A fluffy, wonderfully fragrant tsoureki with beautiful, soft strands and a delicious hazelnut praline filling! Baked in a loaf tin, it takes on a lovely shape and hides a delightful chocolatey surprise in every slice. Perfect for the Easter table, breakfast, or simply to enjoy with our afternoon coffee.
Tsoureki (Greek easter sweet bread) with hazelnut praline, baked in a loaf tin
A fluffy, wonderfully fragrant tsoureki with beautiful, soft strands and a delicious hazelnut praline filling!Baked in a loaf tin, it takes on a lovely shape and hides a delightful chocolatey surprise in every slice. Perfect for the Easter table, breakfast, or simply to enjoy with our afternoon coffee.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup lukewarm milk
- 11 grams 3 tsp dry yeast
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 440 grams self-raising flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 125 grams unsalted butter softened
- 250 grams hazelnut praline spread
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the lukewarm milk, yeast, 2 teaspoons of the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the flour. Stir well and cover the bowl with cling film. Leave the mixture to stand for 10–15 minutes. During this time, it should start to rise and become frothy, which means the yeast is doing its job. If it doesn’t rise, the yeast is no longer active, and we will need to repeat the process with a fresh sachet.
- Once the milk mixture has risen, add the lightly beaten eggs, the remaining sugar, vanilla and orange zest to the same bowl. The mixture will deflate, which is perfectly normal.
- Add the flour to the egg and milk mixture and mix with a stand mixer until combined. Add the softened butter, a little at a time, and continue kneading with the dough hook attachment for 10–15 minutes. The dough should be soft and elastic.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave it to rest and rise for 3 hours, during which time it should double in size.
Assemble
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough into a rectangle measuring approximately 45 x 45 cm. Spread the hazelnut praline evenly over the entire surface of the dough.
- Line a loaf tin with baking parchment, leaving a little extra parchment hanging over the sides. We will use this later to lift the tsoureki out of the tin.
- Cut the dough into 6 strips. Take the first strip and fold it in half. Fold it in half again, and then once more. Turn the strip so that the filling is facing upwards and place it in the prepared loaf tin.
- Repeat the same process with the remaining 5 strips, placing each one next to the previous one so that they fit snugly together.
- Cover the tin with a clean kitchen towel and leave the tsoureki to rise for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (fan-assisted). Bake the tsoureki for 35–45 minutes.
- Allow it to cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Then carefully lift it out using the overhanging baking parchment and leave it to cool for another 15 minutes before enjoying it!
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