Fluffy Greek tsoureki for days. This Greek tsoureki will give you the tsoureki of your dreams. Guaranteed result for fluffy and stringy tsoureki that a baker would be jealous of.
WHAT MAKES THE TSOUREKIA FLUFFY FOR DAYS?
The recipe for fluffy tsourekia for days is based on my mom’s recipe. My mom’s recipe provides you with the most fragrant, fluffy and corduroy buns you have ever made. If you want you can find it here.
But what do you do with these tsourekia fluffy like foam? So their freshness for days is due to an ingredient that I use for the first time in my kitchen, inverted sugar.
WHAT IS INVERTED SUGAR?
Inverted sugar is a mixture of glucose and fructose, as a result of hydrolysis. Hydrolysis can be induced simply by heating an aqueous solution of sucrose but more often, catalysts are added to accelerate the conversion. Acids, such as lemon juice or cremorium, can accelerate the conversion to inverted sugar.
Compared to granulated sugar inverted sugar is temptingly sweeter and its products tend to retain moisture and are less prone to crystallization. In addition, inverted sugar provides stronger preservative properties to the products that contain it. Inverted sugar, therefore, is preferred by bakers, who refer to it as inverted syrup.
HOW IS INVERTED SUGAR MADE?
The process for making inverted sugar is very simple and you can do it with ingredients you already have at home. You will need water, granulated sugar and a little lemon juice.
Add all the ingredients to a wide non-stick pan. The large surface of the pot favors evaporation. Place the pot on medium to high heat. At the beginning, mix with a wooden spoon, until the sugar dissolves.
When the mixture starts to boil, lower the heat to low. The low temperature is important because the sugar will caramelize if the intensity of the fire is too strong.
Simmer for 20-25 minutes. This is an average time for the syrup to come out light color. During the boiling, if you see that the sugar has caramelized on the walls of the pot, then you clean them with a wet clean cloth.
If you have a thermometer then check the temperature, which should not exceed 114 ° C.
Once the inverted sugar is ready, remove from the heat and let it cool. Once cool you can use it or store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator. The inverted sugar can be stored in the refrigerator for 6 to 12 months.
WHERE AND HOW IS INVERTED SUGAR USED?
Inverted sugar can be used in a variety of recipes, from baking to ice cream. In short, we use it in recipes that we want to add moisture, to avoid crystallization, or to preserve the product we make.
So if you include it in your baking then remember that it should not be used in excess of 25% as a substitute for sugar. That is, if e.g. a recipe requires 100 gr. sugar then you will use 75 gr. sugar and 25 gr. inverted sugar.
TIPS FOR MAKING A FLUFFY GREEK TSOUREKI
INGREDIENTS
Flour plays a very important role in how successful and stringy a tsoureki will be. For this recipe, please use special flour for brioche, rich in gluten and protein. Gluten helps our dough become more elastic.
Since as each flour is different, I give a range of corn oil that will be needed, from 60 to 80 ml. Remember that we should end up with a soft dough that does not stick to the hands.
TEMPERATURE
If not the most important, certainly one of the most important factors for a successful tsoureki, is the temperature. For instance, it does matter the temperature of the ingredients, the temperature of the pot that we will let the dough rest. To ensure the right temperature follow the following steps:
- We should activate the yeast in lukewarm water. Not hot, just lukewarm. If the temperature is high, the yeast will die.
- Before adding the corn oil to the mixture, heat it slightly in a small pot.
- Before letting the dough rest in a large pot, add the pot in the oven for ten minutes at 30°C so that it is not cold. We don’t want it to be too hot, we just don’t want it to be cold.
KNEADING
In order to have a soft and stringy dough, we need to knead the mixture very well. Prepare for kneading even by hand if needed. Towards the end, and as I felt my mixer tired, I kneaded the dough with my hands.
If you follow me in this you will need to smear your hands with a little corn oil and knead the dough. A very good sign for the dough is whether small bubbles appear in the dough.
RISING
If you decide to bake tsoureki this year you have to have patience. Not so much for kneading, but for the rising process. There are 3 crucial rising points:
- Activation of the yeast: We will activate the yeast in lukewarm water. We will understand that it is activated when our mixture has foamed. It will take 15-20 minutes.
- First rising: The first rising of the dough will take place after we knead it very well. Leave the dough either in a very warm environment or in the oven, at 30°C. If your oven has a setting of fan, do not use it. It is quite possible to dry the dough. In any case, wrap the dough well so that it does not dry out and wait until it doubles in size. It will take about 45 minutes if the temperature is right, while it may need up to 1,5 hour if the temperature is lower. To test the dough press it with your finger, it should not bounce back.
- Second rising: The second and last rising will be done after we shape the tsoureki. Leave the tsoureki in a very warm environment or in the oven (at 30°C, not in fan). In any case, wrap the tsoureki well so that they do not dry. Wait until they double in volume. It will take about 30 to 45 minutes.
Fluffy Greek tsoureki
Ingredients
Mixture 1
- 90 ml water, lukewarm
- 20 gr dry yeast
- one pinch of sugar
Mixture 2
- seeds from 1 vanilla
- 3 gr mahlab
- 3 gr cardamom
- 2 gr Chios mastic
- zest from 1 orange
- 140 ml milk, lukewarm
- 200 gr granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 70 gr inverted sugar
Mixture 3
- 770 gr flour for brioche, rich in gluten
- 60-80 ml corn oil, lukewarm
For coating
- 1 egg
- almond slivers or sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a bowl add the lukewarm water, yeast and a pinch of sugar. Be careful, the water should not be hot because it will "kill" the yeast, nor cold because then the tsoureki will never rise. It should be lukewarm. Mix by hand and set aside until foamy. It will take about 15-20 minutes in a relatively warm environment.90 ml water, lukewarm, 20 gr dry yeast, one pinch of sugar
- With a mortar and pestle beat the mahlab, mastic and the cardamom until all the aromatics are well ground. Add the vanilla and the orange zest.seeds from 1 vanilla, 3 gr mahlab, 3 gr cardamom, 2 gr Chios mastic, zest from 1 orange
- In a saucepan over medium heat, slightly heat the milk together with the sugar. Stir until dissolved.140 ml milk, lukewarm, 200 gr granulated sugar
- In a bowl slightly beat the eggs.3 eggs
- Check if the sugar has melted in the milk mixture and if so, add the eggs to the saucepan and stir. Remove from the heat.
- In the bowl of the mixer, on medium to low speed, add all the flour and slowly add the lukewarm water with the yeast.770 gr flour for brioche, rich in gluten
- Add the mixture with the milk and the inverted sugar and mix on medium to low speed. After homogenizing, increase the speed.70 gr inverted sugar
- While the mixture is kneading in the mixer, lightly heat the corn oil in a small saucepan. After it heats up slightly, add it to the mixer. Stir until the dough is completely detached from the sides of the bowl. At this stage your mixer may start to get tired, at least mine did. If so continue kneading by hands until you end up with a smooth and elastic dough. Coat your hands with some corn oil if the dough is sticky.60-80 ml corn oil, lukewarm
- After 15 minutes, and after our mixture has become smooth and soft, transfer it to a large bowl or saucepan. Coat the dough with little drops of corn oil, cover the surface of the dough with parchment paper and then with a clean towel.
- Add the dough in a preheated oven (not fan option, because there is a risk of the dough drying out) at 30°C.
- Wait until the volume of the dough has almost doubled, it will take from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours.
- When the dough is ready, gently remove it from the bowl and divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and shape two tsourekia.
- After we shape the tsourekia, transfer them to pans lined with parchment paper. Let them rest in the oven at 30°C for about 30-45 minutes, or until they double in size.
- Brush them gently with egg wash (egg yolk diluted with water) and sprinkle with almond slivers.1 egg, almond slivers or sesame seeds
- Bake the tsourekia for 25-35 minutes in a preheated oven to 160°C or until they get a golden colour on top.
So that’s my recipe for this year’s tsourekia, fluffy tsourekia. A recipe based on my mom’s recipe. A recipe that evolved as part of the sugar was replaced by inverted sugar. An ingredient that you will love.
I would be thrilled to hear from you. Even more, if you make my recipe and post a photo of it. Just don’t forget to share your photo under the hashtag #tetisflakes. Please do not hesitate to comment below or contact me on Instagram, or Facebook or Twitter!
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