Best 11 Greek Easter Bread Recipes

TSOUREKI (GREEK EASTER BREAD)

Steps:

• Combine milk, sugar, and butter in a saucepan over low heat and warm to 112 degrees F (44 degrees C). Remove from heat. Stir in yeast and wait for mixture to bubble.
• Place flour in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture, whole eggs, egg white, chopped almonds, apricots, orange zest and juice, lemon zest, and mahlepi. Mix together. Knead dough until well mixed, adding extra flour if necessary until dough is only slightly sticky. Set dough aside until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Combine egg yolk and 1/4 cup milk in a bowl and place in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Knead risen dough to expel bubbles and divide into 2 equal parts. Divide each half into 3 equal balls. Roll each ball into a rope about 18 inches long. Braid 3 ropes to make a loaf and tuck the ends underneath and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 3 ropes to form a second loaf. Brush egg yolk mixture on top of each loaf and sprinkle with slivered almonds. Brush again with egg yolk mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven until loaves are brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 40 minutes.

TSOUREKI (GREEK EASTER BREAD)

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment; whisk on low speed to combine. Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it registers 110 degrees. With mixer speed on medium-low, gradually add milk to mixer bowl, scraping down sides if necessary. Mix until combined. Remove bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until bubbling, about 30 minutes.
• Generously butter a large bowl; set aside. Return mixer bowl to stand and attach dough hook. Mix in lightly beaten eggs, in 3 additions, on medium speed. Add remaining all-purpose flour and salt and mix until incorporated. Add butter, orange zest and juice, and vanilla, mixing until combined. Gradually mix in 2 cups bread flour, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary; then add enough remaining bread flour to form a soft, slightly sticky dough that pulls away from the side of bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and mix until dough is very smooth, about 8 minutes. Form dough into a ball, place in buttered bowl, and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until 1 1/2 times its original size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Line two 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Punch down dough. Cut dough in half with a large knife or bench scraper, then cut each half into 3 equal pieces. Keeping 3 pieces covered with plastic wrap, roll remaining 3 pieces into 16-inch-long ropes with your hands. (If dough becomes dry, lightly dampen your palms to help in rolling.) Loosely braid ropes together, pinch ends to seal, and place loaf diagonally on 1 baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining 3 pieces of dough. Loosely cover each loaf with plastic wrap coated with cooking spray and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake bread 10 minutes. Remove 1 baking sheet from oven. Quickly and carefully push 5 eggs, larger side down, into the center of the loaf, spacing them evenly down the length. Brush with egg wash and immediately return to oven. Repeat with remaining loaf. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake, rotating baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until loaves are deep golden and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, about 25 minutes more. (If necessary, cover with parchment-lined foil to prevent overbrowning.) Transfer bread to a wire rack; let cool completely.

YIA YIA'S TSOUREKI (GREEK EASTER BREAD)

Steps:

• 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.

GREEK EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• Pour 1/3 cup water that is hot to the touch (about 110 degrees F) into the bowl of a stand mixer. Gently whisk in the yeast, 1 tablespoon of the flour and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Cover with a towel and set aside until bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the temperature of the room).
• Meanwhile, heat the milk in small saucepan over medium heat until bubbles start to form around the edges, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, remaining sugar and salt. Set aside to cool, about 5 minutes.
• Using the paddle attachment, stir the milk mixture into the yeast mixture. Stir in the 2 beaten eggs. Gradually mix in the remaining flour, fennel seed and almond extract, and beat until a soft dough forms. Increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a ball, about 5 minutes (the dough will be sticky).
• Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is as smooth as a baby's bottom, about 5 minutes.
• Put in a lightly buttered bowl, cover and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch down the dough.
• Lightly flour a work surface. Place the dough on the surface and cut into three equal parts. Gently roll out each piece into a 16-inch-long rope. Line a wide-lipped cookie sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the ropes to the prepared sheet. Press the ropes together at one end and braid loosely. Arrange the braid in a circle. Press the ends of the dough together. Gently stretch the circle to make it 10 inches across and the hole in the middle 3 1/2 inches across. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Rub the eggs with a little vegetable oil, and then buff with a paper towel. Gently press the eggs into the dough, evenly spaced. Cover and set aside until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the bread with the remaining beaten egg. Bake until the loaf is dark golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped, about 45 minutes. Cool about 30 minutes before slicing.

TSOUREKI - GREEK EASTER BREAD (BREAD MACHINE RECIPE)

Steps:

• Place the milk, 2 cups of flour, and yeast in the bread machine pan and process on the dough setting. (Mine takes around 1.5 hours).
• While the machine is working (no rush here - you have plenty of time) mix the other 2 cups of flour with the sugar, salt, orange zest, and the anise seed. (I couldn't find ground anise seed so I ground some up in my blender. A coffee grinder would work as well).
• Once the dough cycle is completed, add the flour mixture, olive oil, and eggs. Process again on the dough setting. (Another 1.5 hours! But for me, this is preferable to doing it by hand. My handmade dough ends up like a brick).
• Once the second cycle is completed, remove the dough to a well-floured surface. Punch down and form into a ball. (This is easy! I was scared because this is where I get into trouble - I tend to overwork things. Look it up on YouTube if you don't know how: http://youtu.be/5HW38Bn-hnI).
• Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. (I left it on the counter top and covered it with paper towels).
• Now, divide the dough into three parts. Roll each piece into a rope and braid, working from the center to the ends. Pinch the ends together and turn under. (Once again, if you don't know how: http://youtu.be/YR6aIAh2Vt8 And if you don't feel like braiding it at all - I won't tell. It tastes wonderful no matter what the shape).
• Embed the dyed eggs (optional) in the folds of the braid. Cover and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk - about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. (Note: Mine came out a little dark on top so I'm gonna try 350 degrees next time.) Once the dough has risen, brush it lightly with the egg wash. (I sprinkled some whole anise seeds on top, but you don't have to do that. Some people use slivered almonds, but my family has allergies).
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. (I slid the parchment paper directly onto a preheated pizza stone. My bread came out a little dark on the top, next time I'll drape some foil paper over it around 15 minutes in).
• Cool on a rack. Store in a brown bag for up to 3 days. (When it starts getting stale - if it lasts that long - you can make french toast with it. I recommend this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/dennys-style-french-toast-90674 So good!).

HOW TO MAKE EASY GREEK EASTER BREAD - STEP BY STEP

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium low heat add the butter, the sugar and the milk. Cook for a few minutes, until the butter is melted. Add the zests, remove from heat and let the mixture cool slightly. Add the orange juice.
• In a glass measuring cup, mix the warm water, the sugar and the yeast. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes, until it bubbles and the yeast is activated.
• Beat the three eggs and add them to the reserved butter/milk mixture.
• Sift the flour, mahlepi (and mastic if using) and place in the bowl of a stand mixer. To the dry ingredients, add the reserved butter/milk mixture and the yeast mixture. Mix to form a soft and pliable dough, adjusting the flour as necessary. Rub the surface with the oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for two hours.
• Punch the dough down and divide it into four equal portions. Divide each portion into three balls. Cover the rest and work with three balls at a time: Roll each ball into a 10"-12" long log. Pinch the top ends of the logs together and then braid the logs. When you get to the end, pinch the bottom ends together. Tuck the top and bottom ends underneath the dough. Place braided loaf on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat steps with the remaining dough. Let the bread rise at room temperature for an hour.
• Pre-heat oven to 350° F. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining egg and milk. Brush the tops of the loaves with the egg/milk mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds or sliced almonds. Bake (in batches) for 20-25 minutes. Allow the bread to cool completely before serving.

GREEK EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• Mix 2 cups flour and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Stir milk, butter, sugar, and salt together in a saucepan; heat and stir over medium-low heat until the mixture is smooth and the temperature is between 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) to 100 degrees F (37 degrees C).
• Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, add eggs, and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and beat for 3 minutes more. Add 1 cup flour and 3 tablespoons orange juice to the mixture; mix on high for 3 minutes more.
• Fit the mixer with a dough hook. Add remaining flour to the mixture; beat with dough hook until the flour is completely incorporated.
• Grease a glass bowl. Put dough into the bowl. Let dough rise until doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Punch dough down. Divide the dough into two halves. Split each half into three even pieces, roll each piece into a cylinder, and braid into loaves. Put loaves onto a baking sheet. Let rise, about 1 hour.
• Bake in preheated oven until the middle is baked, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Stir confectioners' sugar and 1 tablespoon orange juice together in a bowl; brush onto the tops of the loaves.

TSOUREKI (SWEET GREEK EASTER BREAD)

Steps:

• Heat milk and whisk in 1½ cups flour, sugar, and yeast.
• Cover with plastic and let stand for ~30 minutes.
• Add eggs one at a time.
• Add another cup flour, orange zest, and salt. Then add butter, vanilla, and orange juice. Gradually add remaining flour, kneading until smooth.
• Coat a bowl with oil and roll dough in it to coat. Cover with plastic and let rise for 1½ hour. Preheat oven to 400.
• Make braids with the dough (2 loaves).
• Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water. Brush loaves with mixture.
• Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

TSOUREKI (TRADITIONAL GREEK EASTER BREAD)

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine 1 cup room temperature water and yeast; let stand until dissolved. Add flour, sugar, honey, orange zest, salt, vegetable oil, and egg yolks. Mix on low speed until the dough is smooth and stiff with a slight sheen, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead to make sure any loose bits are incorporated. Fold in the following manner: Fold the bottom third of the dough up, the top third down, and the right and left sides over, tapping the dough after each fold to release excess flour, and pressing down to seal. Gently gather the dough and flip it over, seam side down. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap (plastic wrap should be touching the surface of the dough), and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Brush an unrimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Return the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and divide into three equal pieces. Roll each piece into an 18-inch log, and place the logs parallel to one another; pinch the ends together at the top. Weave the three strands into a tight braid, tugging gently as you go. Press the ends together to seal. Place loaf on the prepared sheet. Loosely cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove plastic wrap. If baking bread without eggs, brush with egg wash and bake until loaf is deep golden, 40 to 50 minutes. Cover with foil if necessary. The bread should reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and should produce a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. If inserting red eggs, bake bread 10 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully push 5 eggs, larger side down, into the center of the loaf, spacing them evenly down the length. Brush with egg wash and immediately return to oven and proceed with baking directions.

RED EASTER EGGS FOR GREEK EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• Place eggs in a large pot, cover with 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pot and remove from heat. Let stand 7 minutes. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and let stand until chilled, about 10 minutes; drain.
• Pour the 6 cups water into a large bowl. Stir in food coloring and vinegar until combined. Add eggs and let stand until deep red, about 2 hours. Lightly rinse eggs under running water and let dry on a paper towel-lined plate.

GREEK EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• Put milk and butter in large saucepan, scald milk, add sugar and dissolve. Beat eggs and add milk mixture to the eggs slowly while constantly mixing. Mix yeast well in lukewarm water. Make sure to mix well. Mix yeast and egg mixture in large mixer. Add flour slowly. Pour in a large bowl and set in a warm place until risen to double the size. Beat down then let rise and beat down again. Shape and put in greased pans. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame. Then allow to rise. Bake at 350 degrees until cooked through. Put on bottom rack until almost done then put on top rack.