Tsoureki is One of The Most Interesting Enriched Breads That I've Baked, Thanks to Two Ingredients

Probably… One of the best Enriched Breads You’ll Ever Eat… Greek Tsoureki. You’ll find this in every good Greek bakery, and for a very good reason, it’s incredible. Mahlepi and Mastica give this bread an identity all of it’s own.

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My Baking Equipment:

Challenger bread pan:
https://challengerbreadware.com/product/challenger-bread-pan/?ref=CulinaryExploration

Bench scraper / dough cutter:
UK store: https://amzn.to/34wguad
US store: https://amzn.to/3bG68JZ

Bread lame:
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US store: https://amzn.to/3aB1Gv6

Banneton / proofing basket (Size - 25cm x 15cm x 8cm):
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Bowl Scraper:
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Dough scales:
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Precision scales (small quantities):
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My baking schedule:

This is just the schedule I use for my baking at the moment. It suits the current temperature here in Greece. Maybe it will give you some ideas.

Room temp: 20c / 70f

08.00 Mix dough
08.30 Knead dough
10.30 Shape & egg wash
12.30 Bake
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Recipe: Makes one loaf

Note on flour: I use a strong white flour with a protein content of 13%, that’s the best flour that’s available for me to use. You can use a softer flour with less protein content or pastry flour. Just remember that the liquid may need adjusting depending on your flour and the strength may be affected when shaping.

Note on sugar: I prefer my enriched breads with a little less sugar than most, I don’t have a sweet tooth. So you may decide to increase this. It’s personal, so have a little play around.

You can find the Mahleb / Mahlepi and mastica here:

Mastic:
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US store: https://amzn.to/2QViwhi

Mahleb / Mahlepi
UK store: https://amzn.to/3epsgZi
US store: https://amzn.to/3tTTiyw

500g flour (see note above)
220g Milk (3.5% fat / full fat)
2 eggs
50g sugar
75g butter
8g dried yeast
5g sea salt
Lemon - zest of 1 lemon
Orange - zest of 1 orange
Vanilla extract, splash
1g Mastic
8g Mahlepi / Mahleb
Egg for egg wash
Flaked almonds

Add 100g of the milk to a pan along with the vanilla essence, sugar, salt and butter. Gently warm on the heat until the butter has melted and the sugar and salt has dissolved.

Note on the mastic: I added the ground mastic to the milk and didn’t have any issues with it clumping. But some advise freezing the mastic in the freezer for a couple of hours and then giving it a quick grind and adding it to the flour.

In a bowl combine the flour, yeast and mahlepi, add the lemon and orange zest. Check your milk isn’t too warm, and add the remaining milk and 2 eggs to the pan. Whisk with a fork to combine. Add this to the flour and mix to combine everything well. Leave to bench rest at room temp, covered for about 20-30 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate and makes it easier to knead.

Knead the dough for about five minutes until its nice and smooth and the butter has emulsified in the dough. It should be nice and smooth. Shape into a ball and proof in a covered bowl until doubled in size (Your times will vary depending on your temperatures).

Turn out on to the bench and cut into three equal pieces. Shape into rough sausage shapes, cover and rest for 5-10 minutes. Shape again by tightening the sausage shapes and rolling out into a long snake. If the dough feels tight, stop, cover again and rest for 5-10 minutes. Continue to roll until the strands are about 60cm long. Braid as directed in the video. Egg wash, cover and proof for 2 hours until just about doubled in size. (Your times will vary depending on your temperatures).

Egg wash again and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake at 170c / 340f in the centre of a pre heated oven for 45 minutes or until baked through. You can use a baking tray placed above the loaf to stop it cooking too quickly by deflecting the heat from the element.

Cool, enjoy, and let me know what you think!

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