Why you’ll love this recipe

Ingredient Notes

All the tsoureki ingredients gathered: flour, eggs, milk, orange, fresh yeast, mahlepi, and mastic for that authentic Greek touch.

• Mahlepi : This is the dried seed of the pit of a wild cherry. Little known in some regions, but found in Greek or Middle Eastern grocery stores — also look for the name “mahlab.” Its taste is fruity, slightly bitter, with an almond undertone. It’s often found whole: a quick turn in a mortar or an old coffee grinder is enough. Without it, tsoureki isn’t tsoureki.
• Chios Mastic : A resin harvested on the island of Chios, Greece. The taste is camphorated, slightly resinous, very particular. You only use a little — half a teaspoon — but it changes everything. Look in the same section as mahlepi to find it. If truly unavailable, you can do without it, but the result will be less authentic.
• Fresh yeast : 50 g for 1 kg of flour. Fresh yeast gives a more regular rise and a milder taste than dry yeast. It is found in the chilled section of most supermarkets. If you only have dry yeast, divide by 3 — about 16 g — and follow the same rehydration protocol.
• Orange (juice + zest) : Preferably an organic orange, since we use the zest. The juice brings moisture and soft acidity, the finely grated zest gives the small fragrant bursts found in every bite. This is the only ingredient we don’t substitute — it is at the heart of the aromatic profile.

• Don’t add too much flour to make the dough less sticky: it’s precisely this moisture that guarantees the stringy crumb of the tsoureki. A dough that is too dry will result in a dense, ordinary brioche.
• Mahlepi and mastic can be found in Greek or Lebanese grocery stores, and easily online — order them together, they keep for months in a closed jar away from light.
• If the red eggs crack during baking, they probably needed another turn in boiling water before being dyed. Next time, 12 minutes of hard boiling before dyeing, and insert them well-wrapped in the dough rather than just placed on the surface.

Greek Easter Brioche (Tsoureki)

Easy
Greek
Bread & Pastries

Greek braided brioche with mahlepi and mastic spices, featuring a stringy crumb scented with orange. The traditional Easter recipe.

Ingredients

• 50 g fresh yeast (or 16 g dry yeast)
• 250 ml whole milk, divided
• 1 kg bread flour (Type 45/Strong)
• 250 g granulated sugar
• 120 g unsalted butter
• 4 whole eggs
• 120 ml fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges)
• 1 organic orange — finely grated zest
• 10 g mahlepi powder (mahlab)
• ½ tsp Chios mastic powder
• 1 egg yolk (for glazing)
• 2 tbsp milk (to thin the glaze)
• 40 g flaked almonds
• 2 red painted eggs (decoration)

Instructions

1. 1Crumble the yeast into 125 ml of warm milk, add 100 g of flour, mix into a thick paste. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
2. 2In a saucepan, heat the rest of the milk (125 ml) with the sugar and butter over low heat until everything melts. Let cool to about 38°C.
3. 3Beat the 4 eggs with the orange juice, zest, mahlepi, and mastic. Incorporate into the warm milk-sugar mixture.
4. 4Pour this mixture over the starter. Add the remaining flour (900 g) gradually while mixing, then knead for 10 minutes by hand or stand mixer (hook) until you get a supple and slightly sticky dough.
5. 5Cover with cling film and let rise for 3 hours at room temperature, until doubled in volume.
6. 6Degas the dough, divide into 2 equal portions. Divide each portion into 3 strands of 50 cm. Braid each set of 3 strands.
7. 7Place the braided brioches on a tray lined with parchment paper. Push 1 red egg into the braid of each brioche. Cover and let rise for another 1 hour.
8. 8Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Mix the egg yolk and milk, brush the brioches generously. Sprinkle with flaked almonds.
9. 9Bake for 40 minutes. If the surface browns too quickly after 30 minutes, cover loosely with foil. The brioche is done when the bottom sounds hollow.
10. 10Let cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack before slicing.