Description
Greek tsoureki is a traditional sweet bread made especially for Easter time.
Ingredients
Scale
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the flour, continuing to knead.
- Gradually, slowly and from above, add the butter little by little.
- Knead well until it incorporates into the dough, and then add the rest.
- Knead enough.
- Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place.
- 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.
- The dough is a living organism and will show itself when it will be ready. It must double or even triple its volume.
- Then turn the dough it on the kitchen counter.
- Divide the dough into 4 parts and each of them into 2.
- Shape into strings starting from the center of the dough to the edges and then shape into braids.
- Cover with non -stick paper and then a towel and leave them in a warm place to double the volume again.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170 ° C.
- With a brush and with very gentle movements brush the braids with the egg mixture, sprinkle with the almond fillet or the sesame.
- Bake for 20΄-25΄.
- 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
Keywords: greek tsoureki