Greek Easter bread – Tsoureki – soft, sweet, yeast egg-enriched bread flavored with citrus and aniseed. 
Tsoureki it’s the famous Greek Easter bread. It’s soft, sweet, yeast egg-enriched bread usually flavored with citrus,aniseed or mahlepi (sour cherry pits ground into powder). A couple of cooked red dyed eggs tucked between the braids, sprinkle some slivered almonds on top. Thearomaof the bread while baking will take over your kitchen.
Unlike theItalian Easter Bread, the red eggs tucked into the bread just before baking arealreadycooked. Since they are way over cooked, I would notrecommend eating them. You can use raw dyed eggs if you’d like to eat them as well.
Tsoureki it’s usually braided into a log but you’ll also find it braided into a ring/circle.The three-strand braid symbolizes the Holy Trinity, while the red-dyed hard-boiled eggs braided into the dough symbolizes the blood of Christ.Like many other countries bread has religioussignificance and in lots East European Countries you’ll find very similartraditions around theholidays. Only in the last couple of years the Easter Eggs have been dyed in different colors, but red it’s still the most used color.
I was actually planning on making several Easter breads and share the recipes with you, but I’ve been down with a flu since the weekend and don’t have much baking energy. I’ll try to share the Romanian Easter Bread later today or tomorrow with you.
Greek Easter bread – Tsoureki
Yields 2 loaves
Greek Easter bread – Tsoureki - soft, sweet, yeast egg-enriched bread flavored with citrus and aniseed.
20 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
5 hrTotal Time
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Ingredients
- 6 hard boiled red dyed eggs
- 2 tsp dry yeast
- 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
- 3 1/2 cups (420 grams) bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp aniseed
- 1 tbsp grated orange zest
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 eggs, raw
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- slivered almonds
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add 1 cup of flour, yeast and the lukewarm milk. Stir to combine and leave at room temperature for about 5 minutes until bubbles start to appear at the surface.
- In the meantime, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the two raw eggs and mix some more. Stir in the orange zest, anissed and salt.
- Add the creamed sweet butter to the spongy yeast mixture.
- With the dough hook on, start mixing, slowly adding enough flour to make a smooth elastic dough, about 2 1/2 cups.
- Take the dough out and place it into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until doubled in volume.
- When the dough is risen, punch down and divide the dough into 6 pieces. Shape each piece into a rope and braid two loaves. Tuck 3 eggs into each bread.
- Cover and let rise again for another 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile heat the oven to 375F.
- Just before baking, brush the loaves with milk and sprinkle some slivered almonds on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
- Leave to cool completely before slicing it. Enjoy!
Notes
recipe adapted from The Bread and Bread Machine Bible
7.6.8
440
http://atreatsaffair.com/greek-easter-bread-tsoureki-recipe/
Roxana Yawgel http://atreatsaffair.com/ All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
Linking this Greek Easter Bread toBake Your Own BreadandTwelve Loaves
Sending love your way,
Roxana
About Roxana
Roxana has a passion for all things food, a sweet tooth that can’t be tamed and a severe case of the wanderlust
With an audience in search for real food and no fuss recipes, I make midweek meals exciting sharing approachable recipes, both sweet and savory, that taste completely sinful.
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Kayle (The Cooking Actress) saysThis is so cool! I love that I'm learning all about different kinds of Easter bread.
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- RavieNomNoms says
I have never seen anything like this before....I would definitely try it though!
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It is amazing how many wonderful bread recipes come out of the Mediterranean - the French, the italians, the Middle Easterns...of course, the Greeks too! it's so fascinating how bread making is an age-old tradition that dates back to ancient times and is somehow often connected to religious practices. Truly amazing!
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- tanya says
Hope you feel better Roxana! We'll be eating these soon, my mom always makes a bunch and freezes them! My favorite bread-wonderful for breakfast! Nicely done!
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- Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Your braided loaves are all so beautiful!
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- Teresa says
Yours looks gorgeous! I have no dough hook but I might give this a try by hand
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- Carolyn says
I always love the look of braided bread with the coloured eggs. Looks delicious!
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- Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil) says
So beautiful! I made a wreath bread with dyed eggs a few years back but it wasn't nearly as tasty as your version appears!
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- Valerie says
Beautiful! You are truly the bread Queen. :D
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- Lora @cakeduch*ess says
I've been fighting something here for days too. I hope you feel better soon. I couldn't get my eggs to turn red!LOL. Your tsoureki is just gorgeous, Roxy. xx
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This is one beautiful loaf of bread. So festive!
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- Angie says
Beautiful Easter bread!
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