How to Make Greek Tsoureki
Greek tsoureki is a traditional Greek twisted bread served at Easter with a red egg on top. It's so delicious and can be served without the egg any time of year. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 12 cups of flour
- 3 tablespoons of active dry yeast
- 1 cup of melted butter
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 tablespoon of mahlab (or crushed aniseed, or vanilla extract) + 2 cups of water
- 2 to 3 pieces of mastic, crushed with 1/4 teaspoon sugar (or grated peel of 1 orange)
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Egg wash --1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Sesame seeds or blanched sliced almonds (optional)
- Hard boiled dyed red eggs (optional)
Instructions
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1
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
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Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm milk. Add a few spoonfuls of flour to make a paste. Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise. In a medium bowl, combine 10 cups of the flour and salt, and add melted butter. Boil the mahleb in 2 cups of water, strain it, and add the liquid to the flour. (Alternatively, add 1 teaspoon of mahlepi or other flavoring + 2 cups of liquid -- 1 cup each of orange juice, milk or water.)
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3
Add the eggs, mastic, sugar and the risen yeast mixture. On a floured surface or in a mixer, knead the mixture well, adding in the remaining flour until it becomes a malleable dough, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cover it and allow it to rise in a warm place until it doubles in size (1 1/2 to 2 hours).
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Braids: Form 12 or 15 ropes, each about 15 inches long. Braid sets of 3 ropes to form loaves, tucking ends in underneath the loaves. For the traditional Easter loaf, tuck one or more red eggs (choose eggs that have no cracks) into the braids.
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Place the loaves on greased cookie sheets or baking pans, cover, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Brush with egg wash.
You can sprinkle with sugar, sesame seeds, or blanched almond slices.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes, then move to racks to cool completely.
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Tips & Warnings
Mahleb is a Greek spice made of ground cherry stone that you can find at any specialty Greek or Middle Eastern store, as well as online.
Mastic is a 100 percent Greek product made on the island of Chios and made from the mastic tree. You can ask specialty food stores that carry Greek foods if they carry mastic. You can also purchase it online.
