-
1
Pour 3/4 cup of the milk into a bowl.
-
2
Add the yeast, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and 1 cup of the flour and stir to mix.
-
3
Set aside in a warm place until lightly spongy all the way through, 30 minutes.
-
4
Sift the remaining sugar, 5 cups of the flour, and the salt into a large mixing bowl.
-
5
Add the mahlepi, mastic, and butter and briefly mix with your fingers.
-
6
Make a well in the center and pour in the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, and remaining 3/4 cup milk.
-
7
Knead with your hands until you can gather the mixture into a ball, 1 to 2 minutes.
-
8
Dust a work surface with some of the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour.
-
9
Transfer the dough to the floured surface and knead, dusting the surface with flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticky, 10 minutes.
-
10
Lightly coat the dough ball with oil and place it in a clean bowl.
-
11
Cover the bowl with a cloth and set it aside in a warm place to rise until the dough has doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
-
12
Punch down the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface.
-
13
Knead the dough again for 1 minute, then divide it in half.
-
14
Cover the two portions with a cloth and let them rest until puffed up again, 20 minutes.
-
15
Divide one of the portions of dough into thirds.
-
16
With your hands, roll each third to form a rope about 20 inches long.
-
17
When you have three ropes, braid them together.
-
18
Pinch the ends together, tuck them under the braid and place the braid on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
-
19
Repeat with the remaining portion.
-
20
Set the braids aside, covered, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
-
21
When you are ready to bake the bread, preheat the oven to 350F.
-
22
Brush each braid with the egg wash. Press 2 or 3 red eggs into each braid and sprinkle the almonds over the top.
-
23
Bake until very golden on the top and sides, 40 to 45 minutes.
-
24
Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheets for 30 minutes.
-
25
Slice and serve while still warm, or cool completely and wrap in plastic wrap.
-
26
The bread will keep at room temperature for up to 1 week.
-
27
Some cooks also add about 1 tablespoon coarsely grated orange zest to the dough.
-
28
If youre one who loves warm bread, you can slice the loaf right after it comes out of the oven; the texture will be more spongy and cakelike than bread like.
-
29
Workers sort and grade newly harvested mastic tears on Hios.
-
30
As much as the lamb, eggs are an emblem of the Greek Easter.
-
31
To Greeks, spring eggs denote sudden wealth, the fertility of the coming summer, abundance, and above all else, joy.
-
32
Announcing Christs resurrection in a splendid splash of color, the eggs for the Easter bread are dyed red.
-
33
In earlier days this was done in water tinted scarlet from beets, the first spring vegetable, or, where it was available, reddish wood.
-
34
Now cooks generally use commercial packets of dye.
-
35
The dyeing begins on Holy Thursday, before the solemnity of Good Friday wraps the week in black.
-
36
Indeed, Holy Thursday is sometimes called Kokkinopefti, the day red falls, to symbolize Christs blood.
-
37
Place the water in a saucepan just large enough to hold the eggs in one layer and bring to a boil over high heat.
-
38
Add the vinegar and red food coloring.
-
39
Reduce the heat to just below the boiling point, and gently, one at a time, add as many eggs as will fit in one layer.
-
40
Cook for 15 minutes, adjusting the heat so the liquid simmers without boiling.
-
41
Then remove the pan from the heat and set the eggs aside to cool in the liquid for at least 40 minutes.
-
42
Lift the eggs out of the liquid and pat them dry on paper towels.
-
43
Grease your hands with olive oil and rub the eggs to make them glossy.
-
44
Use right away or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
