Greek tsoureki

The best recipe for a greek tsoureki! Who does not like this sweet bread? Who can imagine Greek Easter without the freshly baked tsoureki on the table?

Try it for breakfast, snack or for a french toast greek way! It is perfect and very nutritional for kids.

Greek tsoureki is a traditional sweet bread made especially for Easter time. Varieties can be found under various names around the world. The original word, comes from the Turkish çörek, which means any dough containing yeast.

The specific mom to daughter recipe for this tsoureki was given to us by our dear friend Nina. After the endless years of experience , she shared with us all the secrets to achieve the perfect fluffy fragrant tsoureki that everybody will adore.

The best advice for a greek tsoureki fluffy:

Make sure that the yeast is fresh!

The buns are alive! They have their own character and we have to be really patient to get the best result. Do not  be in a hurry! Now a days, tsourekia with various fillings or coatings have become fashionable. In this case, let the imagination run wild.  But I would really like to say that I love the the original recipe. Traditional Easter buns are plain, without of course underestimating the rest of the varieties.

Tsoureki is made with butter, which contains saturated fats, the over-consumption of which is mainly responsible for obesity, the increase of the level of bad cholesterol in the blood as well as for heart diseases. Many buns are made with margarine, rich in polyunsaturated vegetable oils, which, however, with hydrogenation, are converted into trans fats, which are also associated with increased cholesterol and heart disease.

Greek tsoureki

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• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 8 braids 1x

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Description

Greek tsoureki is a traditional sweet bread made especially for Easter time.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 kg flour for buns
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 5 eggs
• 85 gr. fresh yeast
• 20 gr. mahlab (mahleb) grated
• 10 gr. cardamon powder (kakoule)
• 1–2 grated mastic drops  (optional)
• 1 tbsp. sharp baking powder
• 1 beaten egg with a little water for spreading
• a little almond fillet or sesame for sprinkling

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Instructions

1. To make a bun in a bowl, put the yeast with 2 tbsp. from the sugar and mix well, first with a fork and when the mixture becomes watery, mix a bit by hand. Set aside.
2. In the mean time, heat the milk slightly (grand-mom’s thermometer: you can deep your finger and feel it just warm) and melt the butter in another saucepan same temperature with the milk.
3. In the bowl of the mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar. Add the milk, some of the butter, the yeast mixture and the baking powder and mix with the hook.
4. Add the flour, continuing to knead.
5. Gradually, slowly and from above, add the butter little by little.
6. Knead well until it  incorporates  into the dough, and then add the rest.
7. Knead enough.
8. Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place.
9. To help the process we can have preheated the oven to a dough puff level or to 50 degrees and place our basin there by turning off the oven first.
10. The dough is a living organism and will show itself when it will be ready. It must double or even triple its volume.
11. Then turn the dough it on the kitchen counter.
12. Divide the dough into 4 parts and each of them into 2.
13. Shape into strings starting from the center of the dough to the edges and then shape into braids.
14. Cover with non -stick paper and then a towel and leave them in a warm place to double the volume again.
15. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170 ° C.
16. With a brush and with very gentle movements brush the braids with the egg mixture, sprinkle with the almond fillet or the sesame.
17. Bake for 20΄-25΄.
18. Remove and let them rest fo 4’5′. Transfer to a rack. Let them cool. This will prevent them not not to soften and get wet.

Notes

Cook’s tip

Get mahleb in  Greek,Lebanese, Turkish or Arabic markets.

Doctor’s tip

Tsoureki may increase blood cholesterol, so must be consumed in caution.

• Prep Time: 30'
• Cook Time: 20'

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 100 gr
• Calories: 360
• Sugar: 16
• Fat: 11.2
• Carbohydrates: 53.2
• Fiber: 1,2
• Protein: 9.1