Tsoureki

Ingredients

  • 1 lb sweet butter

  • 3 cups sugar

  • 1 dozen jumbo eggs

  • 1 quart milk

  • 4 packages dry yeast

  • 6-7 lbs Heckers’s flour (Buy 4 - 2 lb bags. It helps to keep track of the flour used)

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 tsp ground mahlepi (optional) – found in Greek stores or online.

  • 1 stick sweet butter

  • 1 egg 

  • Sesame seeds (optional)

  • 5 Red Easter eggs (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees and turn off.

  • Place yeast in a large bowl. Add 2 cups of warm milk and 2 cups of flour.   Blend well using a whisk. Cover and let rest for one hour in oven.

  • Melt butter with 2 cups of milk and 3 cups of sugar over low flame in a saucepan.  Let cool. 

  • Add salt and mahlepi to the butter mixture

  • Beat 12 eggs one at a time until frothy.  Add milk mixture and yeast mixture.  Blend well.  

  • Add flour a little at a time.  Knead it into mixture before adding more flour.  Continue kneading and adding flour until dough is still a little sticky but shapes into a nice ball.  DO NOT ADD TOO MUCH FLOUR. (It usually takes a total of 6-6 ½  lbs-including the amount used in Step 1-but the amount can vary.)  

  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees and turn it off. 

  • Shape the dough into a ball and wipe the top with melted butter so it doesn’t dry.  Cover loosely with saran wrap and a large lightly damp towel.  Put in warm oven (heat off) and allow to rise. It should double in size – about 2 ½ to 3 hours. 

  • Knead dough VERY WELL (you can be rough) until air bubbles are broken and dough is shiny.  

  • Grease 5 9” round cake pans (or any variation desired)

  • Cut dough into 15 pieces.  

  • Take three pieces.  Roll each piece into a 16” log.  Place the three logs side by side and braid them together sealing the ends.  Tightly roll the braid into a circle and put end piece under the circle.  Put bread into 9” round greased pan.  Brush with butter. Cover loosely with saran wrap and then with towel.  

  • Repeat this process 4 more times.  Let breads sit in oven or, if not enough room, on the counter (warm/no draft) for 1-1 ½ hours until they rise. 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  • Brush breads with egg  that has been beaten with 1 tbl of water.  Sprinkle breads with sesame seeds (optional). 

  • Bake (in several batches) in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until done.   Cool on rack thoroughly before wrapping.  Cut a small circle in the center of bread and place a red egg in hole (optional). 

  • Bread can be frozen.  Freeze right after it has been wrapped for freshest results.

Arika Madouros