Sweet Greek Christmas bread

Making Greek Christmas bread is easier than you think! This sweet yeast bread not only freezes well but is thought to ensure blessings for the coming year.

Course sides

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 35

Rising Time 1 15

Total Time 2 15

Servings slices

Calories 167

Author Cheryl Najafi

Ingredients

2 3/4 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 pkg active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs beaten
1 egg additional for brushing
1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

Activate your yeast by filling a bowl with warm water, adding the packet of yeast, and whisking together. Add a small spoonful of sugar to feed the yeast.
In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, stir together the flour, salt, and sugar, and the bowl of activated yeast.
Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium sized bowl. Add milk then heat in the microwave until just barely warm.
Crack both eggs into the milk and butter mixture then whisk until combined. Slowly add the egg mixture into the flour and yeast mixture, mixing until evenly distributed.
If you are mixing by hand, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3−5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
This will take about 2 minutes in the stand mixer. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat both sides.
Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, approximately 1½ hours.
After the dough has had a chance to double in volume, punch it down to deflate.
Remove ⅓ of the dough and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into eight 12" ropes. Form 4 twisted ropes by taking 2 ropes and twisting them together. Use several of the braided ropes to line the inside edge of a greased 9" round cake pan.
Shape the remaining ⅔ of dough into a round ball just large enough to fit inside the twisted ropes. Use the remaining twists to make any design you would like on top of the loaf. (We placed the remaining twists in a spiral in the center of the loaf to form a rosette.)
Cover the dough and allow it to rise in a warm spot one final time for about 30−45 minutes.
As you leave the dough to rise for the final time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
When the loaf has doubled in size, brush the top with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake the bread for 30−35 minutes, but cover the bread with aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent over-browning.
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before removing the bread from the pan. Enjoy!

Notes

You’ll have plenty of time to multitask while the dough rises, so don’t think this is an all-day project!

Nutrition