ingredients
- 600 gr bread flour
- 1 cube of fresh yeast (25 g)
- 50 ml of lukewarm water
- 100 ml of lukewarm milk
- 100 g butter melted
- 150 g of sugar
- 2 eggs beaten at room temperature
- 2 oranges the zest
- 1 tsp. mahlep
- 1 tsp ground cardamon
- 1/2 tsp of powdered mastic
For the filling
- 6 tbls chocolate spread
- 200 g of dark chocolate grated
For the chocolate tsoureki
Crush the yeast in a bowl, add 1 tbsp sugar, the warm water (at 35 ° C) and dissolve them. Be careful of the temperature of the water if it is hot the yeast will be burn and the bread will not be inflated. Pour a little flour out of the whole and mix to make a thick batter. Cover well and let it rest for about 20 minutes. It is ready when bubbles appear on the surface. Sift the flour into the mixer bowl. In a bowl, add the milk, butter, sugar, eggs, zest, mahlep, cardamon and mastic. Whisk them well together . Add to flour, activated yeast and liquid materials. Knead 1-2 minutes on low speed and then 5 minutes on high speed. The dough must be soft, but not stick to the hands. Pick it up in a ball and put it in a large bowl. Cover it well and let it double in volume. For about 45 minutes if it is in hot spot up to 1 hour and 30 minutes if we have it on the counter.
When it rises, empty it on the counter and knead for a few minutes. We divide it into three pieces. Knead with a thick rolling pin into 3 equal sizes 40×15. Filling each piece with chocolate spread and grated dark chocolate. roll each piece to keep the filling inside. Join the three ends three ends and knit into one big braid. Transfer it to a baking pan (buttered).
Cover and let it double in volume again. After it has risen again, we smear it with a beaten egg and some water. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes to re-inflate its surface.
Bake in a well-preheated oven at 170 degrees C for about 45 minutes or till golden in colour .
Tips: You can add any filling you like , such as brown sugar and cinnamin.
