Tsoureki – Greek Easter Bread
Easy recipe for Tsoureki with sweetened condensed milk. Tsoureki is a Greek Easter bread similar to Brioche or Challah with a soft, stringy texture and amazing taste!
Servings: 20
Calories: 293kcal
Ingredients
For the yeast mixture:
- ½ cup (120 grams) warm water
- a pinch of sugar
- 1.76 oz (50 grams) fresh yeast (or 2 tablespoons/18 grams instant dry yeast)
For the Tsoureki:
- 6 cups (780 grams) bread flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons ground mahlab
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (or 1 teaspoon ground cardamom)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or ¼ teaspoon ground mastic)
- 4 large eggs (230 grams)
- ¼ cup (50 grams) white sugar (optional)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz/400 grams)
- ⅔ cups (160 grams) butter in cubes - at room temperature
For the eggwash:
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- a pinch of sugar
Instructions
- Proof the yeast: Transfer the water, the pinch of sugar and the yeast to a small bowl and mix well until the yeast is dissolved. Let it aside for 5-10 minutes until you can see some foam on the surface.
- Make the dough: Transfer most of the flour (keep ¼ of a cup aside), the baking powder, the salt, the mahlab, the cinnamon, the orange zest, the vanilla, the eggs, the sugar, the sweetened condensed milk and the yeast mixture to the bowl of your electric mixer. Mix with the dough attachment for 5 minutes.
- Start adding the butter gradually, while the mixer is working. If the dough is very soft and sticky add the rest of the flour you've kept aside. Kned the dough for 20-30 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
- First rise: Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap or a clean towel and let it rest in a warm place until tripled in volume (usually it takes 3-4 hours). A warmed and turned-off oven with only the oven light on is the perfect place to rest the dough.
- Shape the Tsoureki: Once the dough has tripled in volume take it out of the bowl, knead it for a few seconds to deflate it, then cut it in half. Cut each half into 3 equal pieces and roll them into 17.7 inches (45 cm) long strings. Form the strings into a braid and transfer it on a baking pan lined with parchment paper (do the same with the second half of the dough).
- Second rise: Transfer the pans to a warm place and let the bread rest until almost doubled in volume.
- Preheat your oven at 330°F (165°C)
- Egg wash and Bake: Transfer the egg, the milk and the sugar to a small bowl and beat with a fork. Brush each bread with the egg wash and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the bread comes out clean. If the bread starts to brown quickly, cover with foil after the first 20 minutes. Take the tsoureki out of the oven and transfer on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Portions: This recipe makes 2 large loaves 2 pounds (900 grams) each or 3 medium ones 1.3 pounds (600 grams) each.
- If the two tsourekia fit on the same pan, you can bake them together but they might need a bit more baking time.
- If you want to halve the recipe, then half a can of sweetened condensed milk is almost ⅔ of a cup (160 ml/200grams). Transfer the remaining milk to a ziploc bag and store it in the freezer for later use.
- You may need some extra flour. Have half a cup of flour aside and gradually add it to the dough after the first rise, only if it's very sticky.
- You can omit the sugar if you like the tsoureki less sweet, but I prefer using it.
- Spices: If you only have whole mahlab seeds, you can ground them in a mortar and then pass them through a fine sieve. If you like mastic keep in mind that too much can be bitter. Use 1-2 tears of mastic and ground them in a mortar with a tablespoon of sugar.
Nutrition
Calories: 293kcal
