Tsoureki (Traditional Greek Easter Brioche)

Celebrate Easter with this irresistible homemade Tsoureki! This traditional Greek sweet bread is fragrant, fluffy, and packed with aromatic Mediterranean spices. Perfectly braided and golden, it’s a true festive delight. Follow along to learn how to create this delicious treat that will fill your home with the warm, comforting flavors of Easter. What’s not to love about this Mediterranean classic?

Ingredients:

600g strong flour
180g caster sugar
110g softened butter
2 medium sized eggs + 1 yolk
2 tsp mahleb (mahlepi, mahlep)
1 1/2 tsp mastic gum
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1tbsp salt
vanilla

Starter-
250 ml warm milk
1 tablespoon caster sugar
10g dry yeast
100g of flour

Egg wash= 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk.

Hello and welcome to “Feast with Nina.” Easter 
is fast approaching and and here in Greece that means its tsoureki season. Tsoureki is a sweet 
and fragrant brioche which is typically braided and garnished with slivered almonds or sesame 
seeds. What makes tsoureki different from other brioches is the addition of aromatic spices such 
as cardamom, mastic gum and mahlep. Also, the best tsourekis typically have a fluffy and stringy 
texture which is achieved by kneading lots of butter into the dough. Πάμε να φτιάξουμε τσουρέκι!
Here are the ingredients for two loaves. We’ll need 600g of strong flour, 
180g of caster sugar, 110g of softened butter, 2 medium sized eggs + 
1 yolk, 2 tsp of mahleb (mahlepi, mahlep),1 1/2 tsp of mastic gum, 1 1/2 tsp of 
ground cardamom, 1tbsp salt and vanilla We’re also going to make a starter for our dough 
by combining 250 ml of warm milk with just a tablespoon of caster sugar, 10g of dry yeast and 
100g of flour. For our egg wash we’ll need one egg yolk and a tablespoon of milk. And of course 
we can’t forget the almonds or sesame seeds that we will sprinkle over our loaves right before 
baking. First we are going to grind the mastic gum with a little bit of sugar using a mortar 
and pestle. Set that aside. To make the starter, warm the milk to about 40 degrees celsius, add a 
tablespoon of sugar, 100g of strong flour and the instant yeast. Let that sit for 5-7 minutes. Fit 
the mixer with the hook attachment and add all the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix well. Pour the 
starter into the dry ingredients and knead for one minute. Add the eggs and the yolk one at a time 
while continuing to knead at low speed. Next, cut the butter into cubes and add half of the butter 
to the mixing bowl. Knead for a further 2 minutes or until the dough comes together, then move to 
a clean, floured surface and continue kneading by hand. Little by little, fold the remaining 
butter into the dough and continue kneading for about 10-15 minutes until springy. Move the 
dough to a large bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to rest until the dough doubles in size. 
Once ready, form 6 balls of equal size then roll each ball into 6 strands. Each loaf will 
consist of of 3 strands. To braid the loaves, first vertically lay out three strands on 
your working surface and pinch together at the top. Cross the left strand over the middle 
strand then do the same on the right side, making sure to only cross over one strand each 
time. Repeat this process until you get to the end then pinch the ends together. Braid the 
remaining three strands to create a second loaf then move both loaves to a baking tray lined with 
parchment paper. Cover with a dish cloth and leave to rest for about 30 minutes for the dough to 
rise a second time. Once the loaves have risen, brush gently with the egg wash, sprinkle with 
almond flakes or sesame seeds and place in a preheated oven at 170 degrees celsius. Once 30 
minutes have passed, reduce the temperature of the oven to 150 degrees celsius, turn on the fan 
setting, and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. And there you have it! Your 
homemade Greek tsoureki- beautifully golden, soft and aromatic. I hope that you enjoyed 
watching me make this traditional sweet bread and that you’ll also give it a try. If you do 
decide to give this recipe a try, just let me know in the comments how it turned out and don’t forget 
to like this video and subscribe for more recipes.