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In early February, I attended the 86th annual Laskiainen Festival in Palo, MN. In the week prior to this Finnish sliding festival, I volunteered to help bake bread that was to be sold during the event as well as many more loaves to serve with the mojakka and pea soup lunches.
The first day, there were about 12 ladies volunteering (with several more trickling in over the next two days). Most of the ladies had been volunteering for many years, but there were several of us who were first-timers. I was the only out-of-towner, so a few moments were set aside for introductions. Then, we went to work.
The kitchen was blazing hot, just like a sauna. The scene looked like we were back in time, set somewhere in Europe. The dough making team wore head coverings of handkerchiefs, linen tea towels, or vintage floral scarves.
Not surprisingly, with the melting pot of the Iron Range, only about half of us were of Finnish descent. The rest were of Swedish, Norwegian, Austrian, German, Slovenian, Croatian, and Dutch-Chinese descent. No one had a set role, nor was anyone told what to do, but we all magically found our way into useful positions. You would have never guessed that we had never worked as a team before.
The pulla (Finnish cardamom bread) dough was started with a mixture of warm water and evaporated milk with yeast, freshly ground cardamom seeds, melted butter, loads of sugar, eggs, and a little flour.
This mixture, called the sponge, was then left to stand near the oven until the yeast foamed and bubbled like the top of a root beer float. The sponge was transferred to an industrial mixer with salt, lots more melted butter, and just enough flour to form a soft, sticky dough. The dough was then scraped onto a counter and covered with a large tea towel until doubled in size.
My role was cracking eggs, melting butter, and washing dishes in between until the next batch made its way to our station. I was delighted to discover the lady I washed dishes with descended from immigrants that came from Vaasa, Finland. This is the same city my Finnish ancestors came from, so our shared roots added to our rapport.
Once the dough was rising, we took a break and enjoyed a bit of chit-chat and sampled a selection of baked treats that some of the ladies brought. The most impressive, being a Danish pastry with a crisp, buttery crust, a choux center, and a sweet, almond frosting sprinkled with chopped nuts.
After taking the first bite, I was impressed and asked “Who made this?” A lady sitting across from me raised her hand and said softly “I did.” I told her how delicious it was.
Soon, the real magic of the day began. The first heap of dough was brought out to the braiding team. Two ladies cut and weighed individual balls of dough and passed them down the assembly line. Each lady had her own technique. Some made three strand braids, while others did four.
One lady stood out for her skill. Her name is Sandy Nemanic. While each braid baked up beautifully, you could look at the trays and pick out which ones were made by Sandy. Her’s were perfect.
During both days of pulla-making, she coached other ladies who asked for help with their technique and drew up a diagram to help them improve the shape of their loaves. At one point, the spot next to her opened and I quickly sidled up next to her. I tried to follow along, but she was too fast. By the time I had my ropes formed, her braid was complete. I am sure if I had asked, she would have slowed down, but she was unaware of my scheme.
This lady has serious skills and I knew I wanted to write about her. She kindly agreed, and today I am sharing her “Danish Puff” recipe that I fell in love with at first bite.
Sandy lives in Hoyt Lakes and the original recipe came from a Betty Crocker cookbook she purchased the year she married her husband Ron, in 1961. Since then, she tweaked the recipe and made it even better.
I have lots more to say about Sandy, so she will again be featured in next week’s column with another delicious recipe. I am already looking forward to baking with her and the other ladies next year.
Our team of bakers produced over 380 loaves of pulla in two days and several dozen loaves of Finnish flatbread on the third day. Pulla is a tradition in my family, especially at Easter. If you would like to order some of this delicious bread, I recommend placing an order with Brainstorm Bakery.
