Saturday, April 21, 2007

Braided Sweet Yeast Bread (Paskalya Çöreği)


Paskalya means Easter in English and the literal translation of this sweet, so common in Turkey, is something like Easter Cake.

½ cup milk * 20 g yeast * 8 ½ cups flour * 2 cups sugar * 4 eggs * 250 g de margarine * 1 tbsp mahaleb * 15 cardamom seeds

For the covering:

1 egg yolk * 25 g crumbled hazelnuts

In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk, add 2 cups of flour and mix. Let it rest for 10 minutes in a warm ambience with the bowl covered. Meanwhile, mix the sugar with the eggs. Melt the margarine and let it cool down. Place the rest of the flour in a bowl. Add the mixture of the yeast with the milk, the mixture of the eggs and sugar, the melted margarine, the mahaleb and the grinded cardamom seeds. Knead the dough very well with your hands and let it rest in a warm place. Separate 3 portions of dough, make three three rolls with your hands and give it the shape of a braid. Place in an oven tray, brush with an egg yolk and sprinkle with the crumbled hazelnuts. Bake on a 180º preheated oven.

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