Cyprus Easter bakes: your step by step guide

Round Flaounes

This is a small recipe so you don’t have to spend all day making them, but you can double the quantities if you like. These Flaounes are shaped into rounds, they look like flowers and they are easier to shape than the traditional ones. Flaouna cheese is usually only produced before and during the Easter period and while it can be used on its own it’s better mixed with other cheeses such as halloumi, kefalotyri and even English cheddar.

Makes 7 Small or 5 Large

For the pastry

450g strong or plain flour

1 tsp fast dried yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

¼ tsp ground mahlepi

¼ tsp ground mastic

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

2oz butter, melted

250ml lukewarm milk

For the filling

450g cheese (half flaouna cheese and half halloumi)

2-3 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves or 1 tbsp dry mint

1 tsp dried fast yeast

2-3 tbsp sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground mahlepi

½ tsp ground mastic gum

Few drops vanilla extract

3 tbsp fine semolina

3 tbsp self-raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

75g golden or dark sultanas washed, drained

3-4 eggs

For the glaze

1 egg yolk beaten with 2 tbsp milk

Sesame seeds

Grate all the cheeses, spread them on a tray, mix the semolina and let them dry in the fridge for few hours, stir from time to time.

To make the dough, sift flour into a large bowl with the yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon, mahlepi and mastic. Add the butter and rub in until you get fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the flour and start pouring the warm milk, mix with your hands to form a firm but soft dough. Knead on a floured board for few minutes until smooth and elastic, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Place all the ingredients for the filling in a large bowl apart from the eggs and baking powder. Mix lightly.

Whisk the eggs really well and gradually pour them into the cheese while mixing with your hand, the mixture should be soft but must hold its shape and not spread when you form it into a ball. Cover the cheese mixture and allow it to rest for one hour, then mix in the baking powder.

Punch down the dough and divide into four pieces. Roll out one piece at a time to 10cm thickness. Cut circles using a saucer and the roll the circles again.

Divide cheese into seven equal portions (or how many circles you have) and shape into balls. Place one ball in the centre of each disc and with a small sharp knife slash the discs in 4 places from the filling to the end of the disc. Bring the edges of the pastry inwards to make a round shape, press the pastry to seal. Brush pastries gently all over with the beaten egg and milk and then sprinkle them lightly with sesame seeds.

Place the pasties on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, and leave them to rest 15 min.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in a preheated oven at 170C or until the filling has puffed up and the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven, place on a rack and cover with tea towel to keep them soft.

You can freeze them.

Easter Tsourekia (Greek Easter Sweet Braided Bread)

Easter without Tsourekia is impossible! This Easter bread is similar to Brioche, it is soft-fluffy and aromatic, with exotic spices such as mastic, mahlepi and cinnamon, which give it a fabulous flavour and smell.

The word Tsoureki is Turkish and translates as ‘that which is needed’. The bread is sometimes decorated with flaked almonds, sesame seeds or hard-boiled red-dyed eggs and braided (the three stand braid symbolises the Holy Trinity).

Makes 2 large loaves

500g strong plain flour

500g plain flour

½ tsp salt

2 x 7g sachet easy blend dried yeast

175g caster sugar

6-8 stones of mahlepi, ground

5-6 stones of gum mastic, ground

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Grated rind 1 orange

Few drops vanilla extract

175g butter

4 small eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

200 ml milk

2 tbsp plain yogurt

For the glaze and topping

1 egg slightly beaten with 2 tbsp milk

2-4 hard-boiled red dyed eggs (optional)

25g (1oz) blanched almond flakes(optional)

For the syrup

1/2 small tea cup sugar

1/2 small tea cup water

Activate the yeast – place the yeast into a bowl add 1/2 cup warm water and mix 1 tbsp sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of flour, leave for 20 minutes.

Warm milk on a very low heat with the butter and the rest of the sugar, until butter is melted (do not boil). Set aside to cool a little.

Pour the milk and butter mixture into a jug and using an electric hand whisk, whisk in the eggs, one at the time for few minutes then whisk in the yogurt.

Place both sifted flours into a large bowl and mix in the salt, spices, vanilla orange zest. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast and warm milk and butter mixture, gradually incorporate the flour to form a sticky dough or until dough doesn’t stick on the bowl, but it’s still a little sticky. Turn onto a light floured surface and fold gently (do not knead) for a couple of minutes until soft but still a little sticky, if too sticky add a little flour.

Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in size, about for 2 -3 hours.

Fold the dough gently, knead lightly. Shape into a large thick sausage, and divide the remainder dough into 6 equal portions, shape into balls, cover them and rest them for 15 min.

Roll each ball (not on flour surface) into a rope 38cm long. Lay three strips side by side, press at one end together and braid loosely, and press together at the other end and tuck both ends under.

At this point you can press 1 red- dyed boiled egg between the braided bread securing them from popping out before cooking by rolling small thin ropes of the remaining dough you have.

Place the Tsourekia on a baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper, cover with a cloth and leave to rise again for 1 hour or until almost doubles in size.

Brush the Tsourekia carefully with the egg wash and sprinkle with almonds or sesame seeds or sugar whatever you wish. Cover loosely with crease-proof paper (they tend to go brown very quickly, and bake in a pre-heated oven at 170C for about 35-40 minutes. Remove greaseproof paper after 20 mins and bake until they are rich and golden brown. The bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, removed from the oven, and place on a wire rack, brush warm syrup all over them to give it a nice shine, allow to cool.

Let the breads cool down and place them in plastic bags, so it they stays soft. 

To freeze them, wrap tightly with cling film.

Loulla’s book My Kosmos My Kitchen can be ordered from www.amazon.com or www.austinmacauley.com/book/my-kosmos-my-kitchen. For more traditional Greek and Cypriot recipes and inspiration, join Loulla’s Facebook group Loulla’s Recipe Share