Easter is one of my favorite times of the year. Aside from the spiritual meaning for Greek Orthodox christians, it is also a time when we can enjoy so many delicious treats. Some of my guilty pleasures during this time of the year are those Russell Stover marshmallow bunnies dipped in milk chocolate and those nougat eggs rolled in toasted pecans. I love those so much that I make them at home when time permits. I also make my own marshmallow peeps — they’re not only easy to make but they are a great project to make with the kids. For me, they are not only an addiction, but an annual obsession.
Tradition abounds when it comes to the food we serve and the baked goods we prepare after the Lenten season is over. One of the most traditional baked goods in the Greek culture is the sweet bread decorated with brightly colored eggs called Tsoureki (pronounced tsu-re-ki). This very rich brioche like dough is traditionally flavored with a spice called mahlepi in Greek. Mahlepi is a very aromatic spice that is hard to explain — its sweet, addictive fragrance has delicate hints of vanilla comes from the kernel of the black cherry. The spice is very popular in Greece, and is mainly used in holiday bread making and in some pastries. You will also find it used in Turkey and the Middle East, where it is known as mahleb, mahlab or mahlebi.
If you visit an international store, you will find it either as a whole kernel or ground into a fine powder. I prefer to buy the whole kernels and I store them in the freezer. You can either grind the kernels into a fine powder and add it to your bread dough, or you can boil the whole kernels in the milk to infuse the flavor, then strain out the kernels before adding to your bread dough. Some people even use the lovely fragrant Greek masticha (pronounced ma-sti-ha), which is actually a tree resin and used in Greek chewing gum. It does not taste like mahlepi, but many people use it instead when they cannot find mahlepi. My tsoureki recipe is very similar to my cinnamon roll dough recipe, with just a few changes. I add half of the soft butter into the dough during the preparation and then after the first proof, I flatten the dough out, add the other half, fold it up and let it proof again. This gives the dough a very delicate pastry-like texture. Another change is that I do not use lemon zest — just the mahlepi. Lastly, tsoureki is on the sweet side, so it requires a little more sugar — so I have doubled the quantity.
Make sure to color your eggs the day before and have them cooled and ready to add to your bread. After the dough has proofed a second time, you need to decide on the shapes and sizes you want to make. I highly recommend using a scale to weigh out the dough so that each part of the braid is roughly the same size and guaranteed to cook evenly. If you are making individual rolls, you should do the same there. Prepare your shapes, then add the eggs and let them proof again. If after they have proofed the eggs look like they are popping out of the dough, gently press them back into the dough without deflating it. If there are any leftovers, they make deliciously rich French toast — but in my house, there aren’t EVER any leftovers to worry about.
Greek Easter Bread (Tsoureki)
500 g flour (a little more than 2 cups)
1 teaspoon salt
100 g sugar (1/2 cup)
20 g fresh yeast
200 ml warm whole milk (1 cup)
1 ½ teaspoons mahlepi
3 eggs, room temperature
100 g butter, room temp (about 7 tablespoons)
1½ tablespoons canola oil
1 egg plus 2 tablespoons water (egg wash)
3 or 4 colored eggs
Sesame seeds **optional
Put the canola oil into the bowl that will hold the dough, and with your hands or with a paper towel, coat the entire inside of the bowl well with the oil. Crumble the yeast in a small bowl, pour in the warm milk and dissolve with a whisk. Next, add the mahlep and whisk again.
Crack eggs and set them aside. Put all of the dry ingredients together in the bowl of your stand mixer and use either a paddle or a dough hook to begin mixing your ingredients. With your paddle in motion add your milk and yeast mixture all at once then slowly begin to add your eggs until all are incorporated. At this point, take a look at your dough. Does it look too wet? If so, add a small teaspoon of flour and help the dough pull away from the sides into a ball. Does it look too dry? Add a few drops more of milk. Let this beat for a few minutes, and then add in half the butter a little at a time until it is all mixed in. Turn this out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is no longer sticky. Put this dough into the previously greased bowl and turn the dough around the bowl to make sure it is all coated with a little oil. Cover with plastic and 2 towels and allow it to double in size, about 90 minutes. After the first proof, gently deflate and pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough out into a rectangle with your hands and pat on the other half of the butter.
This is called laminating, and will help create a flaky texture to the dough that is very traditional and similar to challah bread. Fold the dough up and place back into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise again until doubled in size about 90 minutes. Once it has proofed a second time, decide on whether you would like to make a large loaf or several smaller loaves, which are easier to share.
If you are making braids, weigh out sections of dough that are about equal weight. If you are planning to make a large braid, roll out three dough pieces, join them at the top and then form the braid. Remember to press the edges together and tuck them under the dough at the end so that they do not unravel. Cover gently with plastic and proof them until doubled in sized about 45-60 minutes. When they are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F, then gently brush on the egg wash, add your sesame seeds and bake until golden brown all over, about 30-45 minutes.
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