Tsoureki (greek easter bread)

2 Loaves

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 packs (7 gram) Active Dry Yeast
2 cups Warm Milk
9 cups All-purpose Flour; (up to 10)
1½ cup Granulated Sugar
2 teaspoons Makhlepi; (Optional)
8 tablespoons Butter; Melted and Cooled
6 Eggs; 1 Lightly Beaten
1 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Grated Orange Rind; (Zest)
1 tablespoon Grated Lemon Rind; (Zest)
2 Hard-Cooked Red-Dyed Eggs; (Optional)
2 tablespoons Black Cumin Seeds

Directions

This braided bread recipe has its origins in the Byzantine Era and was traditionally prepared with an essence drawn from the seeds of Mediterranean wild cherries, called makhlepi. It's worth a trip to your local specialty market to purchase this uncommon ingredient, but you may elect to prepare this beautiful bread without the seed essence.

You don't have to be a theologian to comprehend the correlation between the Easter season and bread making as nearly any yeast-activated bread will rise again when diligently prepared. Even if you elect not to prepare this deliciously unique Greek Easter Bread, you'll want some type of yeast-based bread on the table of your Easter feast.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warmed milk. Stir in 1 cup flour and ½ cup sugar, cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 1-hour. Steep makhlepi (if utilizing) in ½ cup simmering water for about 5-minutes.

Strain mixture and discard seeds. Set remaining liquid aside to cool.

Stir ½ cup water or makhlepi-scented liquid into the yeast mixture. Add butter and 5 eggs and thoroughly combine. Sift in 8 cups of flour, salt and remaining sugar into bread mixture. Add salt, orange and lemon zest, and mix thoroughly with a large wooden spoon. Turn out dough onto a floured surface. Knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth, approximately 10-minutes. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl.

Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and set aside to raise for about 2-hours.

Return dough to the floured surface. Divide the dough into 6-equal parts and roll into ropes about 15-inches long. For each loaf, loosely braid 3 ropes, turn under ends and press 1 dyed egg (optional) near one end of each braid. Set bread aside to rise again for at least 1-hour on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Pre-heat oven to 350-F degrees. Brush bread with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with black cumin seeds. Bake until golden, approximately 40 to 50-minutes. Store cooled bread in an airtight container or serve warm.

Kitchen Staff Tip: Take the time to carefully prepare the orange and lemon zest. Make sure you remove nearly all of the white pith from the rind of the fruits or your bread may turn out bitter. Peal the fruit and utilize a small, sharp, non-serrated knife to remove any remaining pith from the rind. Then mince, food process or grind the zest into tiny bits before using in this recipe.

Posted to dailyrecipe@... by The Cook & Kitchen Staff <dailyrecipe-owner@...> on Apr 04, 1998

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