I was a little shocked the other day to find out that scores of people in my city queued outside the Central Bus Terminal to get their packaged lamb. (Such packages will often travel from the province to major towns but never the other way round since it's usually the parents who look after their children's nourishment.) Am I the only person here, I thought, who doesn't give a fig about the Easter table? The answer is probably yes. I don't come from a village and might easily go without lamb this year. The only thing I really like and certainly would miss is 'tsoureki'.
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| 'Pistacia lentiscus' from Köhler's Medicinal Plants (1887-1890) |
A lot of countries share an Easter bread tradition but I will focus on the Greek version today because it features one ingredient that's really worth a post: mastic of Chios.
This is a kind of resin derived from the local variety of a tree called pistacia lentiscus, which grows naturally around the Mediterranean. It's been cultivated on this Greek island for over 2,500 years. Hippocrates (the 'Father of Medicine') prescribed mastic against gastric and dental illness during the 5th century BC. Apart from its medicinal properties, the resin is widely used for culinary purposes. Mastic (whose name is derived from 'masticare') is also popular as chewing gum. Although there's some debate about its flavor, one recipe in which mastic is absolutely necessary is the delicious Easter bread kneaded with special care by Greek housewives. I also find that Russian kulich, Serbian kolach, Czeck hozka, Hungarian kalacs and Finnish pulla (all of them yeasted breads without a filling) can easily be made into 'tsoureki' with the addition of this resin. Top secret: never exceed 1tsp of crushed mastic per 500g of flour or the dough will turn out bitter.
GREEK EASTER BREAD
Holiday bread is usually given a round shape. The dough is braided with a red egg somewhere in the middle and, before placing in the oven, the surface is brushed with egg wash and decorated with almond slivers.
I n g r e d i e n t s
675g strong flour
1 sachet dry yeast
pinch of salt
400ml milk (3,5% fat)
125g butter
125g caster sugar
3g mastic resin, crushed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
almond slivers, for decoration
M e t h o d
1. Gently heat the milk, butter, and sugar. Add the eggs (saving 1-2tbsp). Stir until all ingredients are dissolved. Check the temperature: it mustn't exceed 37-38 C. 2. Sift the flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl. Add the liquid ingredients and mix well. Cover the (rather sticky) dough with a towel and let stand for 15-30 minutes. 3. Knead for 10-15 minutes, lightly flouring your hands when necessary. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with lightly greased cling film. Leave to rise until it's doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 4. Uncover, knock back, and cover again. Leave to rise a second time until it's almost doubled in bulk. 5. Uncover, knock back, and shape the dough into a loaf, braid etc. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a damp towel while preheating the oven to 200 C, about 30-45 minutes. 6. Uncover and brush with leftover egg, thinned with 1-2tbsp milk. Decorate with almonds slivers. Bake for 25 minutes, then lower to 180 C and bake another 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of your bread. 7. Check if the bread is ready by knocking the bottom with your knuckles: it must sound hollow. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
675g strong flour
1 sachet dry yeast
pinch of salt
400ml milk (3,5% fat)
125g butter
125g caster sugar
3g mastic resin, crushed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
almond slivers, for decoration
M e t h o d
1. Gently heat the milk, butter, and sugar. Add the eggs (saving 1-2tbsp). Stir until all ingredients are dissolved. Check the temperature: it mustn't exceed 37-38 C. 2. Sift the flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl. Add the liquid ingredients and mix well. Cover the (rather sticky) dough with a towel and let stand for 15-30 minutes. 3. Knead for 10-15 minutes, lightly flouring your hands when necessary. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with lightly greased cling film. Leave to rise until it's doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 4. Uncover, knock back, and cover again. Leave to rise a second time until it's almost doubled in bulk. 5. Uncover, knock back, and shape the dough into a loaf, braid etc. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a damp towel while preheating the oven to 200 C, about 30-45 minutes. 6. Uncover and brush with leftover egg, thinned with 1-2tbsp milk. Decorate with almonds slivers. Bake for 25 minutes, then lower to 180 C and bake another 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of your bread. 7. Check if the bread is ready by knocking the bottom with your knuckles: it must sound hollow. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
T i p
Crush the resin in a mortar. To avoid its flinging out, mix with 1-2tsp granulated sugar beforehand.
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