Greek Easter Bread (Tsoureki)

Tsoureki is a sweet, rich yeast bread with hints of citrus and a unique Mediterranean spice. The symbolism that it represents makes this bread perfect for Easter but you can make it any day of the year.

The dough is sticky and can by challenging to work with but it creates a wonderfully soft and fluffy texture. See our tips in the notes for working with the dough.

4.85 from 101 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1 5

Servings: loaves

Calories: 328kcal

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

Makes 2 Loaves

9 to 10 cups bread flour divided (1080 to 1200 grams)
4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
1 -1/2 cups sugar divided (300 grams)
2 cups warm milk 472 grams
2 teaspoons ground Mahlab optional
8 tbsp. butter melted and cooled
5 eggs room temperature well beaten
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Topping

1 egg beaten
4 to 6 hard-cooked red-dyed eggs
¼ cup slivered almonds

Instructions

Add 2 cups of the flour, all of the yeast and 1/2 cup of the sugar to a bowl. Next, add the warm milk and mix (by hand or with a mixer) until all the lumps are gone (you will have a very thin mixture). Cover the bowl and let it stand for 30 to 45 minutes. This will develop the sponge and give the yeast a jump start.
Add the melted butter and eggs and mix well. Pour 5 cups (600 grams) of flour, the salt, remaining 1 cup of sugar, ground Mahlab, orange and lemon zest to the dough and mix thoroughly to blend all the ingredients.
Slowly add the remaining 2 to 3 cups of flour to the dough and knead for about 10 minutes. If you are not using a stand mixer then turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface and knead by hand. The dough will be very soft and sticky but will get easier to work with after a long knead. It will also become firmer after it proofs. If you are tempted to add more flour, wait until after it proofs.
Form into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean dishtowel and set aside to rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Place the dough on a floured work surface. Divide into 6 equal sections, rolling each section into ropes about 15" long. For each loaf, braid 3 ropes, then press the eggs into each braid. Set bread aside to rise again for 1 hour on a greased baking sheet.
Preheat oven to 350˚. Brush bread with beaten egg, sprinkle with slivered almonds and bake until golden, 40–50 minutes

Notes

This recipe uses instant yeast. Using instant yeast eliminates the need to dissolve and proof the yeast prior to mixing the ingredients. Just toss the ingredients together and mix well. If you want to use active dry yeast, increase the amount of yeast to 5 teaspoons.
The milk should be warmed to about 100° to 110°. I don't use a thermometer for this, I simply warm the milk until it is comfortably warm to the touch.
Working with sticky dough: If you grease your hands and the countertop with a bit of olive oil, the dough will be easier to knead. The oil will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands or the counter and you won't be tempted to add too much flour. A bowl scraper and a bench scraper are also great tools to use with sticky dough.
It is best to buy Mahlab whole and grind it as needed because the flavor starts to deteriorate within days after it is ground. Given enough time, ground mahlab will become rancid. Simply place the whole seeds in a spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle. If you can not find whole Mahlab then make certain the package is well sealed. If you can not find Mahlab or don't have time to order it, cardamom or vanilla extract make lovely substitutes. They don't have the same flavor as Mahlab but they give it an extra depth of flavor.
Some recipes use mastic in the Tsoureki bread dough. We did not include mastic because it is very expensive and in my opinion, does not add a detectible flavor.
If you want to add dried fruit, you can add up to 1-1/2 cups of chopped dried fruit or raisins to the dough.
When you roll the dough into logs, sometimes the dough tries to spring back and resists shaping. If that happens, set the log aside and let it rest for a few minutes. After it rests, it will be easier to shape.
Taper the ends of the logs. The thinner ends will make it easier to start and finish the braids and give the loaves a nicer shape.

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