Yia Yia's Tsoureki (Greek Easter Bread)
Ingredients
- 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water (110 degrees F (43 degrees C))
- 6 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup shortening (such as Crisco®)
- 1 teaspoon ground mastic (Optional)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs at room temperature, beaten
- ¼ cup sliced almonds (Optional)
- ½ cup water at room temperature
- 2 red-dyed eggs (Optional)
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ cup sliced almonds (Optional)
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (Optional)
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Instructions
- Pour yeast into a small bowl; add warm water and 1/4 cup of flour. Stir, cover with two damp kitchen towels, and leave in a warm place until bubbly, about 2 1/2 hours.
- Combine butter, shortening, and mastic in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Stir milk and sugar together in another saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm. Remove from heat.
- Pour 2 cups flour into the butter mixture and stir well. Add salt, then stir in the yeast mixture. Add 2 more cups of flour and stir well. Stir in 3 beaten eggs. Slowly add the milk mixture and 1 cup of flour and stir well. Add the room-temperature water and the last cup of flour and stir until the dough is not sticky.
- Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 20 minutes with lightly floured hands. Form dough into a ball. Cover with damp towels and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two baking sheets.
- Divide dough into two pieces and separate each piece into three strands. Braid each of the 3 strands together to form 2 braided loaves. Place on the baking sheets. Nestle the red-dyed eggs between the strands. Brush the dough with the remaining beaten egg. Sprinkle the tops with almonds and sesame seeds.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Source
Original recipe: View Original