There is no way around it, tsoureki truly is a labour of love. It takes a few hours to make, but if you’re up for a challenge and have some time, then there’s nothing quite like homemade tsoureki right out of the oven. The fragrant scent, texture, and that first warm bite are so worth it!
This traditional Greek Easter bread is flavoured with aromatic spices like mahlepi, mastiha, and orange zest, which gives tsoureki an irresistibly unique flavour. Tsoureki is beautifully braided before being baked in the oven. It’s a soft and fluffy sweet bread that is infused with a sweet, aromatic flavour.
This sweet bread is traditionally enjoyed on Easter Sunday, as the braids symbolize the Holy Trinity, but tsoureki can be enjoyed year-round. Its stringy texture is so delicious and will make your home smell amazing!
If you’re planning your Greek Easter gathering, then you may also be interested in making delicious koulourakia cookies or learning how to dye Greek Easter eggs.
INGREDIENT NOTES
Instant yeast: Fleischmann’s quick-rise instant yeast works great for this recipe, but you can use any brand of quick-rise instant yeast. I like using instant yeast because it reduces the rising time.
Eggs: You’ll need three eggs for the tsoureki dough and one whole egg for the egg wash. The eggs should be at room temperature so that the dough doesn’t get too cold and the ingredients can incorporate well together without curdling the batter.
Milk: The higher fat in homogenized milk (whole milk) adds colour, flavour and richness to the tsourekia.
Mahlepi (mahlab or mahleb): You should be able to find mahlepi at your local Greek or Mediterranean specialty store or online. Mahlepi is made from seeds of a species of cherry, so it has a slightly fruity taste. It does have a bitter aftertaste, but you can’t taste the bitterness in the tsoureki once it’s baked. On that note, it’s best not to overdo it on the amount of mahlepi, or the tsourekia may turn out bitter.
Freshly ground mastiha (matic): You should be able to find mastiha at your local Greek or Mediterranean specialty store or online. Mastic is originally from the Greek island of Chios and has a mild, sweet and beautiful light aroma.
Mastiha is a resin and needs to be ground into a powder before using it in baking. You can either use a mortar and pestle or wrap the mastiha in plastic wrap and press down on it with a meat pounder or rolling pin. The mastiha should be a fine powder when added to the tsoureki dough.
Flour: All-purpose flour works best for this recipe because the gluten helps create the stringy texture. Tsoureki has a bread-like texture, so it’s not meant to be cakey. Cake and pastry flour will be too light for tsoureki since cake flour has less protein and gluten. Cake flour has about 7-9% gluten compared to all-purpose flour, which has about 12% gluten.
RECIPE TIPS
- I’d recommend using a light-coloured baking sheet so that the tsoureki bakes evenly, and I also bake the tsoureki on the second rack from the bottom.
- It’s also essential to allow the dough to rise properly. If the quick yeast doesn’t bubble, then it’s gone bad. In that case, starting fresh with new instant yeast is best, or your tsoureki won’t rise properly. Also, when adding milk to the yeast, it should be slightly warm but not too hot, or it could kill the yeast.
- You can make the tsoureki in different sizes. For wider and longer tsoureki, you can use larger dough ball amounts and then don’t roll the dough as thin for the braids.
- If you use more mastiha and mahlepi than the recipe calls, the tsoureki may taste slightly more bitter.
- The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but you should be able to handle it without the dough sticking to your hands. It can also be helpful to butter your hands before braiding the tsourekia.
HOW TO MAKE TSOUREKI: STEP BY STEP
STEP 1: Prepare the yeast mixture. Add two tablespoons of instant yeast, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/4 cup of warm milk in a medium-sized bowl. Stir together, then cover the bowl with saran wrap and loosely with a dry kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a dry, warm place like your pantry. Allow the yeast to rise for 15-20 minutes. If the yeast doesn’t bubble at this stage, then the yeast may be expired. If this is the case, starting over with a fresh packet of instant dry yeast is best.
STEP 2: Beat the eggs, sugar and butter. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add three eggs and 1 1/4 cups of sugar. Whisk together on medium-low speed (#2 on a KitchenAid mixer) for 15-20 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup melted butter. The remaining 1/4 cup of the melted butter will be added to the mixture at the end. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and butter.
STEP 3: Prepare the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, orange zest, ground mastiha and mahlepi, a pinch of salt, and whisk together in a large bowl.
STEP 4: Add the yeast, milk and orange juice to the egg mixture. Increase the speed to medium speed, add the risen yeast mixture until it’s incorporated, then slowly alternate between the lukewarm milk and orange juice. Go slowly when adding in the liquids to prevent the batter from curdling. Allow the milk and orange juice to be absorbed before adding more.
If the batter curdles at any point, you can add a couple of tablespoons of the flour mixture and then continue adding the remaining liquids. Mix for 10 minutes, then turn off the mixer and change the whisk attachment to the dough hook attachment.
STEP 5: Add the dry ingredients and first rise. Turn on the mixer, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and then add 1/4 cup of the melted butter. Mix until incorporated and a soft dough forms. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Use your hands to press the dough a little bit in the mixing bowl.
Transfer the dough to a large, greased bowl (use some melted butter). The bowl should be big enough so that there’s enough space for the dough to expand as it rises. Work the dough a bit with your hands, and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean towel. Place the bowl in a warm, dry place and allow the dough to rise for 30-45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
STEP 6: Braid the tsoureki. Gently press down on the dough and transfer it to a clean and lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a log shape and then cut it into six pieces. Each piece should weigh approximately 20 ounces. You can eyeball it if you don’t have a food scale, but the dough balls should be similar in size. From there, cut each dough ball in half. So you’ll end up with 12 small dough balls.
Each tsoureki will need 3 dough balls for the braid. The pieces should be in equal portions. Roll out each dough ball into a long rope shape. They should be even in thickness and length. Braid the tsourekia and place them on a nonstick greased baking sheet or line the baking sheet with parchment paper. This recipe will give you four medium-sized tsourekia.
STEP 7: Second rise. Cover the braided tsourekia loosely with saran wrap and a dry, clean kitchen towel. You don’t want the towels to be too heavy otherwise, it may impact how much the tsoureki rises. Place the tsoureki in a warm, dry place to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325°F on bake so that the oven is ready once the tsourekia are ready to go in.
STEP 8: Brush with egg wash and bake the tsoureki. In a small bowl, whisk one egg. Brush the tsoureki with egg wash to get a beautiful golden colour once baked. Bake the tsoureki in the oven at 325°F on bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
The tsoureki will rise more in the oven, so leaving about 6 inches in between the tsourekia is good. Remove the tsourekia from the oven. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Congrats, you did it!
STORING AND SERVING
The nice thing is that this traditional Greek Easter bread will last at room temperature for 5-6 days. You can also microwave tsoureki for a few seconds for that right-out-of-the-oven freshness!
Tsoureki bread does freeze really well too! If you’re planning to freeze the tsoureki, allow the tsoureki to cool completely and then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Place the wrapped tsoureki in a freezer bag so that none of it is exposed. When defrosting, it’s important to remove the tsoureki from the bag and the plastic wrap. Because if the tsoureki dethaws in the bag, then it’s more likely to mold more quickly.
It’s also delicious to slice and toast tsoureki pieces with your favourite jam. You could also make French toast out of the tsoureki pieces.
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Sweet Tsoureki Recipe (Traditional Greek Easter Bread)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons quick rise instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup homogenized milk lukewarm - added to the yeast
- 3 eggs room temperature and for the tsoureki dough
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted but not hot
- 1 cup homogenized milk lukwarm - for the tsoureki dough
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice 1-2 navel oranges
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon mastiha ground
- 1 1/2 teaspoons mahlepi
- zest of two oranges
- pinch of salt about 1/4 teaspoon
- 1 egg to brush on top of the tsoureki before it goes in the oven
Instructions
- Prepare the yeast mixture. In a medium-sized bowl, add two tablespoons of instant yeast, ½ teaspoon of sugar, and ¼ cup of warm milk. Stir together, then cover the bowl with saran wrap and loosely with a dry kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a dry, warm place like your pantry. Allow the yeast to rise for 15-20 minutes. If the yeast doesn't bubble at this stage, then the yeast may be expired. If this is the case, it's best to start over with a fresh packet of instant dry yeast.
- Beat the eggs, sugar, and butter. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the three eggs and 1 ¼ cups of sugar. Whisk together on medium-low speed (#2 on a KitchenAid mixer) for 15-20 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup melted butter. The remainder of 1/4 cup of the melted butter will be added to the mixture at the end of the recipe. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and butter.
- Prepare the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour, orange zest, ground mastiha, mahlepi, a pinch of salt, and whisk together.
- Add the yeast, milk and orange juice to the egg mixture. Increase the speed to medium speed, add in the yeast mixture until it's incorporated and then slowly alternate between the lukewarm milk and orange juice. Go slowly when adding in the liquids to prevent the batter from curdling. Allow the milk and orange juice to be absorbed before continuing to add more. If the batter curdles at any point, then you can add a couple of tablespoons of the flour mixture and then continue adding in the remaining liquids. Mix for 10 minutes and then turn off the mixer and change the whisk attachment to the dough hook attachment.
- Add the dry ingredients and first rise. Turn on the mixer, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and then add ¼ cup of the melted butter. Mix until incorporated and a soft dough forms. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Use your hands to press the dough a little bit in the mixing bowl. Transfer the dough to a large, wide, greased bowl (use a little bit of melted butter). The bowl should be big enough so that there's space for the dough to expand as it rises. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean towel. Place the bowl in a warm, dry place and allow the dough to rise for 30-45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Braid the tsoureki. Gently press down on the dough and transfer it to a clean and lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a log shape and then cut it into six even pieces. Each piece should weigh approximately 20 ounces. If you don't have a food scale, you can eyeball it, but the dough balls should be similar in size. From there, cut each dough ball in half so you'll end up with 12 small even sized dough balls. Each tsoureki will need 3 dough balls for the braid. Roll out each dough ball into a long rope shape. They should be even in thickness and length. Braid the tsourekia and place them on a non-stick, greased baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. This recipe will give you four tsoureki.
- Second rise. Cover the braided tsourekia loosely with saran wrap and a dry, clean kitchen towel. You don't want the towels to be too heavy otherwise, it may impact how much the tsoureki rises. Place the tsoureki in a warm, dry place so that it can rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325°F on bake so that the oven is ready once the tsourekia are ready to go in.
- Brush with egg wash and bake the tsoureki. In a small bowl, whisk one egg. Brush the tsoureki with egg wash so that it gets a beautiful golden colour once baked. Bake the tsoureki in the oven at 325°F on bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. The tsourekia will rise more in the oven, so it's good to leave about 6 inches in between the tsourekia. Once the tsourekia are ready, remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer them to a cooling rack. Congrats, you did it!
Notes
- I'd recommend using a light-coloured baking sheet so that the tsoureki bakes evenly, and I like to bake the tsoureki on the second rack from the bottom
- It's also essential to allow the dough to rise properly. If the quick yeast doesn't bubble, then it's gone bad. In this case, it's best to start fresh with fresh new instant yeast. Otherwise, your tsoureki may not rise properly. Also, when adding milk to the yeast, it should be slightly warm but not too hot, or it could kill the yeast.
- You can make tsoureki in different sizes. For wider and longer tsoureki, you can use larger dough ball amounts and then not roll the dough as thin for the braids.
- The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but you should be able to handle it without the dough sticking to your hands. It can also be helpful to butter your hands before braiding the tsourekia.
- The tsoureki will rise more in the oven, so it's good to leave enough space in between the tsoureki. I would recommend only putting two tsoureki on one baking sheet (if there's enough space between them) since they will rise and puff up as they bake.
Nutrition
Date Published: April 27, 2023
Sweet Tsoureki Recipe (Traditional Greek Easter Bread)
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