Easter Bread

Makes one plaited loaf

Description/Notes:

Greek Easter Bread (tsoureki) which is baked and twisted into sweet bread-loaves are traditionally distributed on Easter Sunday.

Ingredients:

Three and a half pounds (one and a half kilos) flour

14 oz. (400g) sugar

12 oz. (320g) butter

8 0z. (225g) milk

three and a half ounces(100g) yeast

8 eggs

1 tsp. mastic, crushed

half a tsp. Of mahlepi (an oriental seed-type herb

almonds, blanched and coarsely crushed

Cooking Instructions:

Dissolve the yeast in a little warm milk and add 3-4 tbsps. of flour then leave to rise in a warm place
Put the rest of the flour into a bowl and make a well in the center
When the yeast mixture has risen considerably put it into the well in the flour
Warm the remaining milk in a saucepan with the eggs, half the mastic, the mahlepi, 9 oz.(250g) of the butter and combine well
Add half of this mixture to the bowl with the flour and the yeast and knead well
Melt the rest of the butter and keep it to one side
Add the rest of the egg, sugar, malhepi, mastic and butter mixture to the flour and yeast mixture
Continue kneading, greasing your hands with the already melted butter
Knead the dough until it's elastic in consistency, not too stiff or too runny, adding a little more flour if needed
Cover the dough with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place to rise
When you see it has risen considerably separate the dough into three thick strips
Plait the strips, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle them with almonds and the remaining mastic
Optionally, you could also decorate the plait with a red hard boiled egg at one end
Bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes