Greek Easter Bread

Name: Greek Easter Bread
Prep time: 5 h 25 min
Cook time: 5 h 25 min
Total time: 5 h 25 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Mediterranean, European, Greek
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons envelope active dry yeast; 0 teaspoons almond extract; 2 larges eggs, lightly beaten, plus 1 egg lightly beaten for egg wash; 2 teaspoons ground fennel seed; 1 liters all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting; 3 hard-cooked eggs, dyed red; 315 milliliters milk; 1 teaspoon fine salt; 118 milliliters sugar; 5 Tbsps unsalted butter, plus more for greasing bowl; 8 servings Vegetable oil, for rubbing

The recipe Greek Easter Bread could satisfy your Mediterranean craving in about 5 hours and 25 minutes. This vegetarian recipe serves 8. One portion of this dish contains around 15g of protein, 27g of fat, and a total of 627 calories. If you have active yeast, vegetable oil, ground fennel seed, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. It works well as a very reasonably priced bread for Easter.

Instructions

Pour 1/3 cup water that is hot to the touch (about 110 degrees F) into the bowl of a stand mixer. Gently whisk in the yeast, 1 tablespoon of the flour and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Cover with a towel and set aside until bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the temperature of the room).

Ingredients you will need

All Purpose Flour

Sugar

Water

Yeast

Equipment you will use

Stand Mixer

Whisk

Bowl

Meanwhile, heat the milk in small saucepan over medium heat until bubbles start to form around the edges, about 6 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Milk

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, remaining sugar and salt. Set aside to cool, about 5 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Sugar

Salt

Using the paddle attachment, stir the milk mixture into the yeast mixture. Stir in the 2 beaten eggs. Gradually mix in the remaining flour, fennel seed and almond extract, and beat until a soft dough forms. Increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a ball, about 5 minutes (the dough will be sticky).

Ingredients you will need

Almond Extract

Fennel Seeds

Dough

All Purpose Flour

Yeast

Egg

Milk

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is as smooth as a baby's bottom, about 5 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

All Purpose Flour

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Put in a lightly buttered bowl, cover and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Punch down the dough.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Punch

Lightly flour a work surface.

Ingredients you will need

All Purpose Flour

Place the dough on the surface and cut into three equal parts. Gently roll out each piece into a 16-inch-long rope. Line a wide-lipped cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Roll

Equipment you will use

Baking Paper

Baking Sheet

Transfer the ropes to the prepared sheet. Press the ropes together at one end and braid loosely. Arrange the braid in a circle. Press the ends of the dough together. Gently stretch the circle to make it 10 inches across and the hole in the middle 3 1/2 inches across. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Rub the eggs with a little vegetable oil, and then buff with a paper towel. Gently press the eggs into the dough, evenly spaced. Cover and set aside until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Ingredients you will need

Vegetable Oil

Dough

Egg

Dry Seasoning Rub

Equipment you will use

Paper Towels

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Brush the bread with the remaining beaten egg.

Ingredients you will need

Bread

Egg

Bake until the loaf is dark golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped, about 45 minutes. Cool about 30 minutes before slicing.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

2teaspoons

envelope active dry yeast 0teaspoons

almond extract 2larges

eggs, lightly beaten, plus 1 egg lightly beaten for egg wash 2teaspoons

ground fennel seed 1liters

all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 3

hard-cooked eggs, dyed red 315milliliters

milk 1teaspoon

fine salt 118milliliters

sugar 5Tbsps

unsalted butter, plus more for greasing bowl 8servings

Vegetable oil, for rubbing

Recommended wine: Agiorgitiko, Assyrtiko, Moschofilero

Greek works really well with Agiorgitiko, Assyrtiko, and Moschofilero. If you feel like going Greek with your Greek food, assyrtiko and moschofilero are both lovely white wines to pair with chicken, seafood, etc. Agiorgitiko is a full bodied red suitable for roasted meats and lamb. One wine you could try is Skouras Saint George Agiorgitiko. It has 4.1 out of 5 stars and a bottle costs about 18 dollars.