Ingredients

• 135g butter, from cow’s milk, at room temperature (4.7 oz.)
• 135g milk, at room temperature (4.7 oz.)
• 200g sugar (7 oz.)
• 4 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 870g bread flour (30 oz.)
• 21g dry yeast (0.7 oz.)
• 100g lukewarm water (3.5 0z.)
• zest of 1 orange
• 3g ground mastic (0.11 oz.)
• 4g ground mahleb (0.14 oz.)
• 1 egg and 1 tbsp water, for glazing the tsoureki
• almond silvers for garnish

For the syrup

• 150g sugar (3.5 oz.)
• 150g water (3.5 oz.)

Procedure

Add in a bowl the lukewarm water, a pinch of sugar and yeast and stir. Wrap well with plastic wrap and set aside for about 6-7 minutes, until the yeast rises and starts bubbling.

Use a pestle or a blender to ground the masticha and mahlepi, along with a pinch of sugar and set aside.

In a saucepan add the butter, sugar and milk. Place over very low heat and stir the mixture, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

Pour the butter mixture in a large bowl and whisk in the eggs. Add the yeast mixture and whisk to combine.

In the mixer’s bowl add the flour, the ground mastic and mahlepi, orange zest and the butter-egg-yeast mixture from step 4. Using the dough hook mix at first at low speed, until the ingredients start to combine and then mix at medium-high speed for about 15 minutes, until the dough doesn’t stick on the sides of the bowl. At this point the dough should be really soft, like seen in the picture and a little sticky.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in a warm environment, until at least it doubles it’s size. If the environment is cold, preheat the oven at 30C, turn it off and place the bowl inside.

Gently deflate the tsoureki dough with your hands and cut in 6 equal portions .Take one piece of the dough  and roll it a little bit with your hands. Hold with your hands from the edges and shake to stretch the dough into a rope. This technique will help the Greek Easter bread  form the characteristic stringy texture, as seen in the picture. Form the Greek Easter bread into a braid and transfer on a large baking tray layered with parchment paper. Repeat the same procedure with the second tsoureki. Let the Greek Easter bread rise for about 1 more hour at room temperature or in the oven, until it almost doubles it’s size.

In a small bowl add the egg and 1 tbsp water and whisk with a fork. Brush the top of each Greek Easter bread with the egg, being careful not to deflate it, garnish with almond silvers and bake in preheated oven at 170C for about 40-50 minutes, until nicely browned and fluffy.

Although the traditional tsoureki recipe doesn’t call for syrup, garnishing Greek Easter bread with just a little syrup, always gives a little something. Prepare the syrup for the Greek Easter bread just right before you turn the tsoureki out of the oven. In a small pot add the sugar and water and bring to the boil. As soon as the sugar dissolves, remove the pot from the stove and ladle the hot syrup over the hot tsoureki.

Let the Greek Easter bread cool down and wrap well with plastic wrap, so that it doesn’t become hard and dry. Store for up to a 5-7 days at room temperature.