Traditional Greek Easter brioche (‘tsoureki’)
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THE EXPERIENCE
recipe by:
Niki’s food
traditional
contemporary
Level of difficulty
Time needed 150 minutes

INGREDIENTS

800g flour suitable for brioche bread...

2 eggs ...

360ml lukewarm milk...

2 sachets of dried yeast...

70g DODONI fresh cow’s butter...

170g sugar...

1/2 teaspoon of ‘mahlepi’ (cherry seed)...

1/2 teaspoon of ‘mastiha’ (Chios gum mastic)...

1 teaspoon orange zest ...

PREPARATION

Add the yeast, lukewarm milk, butter, eggs, orange zest, and sugar to a large bowl and beatwith a hand whisk. When the ingredients are uniformly well-combined, add half the flour. Crush the mahlepi and the mastic with a spoonful of sugar with a pestle and mortar. Add it to the dough with the rest of the flour and combine to make a soft, smooth dough. It will be a little sticky to the touch. Pour a little melted butter on top and leave covered in a warm place for 1 hour until it rises.

EXECUTION

When the dough is ready, cut it into six pieces, to make 2 ‘tsoureki’ loaves.  Divide the dough into 2 sets of three, and roll the pieces into strips so that they can be braided by closing each strip inwards over the previous one. Place the two loaves in a baking pan, cover and leave them to rise for another 1/2 hour. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake at 170 C for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.