What is "pulla"

n. cardamom bread (sweet, leavened baked good made of wheat and flavored with crushed cardamom, resembling very soft bread in consistency, eaten in Finland)

Pulla (; Swedish bulle or kanelbulle) is a mildly-sweet Finnish sweet roll or dessert bread flavored with crushed cardamom seeds and occasionally raisins or sliced almonds. Braid loaves (pitko) are formed from three or more braided strands of dough. The braids may also be formed into a ring. These braided strands or rings are typically coated with melted butter and then sprinkled with white sugar or almonds. Other types of pulla include small round ones that resemble English scones but have a sugar and butter topping, and larger cinnamon rolls called korvapuusti. The outside typically has a shiny brown glaze, formed by a coating of egg white, milk or a mixture of sugar and brewed coffee.

There are two different variations of pulla: dark roast (tummapaahto) and pale (kalpii). "Tummapaahto" is baked in the oven until the sugar is darkened and melted. "Kalpii" is baked in the oven only for a short period of time, leaving the dough only lightly darkened.

Pitko is typically served in thin slices with coffee or at special occasions. Regular small pulla is served as a whole. Serving pulla with coffee is a very common practice in Finland.

Pulla is also common in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Northern Ontario, areas in the United States and Canada which have large Finnish populations. There it is also commonly known as nisu, an old Finnish word still in use with the same meaning in some dialects, despite originally simply meaning "wheat". "Pulla" is used instead to refer to a biscotti-like double-baked bread stick for dunking in coffee that is often made from leftover "nisu".