In the past, every time I passed outside a well-known patisserie in my city, Thessaloniki, the tsourekia would spread this sweet smell that made me dizzy. I used to watch from the shop window the fluffy tsourekia filled with chestnut cream and I remember myself thinking that they were difficult to make. Well, not just to make them, but to make them successfully. 

But, persistence always wins, and this recipe for tsoureki filled with chestnut cream became an integral part of our Christmas celebrations. This wonderfully sweet bread that melts in the mouth like velvet along with the delicious cream that is spread inside the bun, makes you want to close your eyes while enjoying it, slowly like a sweet sin.

Ingredients

For 3 tsourekia

• 700 g strong white flour
• 75 g fresh yeast
• 100 g butter
• 200 g sugar
• 100 g milk
• 2 eggs plus one more for external application
• 1/2 sachet of mahleb
• 1/2 sachet of cardamom
• 1 dose of chestnut cream
• 300 g White chocolate
• 100 g couverture

Preparation

*For step by step photos about the tsoureki and how to braid it, click here.

In half a glass of lukewarm water, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, a tablespoon of flour and the yeast. Stir until dissolved, cover and let it rise for half an hour.

Heat the milk with the sugar in a saucepan and stir until it melts. Remove from heat and add the melted butter along with the herbs.

The mixture should be lukewarm. If it’s hot, wait until the temperature drops otherwise the yeast will be killed off. Beat the eggs and add them to the mixture along with the yeast. 

Add the flour little by little and knead until all of it is absorbed. Grease a baking tray and place the dough inside. Cover it with a cloth and leave for 3 hours in a warm place to swell until double in size.

Once the dough has swelled, divide it into three pieces for three tsourekia. Then divide each piece into two balls if you make the braid crosswise or into three balls if you make the classic braid.

Shape each ball into a string and press it with the rolling pin to flatten it. Spread the chestnut cream and fold it first on one side and then on the other to close. Knead the dough until it sticks and closes very well so that the cream doesn’t spill out.

Braid the buns and place them in a baking tray, lined with oil paste. Let them in a warm place to rise until double in size. Beat an egg with two tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt. Once the tsourekia are puffed, spread the egg on top. Wait for the egg to dry and spread once more. Bake in a preheated oven at 170C, heating elements, for 30-40 minutes until brown.

Once baked, let them cool down and melt the two chocolates in a bain-marie. Spread the white chocolate over the tsourekia and make lines with the couverture. Let the chocolate stabilize and it’s ready! Of course, having to wait for the chocolate to dry is a great temptation and in fact, in my family, we devour the tsoureki immediately while the chocolate is still melted. Something tells me that you will do the same …

Enjoy!

Nanà…