Tsoureki (also called Lambropsomo) is an egg-rich Greek Easter bread that is traditionally served at the Resurrection Meal. This meal marks the end of fasting for the Greek Orthodox Church and is often also comprised of an offal-based soup and a salad. The dough is braided, sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked with partially boiled, red-dyed eggs to represent the blood of Christ.
There are dozens of Tsoureki recipes. Some are flavored with orange peel and anise, others with sweet and sour mahlepi cherry spice, or with savory ingredients like the onion that I used in this recipe.
In order to avoid the color from the eggs running into your bread (like mine did), check Greek grocery stores around Easter time to find extra strong red dye. Alternatively, soak or boil the eggs with onion skins to produce a lighter red, all-natural dyed egg.
Tsoureki
adapted from Alberto at Il Forno
Ingredients
3.75 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1.25 C milk, at room temperature or a bit warmer
1 package active yeast
.5 C onion, finely chopped
6 Tbl butter, (soften 5 Tbl)
3 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs honey
1.5 Tbl sesame seeds
Method
To make the starter: In a medium sized bowl combine 1.5 C of the flour, 4/5 C of the milk and the package of yeast. Mix well and allow to sit in a warm location until bubbly and doubled in size (about 45 minutes).
Cook the onion with 1 Tbl butter over medium heat, until the onion is translucent. Set aside.
Boil 2 of the eggs for about 5 minutes (they will cook more in the oven) and dye red. Set aside.
Knead the starter with the remaining 2.5 C of flour, salt, honey, 1 egg and enough milk for the dough to just come together (about 3 Tbl). The dough should be quite firm.
Add the the onion and the remaining butter 1 Tbl and at a time. Work the butter into the dough until it becomes shiny and elastic, (about 10 minutes). Cover the dough and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).
Once doubled, divide the dough into 4 equal piece. Roll three of the pieces into ropes about 24 inches long. Roll the fourth piece into a rope about 48 inches long. Due to the elasticity of the dough, it is easiest to roll each piece a bit at a time, allowing it to rest as you roll the other pieces.
With slightly wet hands, braid the three 24 inch pieces together (the moisture will help the pieces stick together). Move the braid to a greased cookie sheet or a Sil-Pat mat and tuck the ends under. Place the boiled, dyed eggs on top of the braid and wrap the longest piece of dough around the eggs to secure them (see the picture above). Gently cover the dough and allow to rise for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400F
Glaze with the egg yolks and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 30 - 40 minutes.
How dramatic!
Posted by: rachel | March 11, 2008 at 15:33
Hi! I just found your blog and it's beautiful! Clean, bright photos. Love it! I'm from the basque country in northern spain and we have a similar bread for eater. rich brioche type bread with a cooked egg in the middle. one of my favorites!
Posted by: Aran | March 18, 2008 at 07:53
Another gorgeous creation! Great job!
Posted by: Tracy | March 20, 2008 at 19:30
oh, i'm so glad you mention dying eggs with onion skins, because it's such a strong easter tradition in poland, and so few people know about it.
i dunno though, it might be a bit hardcore for this recipe, because the eggs tend to turn a rusty deep red that actually does look kind of like dried blood. might be a bit too graphic?
also, i am kind of confused - the eggs stay in their shells? isn't that kind of a pain?
Posted by: kasia | March 23, 2008 at 19:56
Hi Rachel, I hope you mean the breads and not my post! They really are quite pretty when you pull them out of the oven.
Hi Aran, thank you for stopping by. It is so enjoyable to see the regional breads and sweets of each area during holidays. It is one of my favorite things about visiting other blogs.
Thank you Tracy!
Hi Kasia, the eggs stay in the shells because you only partially cook them before you bake the bread. I haven't tried it, but I think that if you were to fully cook them, peel them and then bake them with the bread--they would be tough and rubbery.
Posted by: gemma | March 25, 2008 at 13:51
oh my gosh -- i'm half greek, and my grandmother used to always make these for greek easter every year. and now i have a recipe! i haven't had this since i was a kid!
Posted by: katy | April 09, 2008 at 13:47
Hi Katy,
I wish my grandmother had been Greek -- it wouldn't have taken me 20 years to have this delicious bread for the first time!
Posted by: gemma | April 09, 2008 at 13:59
what's with the chopped onion then?!
Posted by: jon | May 21, 2008 at 21:07
Jon, good catch! It should read correctly now.
Posted by: Gemma | May 23, 2008 at 15:20
Awesome, I was hoping you'd done this on your blog.
I just got off the phone with my grandma who used to make this when I was little (she's greek). I've been fantasizing about trying to make it this Easter.
I'm going to try to find and use mastic and mahlab for that real Greeky taste.
Also, in Greektown in Chicago they sell that crazy blood-red dye that's another important part of the nostalgia for me.
Posted by: Peter | April 09, 2009 at 12:43