Continue until all three braids are on the one pan. Cover with light dish towel and let rise for 1 hour. 6a. Alternatively, each third of the dough will make about 8-12 individual rolls. 12/23/16 add: Measuring 2.5 oz of dough for each roll resulted in good sized buns (~30 of them) 7. Prepare an egg wash using another egg, lightly beaten. Brush rolls with egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar and nuts. Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. (20 minutes for small individual rolls) Easter Egg Bread: *12 colored raw eggs EEB instructions: * once you split dough into thirds, each third will make a 6-egg ring. Take one 1/3 of the dough, and split in half. Roll into "snakes" and then twist the "snakes" to form nests for each egg. (I usually make one ring, 6 single-egg "buns" , and 8 regular buns. COOKING NOTE: you have to cook the bread w/ eggs a bit longer than the regular bread to be sure the eggs are done. 35-40 minutes. You may need to cover loosely with foil to avoid burning the tops. Serve warm, with coffee or tea. :) ---- JLT Note to s elf: I know you want to double this recipe, but it is HARD to do. You need 3 cookie sheets, do you have them? Also, use the mixer for the double batch just until you add the flour. Before the flour, pour out half of the mixture and continue w/ one half at a time. Otherwise there is too much dough to fit in the mixer.