Greek Easter Bread (Tsoureki)

April 5, 2018Ashley Korizis

Prep time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Cook time:

Serves: 2 loaves

Greek Easter bread or “tsoureki” shares the same shape and texture as Challah bread. However, it is slightly more aromatic due to the addition of mahleb, a spice derived from sour cherry seeds, and mastic, a dried resin gathered from mastic trees. Given that neither of these ingredients are traditionally used in American cooking, you’ll need to look to specialty spice shops, Greek import stores, or the internet to find them. It is also worth noting that while mahleb is an essential component of this recipe, some include mastic, while others don’t. If you’re having trouble getting your hands on mastic or don’t enjoy the aroma, feel free to exclude it.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup lukewarm water
  • 2/3 cup butter
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5 room temperature eggs (4 for the bread dough and 1 for the egg wash)
  • 1 teaspoon ground mahleb
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground mastic (optional)
  • Zest from 1 orange
  • 2 pounds all-purpose  flour
  • ​1/2 cup almond slivers (optional)

Preparation

  • Mix the yeast and lukewarm water in a large bowl
  • Cover tightly and set aside
  • In a small pot, combine the butter, sugar, and milk and stir over low heat until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved
  • Add the melted butter, sugar, and milk to the yeast and water in the large bowl. Note that the butter, sugar, and milk mixture should be lukewarm in order to avoid killing the yeast. If too hot, let sit for a few minutes to cool.
  • Add 4 eggs and the orange zest to the wet ingredients and whisk together
  • Add the flour, ground mahleb, and ground mastic and kneed for 5-10 minutes until the dough is well formed and slightly sticky
  • Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 2 hours until the dough has doubled in size
  • Cut the dough into two halves (one half for each loaf). Cut the first half into three even dough balls
  • Stretch each dough ball into a long cylinder as shown below
  • Place the three cylinders next to each other and braid them together
  • Place the two loaves on a lightly greased pan, cover, and set aside in a warm place to rise for 1 hour
  • Once both loaves have risen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  • Combine 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl to create an egg wash. Brush the top of each loaf with the egg wash
  • Sprinkle a handful of almond slivers over each loaf
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until golden brown
  • ​Let cool on a wire rack
Print Recipe
  • Prep time: 3 hours 30 minutes
  • Total time: 4 hours 15 minutes
  • Serves: 2 loaves

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup lukewarm water
  • 2/3 cups butter
  • 2/3 cups milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5 room temperature eggs, 4 for the dough and 1 for the egg wash
  • 1 teaspoon ground mahleb
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground mastic (optional)
  • Zest from 1 orange
  • 2 pounds all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup almond slivers (optional)

Method

  • Mix the yeast and lukewarm water in a large bowl
    Cover tightly and set aside
    In a small pot, combine the butter, sugar, and milk and stir over low heat until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved
    Add the melted butter, sugar, and milk to the yeast and water in the large bowl. Note that the butter, sugar, and milk mixture should be lukewarm in order to avoid killing the yeast. If too hot, let sit for a few minutes to cool.
    Add 4 eggs and the orange zest to the wet ingredients and whisk together
    Add the flour, ground mahleb, and ground mastic and kneed for 5-10 minutes until the dough is well formed and slightly sticky
    Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 2 hours until the dough has doubled in size
    Cut the dough into two halves (one half for each loaf). Cut the first half into three even dough balls
    Stretch each dough ball into a long cylinder as shown below
    Place the three cylinders next to each other and braid them together
    Place the two loaves on a lightly greased pan, cover, and set aside in a warm place to rise for 1 hour
    Once both loaves have risen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees
    Combine 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl to create an egg wash. Brush the top of each loaf with the egg wash
    Sprinkle a handful of almond slivers over each loaf
    Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown
    ​Let cool on a wire rack

6 Comments

  • Bronwen

    February 4, 2022 at 4:34 pm

    Is putting colored eggs in it for Easter not really Greek, even if they’re died with beet juice?

    1. Ashley Korizis

      February 6, 2022 at 8:04 am

      Definitely! Many Greeks will place one or three red died eggs in the center of the bread. They often use a die that yields an intense red color. Beet juice produces a lighter color but is a good natural alternative to regular food die.

  • Alyson

    March 27, 2023 at 3:15 pm

    trialing this recipe and noticing 30 minutes is not nearly enough time for these to bake. oven is calibrated correctly, not sure if there’s another change to make except adding additional time?

    1. Ashley Korizis

      March 27, 2023 at 3:47 pm

      Hi Alyson. Thanks for asking! I checked some other Tsoureki recipes and most will list 30-45 minutes baking time. My oven does tend to bake things more quickly (it’s a convection oven), so you may need 45 minutes. I’ve updated the baking instructions to specify 30-45 minutes. Happy baking!

  • Vivian

    March 30, 2023 at 4:35 pm

    Hi! I’d like to make 12 tsourekia. I’m just noticing that for 2 loads the receipt requires 2 pounds of flour.. is this equivalent to 7 cups? For 12 loaves I would need 12 pounds?

    1. Ashley Korizis

      March 31, 2023 at 5:24 pm

      Hi Vivian,
      7 cups of flour may not yield exactly 2 pounds but it’s close enough that it’s probably a good measurement to use if you don’t have the option of weighing your flour. Yes, if you want to make 12 tsourekia, you’ll want to multiply the ingredient amount by 6 (12 pounds or approximately 42 cups of flour).

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