Hyvää Isänpäivää ja Pulla

This morning, a simple Google search resulted in two special surprises.  First, upon visiting the Google homepage, I found the logo had undergone a facelift.  Curious about why such a change had occurred, I scrolled my mouse over the logo to reveal the message "hyvää isänpäivää."   Having now attended two and a half months of Finnish lessons, I can happily report to you that I could translate this as "Happy Father's Day" without the aid of my pocket dictionary.  So, surprise number one... it is Father's Day in Finland!  Not only was Google celebrating the fathers of Finland, but all the shops were closed and we enjoyed "isänpäivää kakku" (Father's Day cake) at church this morning.

After enjoying the small surprise that Google provided, I refocused and continued with the purpose of my search: how to make pulla.  Seasoned with cardamom and topped with special Finnish sugar, pulla is a Finnish sweet roll that can be found at nearly every coffee shop in town.  Having enjoyed these pastries at the local shops, it was now time for me to make it on my own.  After several hours of whisking, kneading, waiting, shaping, and waiting some more, the pulla came out of the oven.  Surprise number two... a cold glass of milk with a warm pulla roll makes for a lovely snack on a snowy November afternoon.  Thanks Google.