Preparation time: 1 hour and 20 minutes + 28 hours for rest and proofing
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Number of servings: 1 tsoureki
Difficulty of preparation: medium
Food type: pastry
utensils: lemon zest grater, silicone brush
Cuisine: Greek
INGREDIENTS
For the sourdough:
100 g of mature wheat sourdough
35 g whole wheat flour
35 g whole wheat flour
70 g milk (warm)
15 g sugar
For the dough:
350 g flour
100 g butter
90 g sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
30 g condensed milk
1 tsp. marshmallow
1 tsp. fondant
1 tsp. salt
zest of 1 orange
For the grease:
1 egg
For sprinkles:
Almond flakes/pearl sugar
COOKING METHOD
STEP 1.
13.00 Prepare the sourdough.
Put all the ingredients for the sourdough in a bowl and mix together. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place (25-26°C) for 4 hours. The fermentation time can be increased by 1 hour, if the leaven is not bubbling enough.
STEP 2
16:30 Prepare the egg and butter mixture.
In a small saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat, add sugar, spices, and orange zest and leave to cool. Add eggs, condensed milk and stir until smooth.
STEP 3
17:00 Knead the dough.
Pour the flour and salt into the mixer bowl. Add the sourdough and the egg and butter mixture. Knead the dough with the mixer for 10-15 minutes or by hand until it is smooth and slightly sticky. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
STEP 4
17:30 Knead the dough.
After the dough has rested using a mixer, knead it for about 15 minutes more or by hand until it is smooth and shiny. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 4 hours.
STEP 5
From 5.45pm to 9.45pm proof.
Transfer the dough. To do this, visually divide the dough into four parts, then gently with wet hands pull it over the edge of the first part and put the stretched dough in the center, then turn the bowl, lift the dough over the edge of the second part, pull it out and fold it back into the center. Do the same with each of the four sides. Repeat two more times every 30 minutes. Rest the dough for the remaining 3 hours. The dough should visually rise a little and be soft to the touch.
STEP 6.
From 9:45 to 7:00 p.m. proof in the refrigerator.
Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to rise in the fridge until morning.
STEP 7
7:00 Shape the courgettes.
Sprinkle flour on the work surface. Spread out the dough. Divide into three equal portions and roll them into rolls. Weave the ssurekis by braiding the plaits.
STEP 8
7:30 to 13:00 proofing
Line a baking tray with parchment. Carefully transfer the courgettes to the baking tray and cover with clingfilm. Allow the courgettes to proof for about 6 hours at room temperature. The dough should rise visually and be soft to the touch.
STEP 9
12:15 Preheat oven.
Preheat the oven to 230°C. Place a baking tray on the bottom of the oven.
STEP 10
1:00 pm to 1:40 pm Baking.
Brush the tzoureki with beaten egg, sprinkle with almond flakes or pearl sugar. Pour a mug of hot water into a baking tray on the bottom of the oven. Reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake the zurek until golden, about 30-40 minutes.
My tips and tricks:
Mahlepi and mastic are very important spices for Greek traditional baking. They have a special flavor that is perhaps unlike other spices, so there is no substitute for them. But, as an option, you can use ground cardamom and ground badian to give your baked goods an unusual and festive flavor. For our recipe, you will need 5 g ground cardamom and 5 g ground badian.