Braided with love: Kyria Effie shares her treasured tsoureki recipe

Words by Neoléa*

On Tuesday, April 15 we were given the beautiful opportunity to learn Kyria Effie’s treasured tsoureki recipe. Though it’s a labour of love, for her, baking tsourekia during Easter is more than tradition — it’s a deep expression of care for her family. In her heart, it simply wouldn’t feel like Easter without the smell of tsourekia in the air and the warmth of the kitchen.

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This year, with one hand out of action, she had some help — Linda stepped in, knowing just how much it meant to her. There was something quietly powerful about that moment: one woman supporting another in continuing a tradition that holds so much meaning.

Just as Kyria Effie once learned, we too were learning — gathered in her home, going through the recipe step-by-step, hands in dough, stories shared, laughter exchanged. For Linda, it felt like helping her own mum.

Tuesday wasn’t just about baking. It was about community — about passing down knowledge, not only to our own families, but to those around us. It was about generosity, sharing the little secrets that make a recipe sing, and of course, leaving with full bellies and even fuller hearts.

To be welcomed into that space and to learn in this way — just as generations before us did — was something truly special.

Tsourekia recipe by Effie Katianos

Half dose recipe – approx 12 medium portions, Cook at 200°C

Ingredients:

• 2kgs flour (approx)
• 500mls warm milk
• 7 eggs
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 3tbs yeast (3 sachets)
• 1 cup orange juice (250 ml)
• Grated rind of 1 x lemon and 1x orange
• 1 cup oil
• 2 tbsp mahlepi powder
• 1 x egg yolk mixed with little water for basting
• Cover with almonds or sesame seeds

Method:

1. Warm milk in saucepan
2. Add the yeast and mix well.
3. Add 2 cups of plain flour.
4. Mix well until dissolved by hand.
5. Cover in a warm place with blankets to rise for one hour (approx) (tip: electric blankets work well).
6. Beat eggs with sugar until dissolved.
7. Warm the oil (test with finger for lukewarm temp).
8. Add ½ cup oil, grated rind, mahalepi and juice to egg mixture. Mix all together by hand in a large bowl.
9. Alternate by adding the other ½ cup oil and flour in gentle portions mixing and kneading well by hand.
10. Once your dough is ready you must let it rise. Keep your dough in a large bowl and cover it with blankets to keep it warm.
11. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size — this usually takes about 1 to 2 hours, depending on room temperature.
12. Once risen, punch down the dough gently to release air, and divide it into equal portions depending on how many tsourekia you’d like to make.
13. Roll each portion into three long ropes, then braid them together to form each tsoureki loaf.
14. Place each braided loaf on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Allow them to rise again for 30–45 minutes, covered with a towel, until puffy.
15. Before baking, baste the tops with the egg yolk and water mixture using a pastry brush. Sprinkle generously with flaked almonds or sesame seeds.
16. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for approximately 20–30 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through

*This food series for Greek Orthodox Easter is a collaboration between Neoléa in South Australia and The Greek Herald.