Tsoureki (Greek Braided Easter Bread)

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Quick breads Medium

A tall, feathery, golden braid scented with orange zest, mahlab (cherry-pit spice) and a touch of mastic, finished with sliced almonds. It is ideal toasted with butter or jam. Makes 1 large braided loaf in about 3 hr 45 min.

Prep 40 min

Cook 35 min

Cooling 2 hr 30 min

Total 3 hr 45 min

Yield 1 large braided loaf

Ingredients

Adjust yield

large braided loaf

4 cups (500 g)bread flour
¼ oz (10 g)instant yeast
⅔ cup (130 g)granulated sugar
½ tsp (3 g)fine salt
⅔ cup (150 ml)whole milk, warm, about 105 F / 40 C
2 (100 g)eggs, room temperature
⅓ cup (80 g)unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp (6 g)orange zest, finely grated
¼ oz (4 g)ground mahlab
¼ tsp (1 g)ground mastic, crushed with 1 tsp of the sugar
1 (50 g)egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk
3 ½ tbsp (20 g)sliced almonds

Fresh ingredient guides

Baking tools for this recipe

Convert to grams Scale it Change the pan

Instructions

Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, mahlab and ground mastic together in a large bowl.
Add the warm milk, eggs and orange zest and mix to a shaggy dough. Add the butter in pieces and knead 10 to 12 minutes, until smooth, elastic and very soft but not sticky.
Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 1/2 hours, until doubled.
Divide into 3 equal pieces and roll each into a rope about 20 inches (50 cm) long.
Braid the ropes loosely, tuck the ends under and place on a parchment-lined sheet. Cover and let rise about 1 hour, until puffy.
Heat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Brush the loaf with the egg wash and sprinkle with almonds.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden and the bread sounds hollow when tapped; tent with foil if it browns too fast.
Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Tips

Use mastic sparingly; too much turns the bread bitter.
If mahlab or mastic is hard to find, extra orange zest and a pinch of cardamom give a pleasant if different flavor.
A soft, slightly tacky dough yields the fluffiest crumb; resist adding extra flour.
Good with greek coffee or hot tea.

Made this?

Log it to keep your bakes, ratings and notes together in My Kitchen.

Be the first to share one.

Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make tsoureki (greek braided easter bread)?

Plan on 40 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of cooking, plus 2 hours 30 minutes to chill. The recipe makes 1 large braided loaf.

How should I store tsoureki (greek braided easter bread)?

Wrap airtight and keep at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months; toast slices to refresh.

Can I make tsoureki (greek braided easter bread) ahead?

Yes. It needs time to chill and set, so it is a good one to make the day before you serve it.

Tsoureki is the braided, spiced sweet yeast bread Greek families bake for Easter, flavored with mahlab, mastic and orange zest. Serve it with greek coffee or hot tea.