Tsoureki - Easter Twisted Loaf Recipe

Directions:

1. We melt the yeast in the 1/2 cup of warm water or milk. Boil the remaining milk with the butter, sugar and salt. Stir ,remove from heat and let it cool down. Fold in the dilluted yeast mixture. Then pour in half of the flour and the eggs that you have lightly beaten. Stir well and add the remaining flour, mastic and mahleb. Turn out the pastry on a floured surface and work for 8-10 mins. until you reach a dough that is elastic and smooth. Place it in a greased large bowl, covered with a wet towel, in a warm place, for 3 hours until it doubles its size.
2. Mix the ingredients for the stuffing. Work the dough a little more, split it in half, then split each piece in 3 smaller pieces.
3. Make long rolls of each piece and then flatten them with your palms. Spoon the stuffing on all 6 pieces and roll them each in such a way that they look like stuffed sausages.
4. Take the 3 pieces and weave them as a braid. Place both braids in a large greased oven dish and let them raise for 1 hour.
5. Coat them with the egg that you have beaten with a 1 tbs of water and bake them in a preheated oven at 180 .C for 35-40 mins.
6. Let them cool down while you prepare the glaze.
7. In a heavy saucepan over low heat we melt the ingredients and stir until we reach a smooth mixture.
8. Cover the tsourekia with the glaze and top with some crushed walnuts.