Ingredients
Dough
- 800 gstrong white flour
- 250 mlwarm milk
- 150 gbutter, softened
- 180 gsugar
- 3eggs
- 12 ginstant yeast
- 1 tspsalt
- grated zest of 1 orange
The spices
- 1 tspground mahlepi, mahleb
- ½ tspground mastic, ground with sugar
- 1 tspground cardamom, optional
To finish
- 1egg, beaten with a little milk
- flaked almonds
- pearl sugar, optional
Optional
- red-dyed hard-boiled eggs, for Easter
To serve
- torn by hand, with coffee
Directions
- Use mastic very sparingly. It is powerful and too much makes the bread taste medicinal. Grind the mastic crystals with a little sugar, since they stick to a mortar otherwise. Warm the milk to blood heat and mix it with the yeast and a spoonful of the sugar. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, spices and orange zest, then add the milk and eggs.
- Knead for 5 minutes, then add the softened butter a piece at a time. Add the butter after the gluten has begun to form. Butter added at the start coats the flour and the dough never develops properly. This takes patience and the dough will look hopeless before it comes together.
- Knead it far longer than seems necessary. It should pass a windowpane test: a piece stretched thin enough to see light through without tearing. Prove it for 2 to 3 hours until doubled. Some bakers give it a long cold rise overnight in the fridge, which improves the flavour considerably.
- Roll each piece into a rope about 40 cm long. Roll them evenly and taper the ends slightly. Rest the ropes for 10 minutes if they resist stretching, which lets the gluten relax. Start in the centre and plait to one end, then turn it round and plait the other half. Starting at one end always leaves the far end thin and stretched.
- Pinch the ends together and tuck them under. Now prove the shaped loaves for a further hour until well risen. Brush with the egg wash and scatter flaked almonds over. Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Bake it at a moderate temperature rather than a hot one, since the sugar and butter colour fast and it needs time to cook through.
- Cover it loosely with foil once it is golden. It is done when it is deep golden and sounds hollow tapped underneath. Cool the loaves on a wire rack. Tear it apart rather than slicing it, following the strands. Serve it with coffee, and at Easter with the red eggs. It keeps three days wrapped and is very good toasted afterwards.
Technique
- Mahlepi and mastic are both essential and are sold in Greek shops.
- Tsougrisma, the egg-knocking game, is played at the Easter table.
- Similar Easter breads are made across the Balkans and the Middle East.
Substitutions
- There is no real substitute for mahlepi or mastic.
- A long cold overnight rise, which improves the flavour.
Variations
- With chocolate worked through the dough, which is modern.
- Made as small individual plaits.
- With a red egg baked in, for Easter.
History
Baked for Greek Easter, the plait and dyed egg marking the end of Lenten fasting.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tsoureki?
Tsoureki is a bread & pastry from Greece: braided sweet bread scented with mahlepi and mastic, often with a red egg. Baked for Greek Easter, the plait and dyed egg marking the end of Lenten fasting.
How long does Tsoureki take to make?
Tsoureki takes 40 min plus 4 hr rising of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 loaves. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Tsoureki?
Yes, within limits. There is no real substitute for mahlepi or mastic. A long cold overnight rise, which improves the flavour.
What is the most important thing to get right in Tsoureki?
Use mastic very sparingly. It is powerful and too much makes the bread taste medicinal. Grind the mastic crystals with a little sugar, since they stick to a mortar otherwise. Warm the milk to blood heat and mix it with the yeast and a spoonful of the sugar. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, spices and orange zest, then add the milk and eggs.
