Tsoureki: The Easter Bread

Easter 2009 is fast upon us and that means so is Easter Dinner. If Easter Sunday is going to be at your house this this year you don't want to be caught with out a great Easter Dinner . There does seem to be a shortage of good Easter recipes. For Easter 2009, I would to see some great easter recipes that will hopefully make Easter Sunday and Easter Dinner a great one.

A recipe I would like to propose istsourekiTsoureki is a traditional Greek Orthodox bread that is symbolic of our Risen Lord. The Easter eggs are dyed deep crimson to represent the blood of Christ, the eggs also represent new life and springtime. So for Easter 2009, Enjoy Easter Sunday please feel free to add tsoureki to your list of Easter recipes.

This recipe breaks down into 3 parts, Tsoureki is essentially a sweet bread topped with eggs and sauce. For the bread you will need the following ingredients.

• 2 Eggs
• 4 cups of White Flour
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 3/4 cup of Warm Whole Milk
• 3 Table Spoons of Sugar
• 3 /4 ounce fresh yeast
• 1/ 2 teaspoon Caraway Seeds
• 1/ 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

For the Dyed Eggs you will need these ingredints

• 3 eggs
• a tablespoon of White Wine Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 /4 teaspoon BRIGHT Red Food Coloring

For the Sauce you will need

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1/ 2 cup sliced almonds
• gold leaf if desired

Yeild 1 Loaf

Prep

• Coat a cookie sheet with grease
• Boil the Eggs for 10 minutes
• Prepare the food coloring by mixing the rest of the Egg's ingredients in a small bowl minus the Olive Oil
• remove the eggs from the water and place on wire rack
• after a few seconds roll the eggs in the bowl of food coloring
• Place the Eggs on the rack to dry and cool

1. After the Eggs are cool and dry. Drizzle the Olive Oil on thick paper towels. Rub the olive oil coated towel on the Eggs.

2. For the Bread dough, sift the flour, salt, cinnamon and allspice into a mixing bowl Stir in the Caraway seeds.

3. In another bowl, mix the milk with the yeast

4. In a 5 qt Kitchen Aid mixer, mix the butter sugar and eggs

5. Blend this mixture with the flour on low in your 5 qt Kitchen Aid mixer

6. Add the yeast, slowly mix into dough using the 5 qt Kitchen Aid Mixer until smooth and elastic like.

7. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap that is oiled too and let rise in a warm room for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size

8. return the dough to your 5 qt Kitchen Aid Mixer and knead for 2 minutes on low, return to oily bowl and wait for dough to double again.

9. Punch down and place dough on to lightly floured surface . Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and roll in to ropes approximately a foot and half long. Braid these together from the center to the ends.

10. Place on the greased baking sheet and push the dried eggs into the forming loaf cover and let rise for an hour.

11. Prepare the glaze out of the yolk, honey, and water. Brush this glaze on your loaf, sprinkle the almonds and if you choose gold leaf on the glazed parts.

12. Place in oven, preheated to 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden and hollow sounding when tapped upon.

13. Place on Wire Rack to cool

Enjoy Easter 2009