Cookies and Greek easter bread accompany customs. With ingredients evoking childhood memories, Panagiotis Tzimas prepares delectable recipes.
Easter is intertwined with sweet and mouthwatering scents of Easter bread and cookies. Favorite treats for both young and old alike in many designs and shapes with abundant variations for every refined taste. Mahlepi, mastic, vanilla and butter play a leading role in a special ballet of aromas and lavish flavors. The Master Baker of Flour Mills Kepenos S.A, Panagiotis Tzimas shares his recipes for fluffy Greek sweet bread and crispy aromatic Easter cookies.
Greek easter cookies
These are thought to have originated from the Minoan era.Greek easter cookies were made in the shape of a snake, as the Minoans held snakes in high esteem for their healing abilities.
Ingredients
- 500 gr. Dairy butter
- 500 gr. powdered sugar
- 5 eggs
- 10 gr. ammonia
- 20 gr. baking powder
- 5 gr. orange zest vanilla
- 1800 gr. flour
Cooking instructions
Whip the butter with the powdered sugar until they get a foamy texture.
Add the eggs one by one.
Pour milk, ammonia, baking powder, vanilla and consequently orange zest.
At the end, pour the flour slowly. The dough is ready.
Shape the cookies into any design of your liking and brush them with plain egg yolk.
Bake at 220 degrees for approximately 12 minutes.
Greek easter bread or tsoureki
Greek easter bread or the so-called tsoureki is a traditional sweet bread that has acquired over the years various names on a worldwide scale. The word has its roots from the Turkish çörek, meaning any dough that contains yeast.
Tsoureki in Greece is a traditional sweet bread that is prepared throughout the year. It is also referred to as lambrocouloura or bright bread, however the word “tsoureki”, which was adopted during the Turkish occupation, has prevailed. In Armenia it is called chorek, in Azerbaijan it is called çörək, in Bulgaria it is kozunak, in Romania it is cozonac.
Ingredients
- 1250 gr. flour
- 350 gr. granulated sugar
- 140 gr. butter
- 120 gr. yeast
- 350 gr. milk
- Orange zest
- 5 gr. Vanilla
- 5 gr. mahlepi
- 5 gr. mastic
Cooking instructions
Knead all the ingredients together until the dough a smooth texture is formed (about 20 minutes)
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered in a warm spot.
Cut the dough and shape it into various designs.
Place the bread in pans lined with greaseproof paper and wait for their volume to redouble.
Brush with whole egg and some milk and sprinkle on almond fillet.
Bake at 150 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Decor tips
Place the red egg after baking so that the bread does not go sour.
Chef´s Bio
He was born in Athens with family roots from Ioannina and has been active in the Bakery-Confectionery industry for the last 24 years. He is a professor in public and private Vocational Training institutes giving presentations all over Attica and works as a Baker-Confectioner at Flour Mills Kepenos S.A. Panagiotis Tzimas is a regular member of the Acropolis Chef´s Club of Attica and in 2021 was declared as Europe’s Master Baker.
English (UK) 
Ελληνικά