A sweet and beautiful aromatic, fluffy bread!
This festive Christopsomo, also known as Greek Christmas bread, is traditionally made on Christmas Eve or the day before in most households. It’s so delicious, soft, and heavenly fluffy. It will smell incredible once you cut into it, and you’ll see the beautiful layers of fluffy bread seasoning and raisins.
Is this similar to Tsoureki?
I make mine a little sweeter than traditional recipes, so it’s sweet but not too sweet and is filled with the warm flavors of star anise and anise seeds with a hint of mahlepi. Tsoureki has more mahlepi spice and flavor. This bread does not taste like tsoureki and is totally different. You can taste the mahlepi in the background, but the predominant flavor is the mild licorice flavor from the star anise and anise seeds. I know you’re going to love it!
What do I need to make Christopsomo?
Active dry yeast -this is a crucial ingredient for your bread to rise. That’s why it’s so important to check it before mixing all of the ingredients together.
Lukewarm water -using warm water is essential to rehydrate and proof the yeast. It would take a long time for cold water to proof the yeast and too hot water will kill it.
All-purpose flour -I use a little of this to help activate the yeast. You can substitute bread flour if that’s what you have.
Granulated sugar -I add most of it for the whole recipe to the lukewarm water to feed the yeast and help activate it. However, it’s also what gives the bread a bit of sweetness.
Light olive oil -any light-flavored olive oil will do here to add moisture to the cake.
Honey -I love the flavor Greek honey adds to the cake in addition to the sugar. A baker’s tip to use every drop? Use the measuring cup to add the olive oil to the cake first. The residual oil helps the honey slide right out of the cup.
Pure vanilla extract -the warmth of vanilla blends perfectly with all the spices.
Anise seeds -these seeds are native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia and add a licorice flavor to the bread.
Mahlepi -grind the mahlepi if you can’t find it already ground. The aromatic spice adds fruitiness to the cake.
Walnuts -grind these close to fine, but it doesn’t have to be a powder. The small pieces will add texture to the cake. If you don’t care for walnuts, use your favorite!
Raisins -these are optional, but I add them because they add sweetness and a pleasant surprise chewy bite.
Star anise -finely ground in a food processor, mortar and pestle, or coffee grinder to get as close to a powder as possible. It adds a bitter, herby, licorice flavor.
Salt -enhances all the flavors to help blend them together and balance the sweetness.
What are the ingredients for honey glaze?
The glaze is as simple as honey and hot water. The hot water heats the honey and thins the consistency so it can easily be brushed on the cake.
How do I make Greek Christmas Bread?
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, ground star anise, mahlepi, and anise seeds in a large mixing bowl.
In the bowl of a tabletop mixer that has been fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the water, yeast, 1-2 tablespoons of flour, and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar to the flour mixture. Whisk the yeast mixture together and let it rest so that the yeast activates -about 8 minutes. The yeast is fresh and active if a foamy cloud forms on the mixture.
Add the olive oil, honey, vanilla extract, and flour mixture to the mixer bowl and knead on low speed for 8 minutes. Then, add the raisins and ground walnuts and knead for an additional 2 minutes.
What’s the best way to rise the bread dough?
Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough into the bowl. Toss to coat and cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Set aside to rise until doubled in volume -about 2 hours.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and pinch off about 250-300 grams of dough. Set that aside. It will be used to decorate the top of the bread.
Transfer the remaining dough into a 10-inch round (at least 3-inch deep) baking pan lined with parchment paper. Grease the pan before adding the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 20-30 minutes.
How do I create the design on top of the bread?
Cut the reserved dough into 2 portions. One should be bigger than the other. Divide the bigger piece into 4 equal parts. Roll each portion out into a 12-inch long rope. Then, twist 2 ropes together and do the same with the other two.
Roll the smaller portion of the dough into a flat disc. Cut out 12 leaves or your favorite shape and set aside.
Place the 2 twisted ropes on top of the bread to form a cross. Then, place 3 leaves in each quarter. Cover with plastic and set aside to rise for 20-30 minutes.
How long do I bake the bread?
Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C. Whisk the honey and water together in a small bowl, and brush the dough’s top generously with the honey mixture. Place a whole walnut in the shell in the center of the decorative cross. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and brush with the remaining honey mixture. Loosely cover with foil. Cut a small slit on top of the foil and return the pan to the center rack of the oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes longer. The internal temperature should read 200 °F.
How do I serve my Christopsomo?
Allow the bread to cool completely so it can set. Then, transfer to a serving platter or board to enjoy. The Greek tradition of Christopsomo is that it’s made with care, and the decorative cross is in honor of Christ. It’s served at the Christmas meal as a blessing. So, try it this year with your Christmas meal. Kali Orexi!
More Greek Bread
Try a new festive bread this year while entertaining. Christmas tree art Greek lagana bread, tsoureki Christmas tree bread, and Spanakopita puff pastry Christmas tree appetizer bread are all shaped into a Christmas tree. If you’d like to try something loaded with Greek flavor, try Greek Lagana flatbread filled with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and herbs or Homemade Greek Olive Bread. And I can’t recommend new bread to try without mentioning my feta-filled star bread and spinach and feta pull-apart bread rolls. They’re both a crowd pleaser!
Watch the Video:
Christopsomo: Greek Christmas Bread
This festive Christopsomo is traditionally made on Christmas Eve or the day before. It smells so good and tastes soft, fluffy and delicious.
Ingredients
The Dough:
- 2 cups (500ml) lukewarm water
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 6 cups (1kg) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar, or less
- 1/3 cup light olive oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon anise seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mahlepi
- 1 cup (100g) ground walnuts
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 star anise, finely ground
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
The Glaze:
- 2-3 tablespoons honey
- 1-2 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
Make the Dough:
In a large mixing bowl combine the all-purpose flour, salt, ground star anise, mahlepi, and anise seeds. Whisk together.
In the bowl of a tabletop mixer that has been fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the water, yeast, 1-2 tablespoons of the flour and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar to the flour mixture. Whisk the yeast mixture together and let it rest so that the yeast activates. About 8 minutes. The yeast is fresh (active) if a foamy cloud forms on top of the mixture.
Add the olive oil, honey, and vanilla extract along with flour mixture. Knead on low speed for 8 minutes. Add the raisins and ground walnuts and knead for an additional 2 minutes.
Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough into the bowl. Toss to coat and cover with a clean kitchen towel or with plastic wrap. Set aside to rise until doubled in volume. About 2 hours.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and pinch off about 250-300grams of dough. Set that aside. It will be used to decorate the top of the bread.
Transfer the remaining dough into a 10-inch round (at least 3-inch deep) baking pan lined with parchment paper. Grease the pan before adding the dough.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 20-30 minutes.
Cut the reserved dough into 2 portions. One should be bigger than the other. Divide the bigger piece into 4 equal pieces. Roll each portion out into a 12-inch long rope. twist 2 ropes together and do the same with the other two.
Roll the smaller portion of dough into a flat disc. Cut out 12 leaves and set aside.
Place the 2 twisted ropes on top of the bread to form a cross.
Place 3 leaves in each quarter. Cover with plastic and set aside to rise for 20-30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
In a small bowl combine the honey and water and whisk together.
Brush the top of the dough generously with the honey mixture.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and brush with the remaining honey mixture. Loosely cover with foil. Cut a small slit on top of the foil and return the pan to the center rack of the oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes longer. The internal temperature should read 200 °F.
Allow the bread to cool completely. Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy. Kali Orexi!
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Joan says
My family doesn’t care for anise. If I leave out the seeds and powder should I use something else, or just leave it out. Thank you so much.
dimitra says
Sure, just leave it out. You can add more mahlepi and a little pinch of mastic gum to give it the flavor of tsoureki. If you prefer warmer flavors, add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon with a quarter teaspoon of ground cloves. It’ll be delicious. Let me know how you decide to make it 🙂
Teri says
Hi I was wondering if chopped dates would work rather than raisins for this bread?
dimitra says
Yes, absolutely. Use your favorite dried fruit and nuts to make this bread 🙂