- 3¼ tsp Active dry yeast
- 1 cup Brown sugarlight
- 1 cup Milk
- 5½ cups All-purpose flour
- 1½ tbsp Lemon zest
- Anise seed 1½ tsp
- 1 tsp Salt
- 7 Large eggs4 undyed, 3 dyed red
- 6 tbsp Buttermelted
- 1 Egg whitesof a large egg
Tsoureki
Tsoureki is a Greek braided bread traditionally eaten on Easter. A sweet holiday dough made with flour, milk, butter and sugar and seasoned with lemon zest, and anise seed. It is customary to place dyed red eggs in between the braid to crown this traditional bread.
Nothing is better than a freshly baked bread, the smell and the tastes from this particular recipe really are something special.
To make Tsoureki (Traditional Greek Easter Bread), you will need the following ingredients:
Steps to make Tsoureki
1 | Prepare yeast | 1 |
In a small bowl, combine 3¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 cup of warm milk. Set aside. | ||
2 | Combine dry ingredients | 1 |
Using an electric mixer on low speed combine 4½ cups of flour, the remaining sugar, 1½ tablespoons of lemon zest, 1½ teaspoons of anise, and 1 teaspoon of salt. | ||
3 | Add wet ingredients | 5 |
Continue mixing on low speed, add 4 eggs, the yeast mixture and 6 tablespoons of melted butter. Beat until a firm dough forms, adding more flour as needed. | ||
4 | Knead | 10 |
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until soft and elastic. Roll into a ball. | ||
5 | Rise | 1h |
Transfer the dough to a well greased bowl and turn to coat all sides of the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place for about 1 hour to rise until the dough has doubled in volume. | ||
6 | Shape loaf | 10 |
Punch down into the dough to release excess air and divide into 3 equal pieces about 15 ounces each. Roll out one piece into a 2½-foot log-shape and repeat with the other 2 pieces. Braid the three pieces together and seal the ends by folding them under. | ||
7 | Add dyed eggs | 2 |
Transfer the loaf to a lined baking sheet. Sporadically place 3 dyed eggs in between the grooves of the braid. | ||
8 | Second rise | 40 |
Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for about 40 minutes to rise until the dough has doubled in volume. | ||
9 | Preheat oven | |
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. | ||
10 | Brush | 1 |
Brush the loaf with 1 beaten egg white. | ||
11 | Bake | 30 |
Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until golden on the outside and a hollow sound is made when tapped. | ||
12 | Serve | |
Transfer to a wire rack to cool then serve at room temperature. | ||
Recipe Reviews
Swap the normal milk for almond milk if you want a better flavor/texture.
So I made this for my brothers gf on her bday cause shes greek and this apparently reminded her of home to the point she was crying of joy lol the taste is just right and you can change the flavors a bit with some cinnamon too.
Rating it a 5 because of texture its soft on the inside but kinda hard on the outside.
Dodged the lemon zest cause i dont like zesty things and lemon aftertaste isnt good.
The Easter meals are top tier i tried the easter bunny breads too and if you combine the two recipes its perfection.
I think Greek recipes are a little hard to make compared to everything else but its not too bad just takes some extra time
Easily one of the top recipes on here and this goes well no matter what holiday it is no need to wait till easter.
Replaced the brown sugar with cane white taste a lot sweeter.
My kids favorite bread to eat every easter though i dont keep it vegetarian for them and actually added some chocolate chips to it.
1 hour was not enough to bake it needed atleast 2.
Wasn't too sure about this easter bread up until i tried it tonight and dipped it into some caramel!
Love this website and all it has to offer.
Braiding the bread was way too difficult so i just made a loaf then decorated it with peeps on the top.
Best tsoureki bread ive ever had gonna try out the banana vegan bread next.
Drizzle some honey on the top of this and thank me later ;)
Lily is the top freaking chief in the planet! Thx for the creative meals.
AMAZING!! Delicious thanks so much i loved it.
Really nice design and tasty bread will be making it again for sure maybe with a little more sugar though cause it wasn't as sweet as expected.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing recipe!
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