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Tsoureki (Armenian braided brioche): photo of the dish
Illustrative photo: Jason Hollinger — CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Snacks & baking

Tsoureki (Armenian braided brioche)

A sweet brioche flavoured with cardamom and mastic, braided and often decorated with a whole egg in its shell. A traditional Easter bake with an elastic softness and a golden crumb.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

Décor

Spices & seasoning

Optional extras

On the side

Nutrition facts

424 kcal per serving

Protein
12.9 g
Carbohydrates
59 g
of which sugars
17.5 g
Fat
14.3 g
Fiber
2.5 g

Ecomely’s estimate, calculated from the ingredients with the ANSES Ciqual food composition table, excluding sides and seasoning added to taste.

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, dissolve the yeast and a spoonful of sugar in the warm milk, then leave to rest for 10 minutes until it foams.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, the remaining sugar, the cardamom and the salt. Add the beaten eggs and the yeast mixture.
  3. Knead for 10 minutes until you have a smooth dough, then work in the softened butter in small pieces and knead for another 5 minutes.
  4. Cover and leave to rise for 1 hour 30 to 2 hours somewhere warm, until the dough has doubled in size.
  5. Knock back the dough, divide it into 3 equal ropes, then braid them. Place the braid on a tray lined with baking paper and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
  6. Brush with beaten egg, scatter with flaked almonds and bake at 180 °C for 30 to 35 minutes, until the brioche is deep golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Variations and tips

Orange version. Add the zest of one orange to the dough for a fresher, more fragrant brioche.

Using what's available. Mastic, the traditional fragrant resin, is found in Middle Eastern shops; ground cardamom stands in for it very well.

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Original Ecomely recipe.