These Braided Mini Greek Sweet Rolls (tsourekakia), are the smaller versions of the traditional Greek Easter bread (tsoureki), a bread that everyone makes during the week leading to Easter in Greece. It is a brioche-like, sweet, yeast bread made using eggs, milk, and butter. This is a breakfast bread and it makes the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of coffee or tea!
The soft and highly aromatic dough for this bread gets its distinctive flavor and smell from a wonderful spice called mahlepi, which is ground cherry seeds. The cherry stones are cracked to extract the seeds, which are then ground to a powder. This spice is used for baking extensively in Greece and in the Middle East, especially during the Easter and Christmas seasons. All Mediterranean and Middle Eastern markets carry it and it is worth sourcing it.
The dough for the Braided Mini Greek Sweet Rolls
For this recipe I am using the same dough I use for my traditional Greek Easter bread (tsoureki), one of the very first recipes I posted on this blog, way back in 2015. I usually do two regular long braids and then I use the rest of the dough to make 16 of these cute braided mini rolls. They are perfect to grab for a snack or to enjoy at breakfast time, the way you would a brioche, with some butter and jam!
The dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated it for up to 5 days. To make these mini braided rolls I simply cut a third of the dough and divide it into about 16 balls (each one weighing roughly 45 grams or 1.5 ounces). I then roll each ball out to form a 15-inch-long rope, shape it the way I show below and after a short rest, bake in a preheated oven.
How to make the Braided Mini Greek Sweet Rolls
- Take about 1/3 of the dough the recipe makes and divide it into 16 little pieces of dough, each piece should be about 45gr. Roll each piece into a long 15″ rope. Working with one piece at a time, make a loose loop at one end, and double the dough back on itself to the halfway point of the dough rope, like in the photo:
2. Take the long end of the rope and pass it through the dough loop, as shown here:
3. Now, twist the top of the loop to the left, as in the photo below:
4. Take the loose end of the rope and pass it through that opening:
5. Tuck the end underneath and the bread rolls are ready:
6. Brush the top of the rolls with some egg wash and sprinkle with some sesame seeds:
7. Bake until the rolls are golden brown (and the kitchen smells incredible)!
- 4 oz. butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1¼ cups whole milk
- ---- zests of a lemon & an orange
- 3 TBSP. fresh orange juice (from half an orange)
- ½ cup lukewarm/tepid water
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1½ TBSP. active dry yeast
- 3 large eggs
- 7½ cups bread flour (preferable) or, All Purpose flour
- 1 TBSP. freshly ground mahlepi
- ¼ tsp. ground mastic (optional)
- ½ TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 TBSP. milk
- ¼ cup sesame seeds or sliced almonds
- In a medium pot over medium low heat, add the butter, the sugar and the milk. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until the butter is melted. Add the zests, then remove from heat and let the mixture cool slightly. Stir in the orange juice.
- In a glass measuring cup, mix the lukewarm water, the sugar and the yeast. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes, until it bubbles and the yeast is activated.
- Beat the three eggs and add them to the reserved butter/milk mixture.
- Sift the flour, ground mahlepi and mastic and place in the bowl of a stand mixer. To the dry ingredients, add the reserved butter/milk mixture and the yeast mixture. Mix to form a soft and pliable dough, which will be a little sticky. Rub the surface with the olive oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature for two hours.
- Punch the dough down and divide it into three equal portions. You will need only ⅓ of the recipe to make these bread rolls. Cover and refrigerate the remaining ⅔ of the dough, to make two whole braided loaves another time following the original recipe.
- Divide the dough into 16 little pieces, each piece about 45 gr or, 1.5 oz. Roll each piece into long 15" ropes. Working with one piece at a time, shape it like a small braid, the way it is shown in the photos above. Place each one on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and let the bread rolls rise at room temperature for half an hour.
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining egg and milk. Brush the tops of the loaves with the egg/milk mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Allow the bread rolls to cool on a rack and enjoy!
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