Tsourekia are such a delicious Greek treat, and a favorite dessert during Christmas and especially, Easter!
You do not need to spend hours in the kitchen preparing them, as most of the time is waiting time to activate the yeast, leave the dough to rise, and then, the tsourekia.
We’ve tested different things this year and came up with this one that we really loved as it is easy and with very simple ingredients you can find everywhere.
In addition, we wanted to try a recipe that is oil-free because some of you want to reduce it a lot. So we replaced the oil with the tahini and it was just perfect!
These are not the type of tsourekia which are “thin air”, where you eat a slice and you did not even understand it, lol.
They are tsourekia that you eat and you understand every bite. In short, tsourekia that you will enjoy to the fullest!
Regarding the sugar, you can add more if you prefer or use any other type you want.
Because we often eat them with homemade hazelnut butter (find the recipe here) or melted chocolate, we do not add extra sugar.
Will you prepare them? Do not forget to take a photo and tag us on social media @greekappetite so we can see your creations!
Find more recipes in our digital cookbook “Eat Like A Greek Vegan”!
Delicious Greek Vegan Tsoureki (Greek Easter Sweet Bread) (Oil-Free)
Ingredients
For the yeast
- 100 ml of lukewarm water
- 60 ml plant-based milk we used soy milk
- 1 package dry yeast 9 gr
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. flour ideally, high-gluten
For the dough
- zest of 2 oranges
- 150 ml of orange juice
- 150 gr coconut sugar or other sugar of your choice
- 150 gr tahini
- 45 ml of plant-based milk
- ½ tsp. ground cardamom
- ½ tsp. mahlepi or mahleb
- ½ tsp. Chios mastiha crushed or powder
- 650 gr flour ideally, high-gluten
For decoration (optional)
- almonds
- melted chocolate
- hazelnut butter
Instructions
- Prepare the mixture with the yeast by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl. Liquid materials must be at lukewarm temperature to activate the yeast. Leave the mixture aside for about 15-20 minutes.
- Mix the mixture and prepare the dough.Put all the ingredients (except the flour) in the same bowl, mix and slowly add the flour, while continuing to mix.
- Start kneading by hand, unless you have a mixer.If necessary, add a bit of flour, so that it does not stick to the hands. The amount depends on the type of flour you have.
- Form a ball of this dough and cover it with a towel in a warm place or put it in preheated oven at 50°C for about 30-45 minutes.
- Continue kneading.Cut it in half and divide each piece into 3 smaller doughs which you roll and shape into strips.
- “Attache” the top of the 3 strips together and start to form tsourekia, alternating each of the 3 strips.
- If you want to put some chocolate inside the tsourekia, you can open each strip, place grated chocolate, close it and re-shape it.
- Press easy tsoureki everywhere so that it has the same shape and size and is baked evenly everywhere.
- Cover them with a towel in a warm place or put them in a preheated oven at 50° C for about 30-45 minutes.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for about 30-35 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown (the exact temperature and time depends on the oven).
