Tsoureki – Greek yeast plait

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 175 ml milk
• 50 g butter
• 120 g sugar
• 1 egg(s)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 pinch of mastic
• 1 pinch of Mahlab
• 450 g flour
• 60 g yeast
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp almond flakes

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours

the special taste comes from mastic and mahlab

Freeze the mastic tears in the freezer for ten minutes, then grind them in a mortar with a little sugar and the mahlab kernels. Heat the milk over low heat and dissolve the butter and sugar. Stir in the two spices, the whole egg, and the egg yolk. The mixture should still be lukewarm. Now stir in the yeast. Gradually stir the flour into the milk mixture. Knead vigorously until an elastic, slightly sticky dough forms. Cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour. During this time, the dough should double in size. Knead briefly again and divide the dough into three parts. Braid the dough on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Let rise for another hour in a warm, draft-free place. Preheat the oven to 170°C (350°F). Whisk the egg yolk with the milk and brush the top of the yeast plait with it. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake in the oven for about half an hour, until the surface has a beautiful dark brown color. Two oriental spices are crucial for this Greek braided bread: mastic – dried tree resin from the island of Chios – and mahlab, the seedling of the rock cherry. Both spices are available in oriental grocery stores. Without them, it won’t be a Greek braided bread, but a regular one!