Easter is the time of braided loaves. Be it large Greek style tsuoreki, little Armenian choreg or anything in between. This recipe is inspired by the classic Armenian Easter bakes. I’ve changed a few things here. Instead of mahlab I decided to add ground anise seed and some extra lemon zest. The juice from that lemon is used for making a sweet syrup that is brushed over the bread once it comes out the oven making is shiny, extra sweet, and lemony.
It’s a great little example of a braided bread. Very easy to handle, so it’s perfect for a beginner. But even if you are experienced you will enjoy this bake as it is effortless. You can flavour the dough with other ingredients. Swap the ground seeds for mixed spice or cinnamon. Swap the lemon zest for orange or leave it out altogether. You can leave the seeds off the top to show the braids a little better too.
This recipe makes 4 braids. To make more simply multiply all the ingredients.
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
For the dough –
50g (1.75oz) milk
2 medium eggs (100g; 3.5oz)
3g (0.1oz) instant dry yeast or 3.6g (0.13oz) active dry yeast or 9g (0.32oz) fresh yeast
6g (0.21oz) salt
3g (0.1oz) fennel seed
3g (0.1oz) anise seed
30g (1oz) sugar
50g (1.75oz) butter
1 lemon worth of zest
300g (10.6oz) white bread flour
For topping –
1 egg
Black and white sesame seeds
For the syrup –
30g sugar
30g lemon juice
Combine in a small pan and bring up to a boil just before the bread come out the oven.
To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.
The flour I use has a protein content of 13%. If your flour is weaker, then you may need to lower the hydration.
If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.
If you are curious about why the dough contains butter, egg, and sugar, click the links to learn more about the effects those ingredients have on bread dough.
Method
- Pour the milk in a large bowl. Add the eggs, yeast, salt, ground seeds, sugar, butter, and lemon zest. Mix well to dissolve the salt, yeast, and sugar. Add the flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature around 24C (75F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust fermentation time accordingly.
- Cover and ferment for 1 hour.
- Fold.
- Ferment for 1 hour.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Pre-shape into balls. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
- Roll the dough balls into strands with tapered ends around 20cm (8in) long.
- Braid three strands together to make one little loaf.
- Place the braided dough onto a non-stick paper lined baking tray.
- Cover and leave for the final proof for around 1.5 hours.
- Brush the dough with egg, leave it to dry for 5 minutes and then brush it again. Sprinkle with seeds and press them in gently to make them stick.
- Bake at 170C (340F) fan on or 190C (375F) fan off for 20 minutes.
- Brush the breads with the hot sugar syrup as soon as they come out the oven.
Leave to cool down and enjoy!
Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.
Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.
