Serving suggestion. Nutrition is approximate.
Equipment
- Knife and board
- mixing bowl
- baking tray or dish.
Before you begin
US cup = 240 ml; tablespoon = 15 ml; teaspoon = 5 ml. Use listed gram weights for consistency; weights are raw or dry unless described as cooked or drained.
- If food-grade mahlab is unavailable, omit it or use 1 tsp / 5 ml vanilla for a different aroma.
Make it work
- If mahlab is unavailable, omit it rather than grinding ordinary cherry pits, which are unsuitable for home preparation.
Prep 40 min · Cook 40 min · Waiting 225 min
Makes 2 loaves / Serves 20 (1 slice) / Prep 40 min / Rise 2 h 15 min-3 h / Bake 30-40 min / Cool 45 min. Times are estimates; chilling and resting are included in total time.
Ingredients
- 500 g / 17.6 oz Bread flour
- 180 ml / 6.1 US fl oz Whole milk, lukewarm
- 2 large (about 100 g / 3.5 oz without shells) Eggs, dough
- 100 g / 3.5 oz Unsalted butter, softened
- 100 g / 3.5 oz Sugar
- 7 g / about 2 1/4 tsp Instant yeast
- 1 tsp / about 6 g Fine salt
- 1 tsp / about 2.3 g Ground mahlab
- 1 large (about 50 g / 1.8 oz without shells) Egg, glaze
- 20 g / 0.7 oz Sesame seeds
Step-by-step method
- Start the enriched dough
Mix flour, sugar, yeast, salt and mahlab. Add milk and two eggs; mix until no dry flour remains. Knead 5 minutes, then add softened butter in small pieces. Continue kneading 8-12 minutes until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. - Let it rise
Place in a lightly covered bowl and leave in a warm, draft-free place 90-120 minutes, until almost doubled. Rich dough rises more slowly than plain bread. Judge the increase in volume rather than forcing the dough on a very hot surface. - Braid two loaves
Press out large bubbles and divide into six equal pieces. Roll into ropes about 30 cm / 12 in long. Braid three ropes into each loaf, pinching and tucking the ends underneath. Transfer to a parchment-lined tray, leaving ample space. - Proof and glaze
Cover loosely and proof 45-60 minutes, until puffy and an indentation returns slowly. Heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Brush with the remaining beaten egg and scatter sesame over the surface; avoid compressing the risen braids. - Bake and cool
Bake 30-40 minutes until deeply golden and the center reaches about 93 C / 200 F. Tent loosely with foil if the crust darkens early. Cool on a rack at least 45 minutes before slicing so the soft crumb can set.
Cook’s notes
If mahlab is unavailable, omit it rather than grinding ordinary cherry pits, which are unsuitable for home preparation.
Storage & reheating
- Wrap cooled bread and keep at room temperature up to 2 days. Freeze sliced up to 2 months.
Allergens
Contains: Milk, Wheat, Egg, Sesame.
Approximate nutrition
Per serving: 167 kcal · Protein 4 g · Carbohydrates 24 g · Fat 6 g.
Approximate per serving of the complete recipe. Brands, substitutions, cooking losses and portion sizes affect the figures.
