Easter Bread

You’ll Need:

# Three and a half pounds (one and a half kilos) flour
# 14 oz. (400g) sugar
# 12 oz. (320g) butter
# 8 0z. (225g) milk
# three and a half ounces(100g) yeast
# 8 eggs
# 1 tsp. mastic, crushed
# half a tsp. Of mahlepi (an oriental seed-type herb
# almonds, blanched and coarsely crushed

Procedures : # Dissolve the yeast in a little warm milk and add 3-4 tbsps. of flour then leave to rise in a warm place
# Put the rest of the flour into a bowl and make a well in the center
# When the yeast mixture has risen considerably put it into the well in the flour
# Warm the remaining milk in a saucepan with the eggs, half the mastic, the mahlepi, 9 oz.(250g) of the butter and combine well
# Add half of this mixture to the bowl with the flour and the yeast and knead well
# Melt the rest of the butter and keep it to one side
# Add the rest of the egg, sugar, malhepi, mastic and butter mixture to the flour and yeast mixture
# Continue kneading, greasing your hands with the already melted butter
# Knead the dough until it’s elastic in consistency, not too stiff or too runny, adding a little more flour if needed
# Cover the dough with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place to rise
# When you see it has risen considerably separate the dough into three thick strips
# Plait the strips, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle them with almonds and the remaining mastic
# Optionally, you could also decorate the plait with a red hard boiled egg at one end
# Bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minute