As soon as the yeast hits the warm milk and that wonderful smell rises up through the kitchen, I’m a little girl again. My Mom’s hands are mixing the flour, butter, eggs, milk and yeast in her giant pink and white glass Pyrex mixing bowl. When she made this bread, she made batch after batch…after batch. She made sure that everyone she knew received a loaf. Well, except for one Easter…
My Mom had a day-long marathon of choereg-baking. It was ridiculous, really. I have no idea how many batches she had made, but I can tell you that every square inch of our dining room table was covered in loaves and loaves of choereg all carefully wrapped in aluminum foil. When my Dad came in from work and saw the sea of bread, he decided to take us all out to our favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner. We left Duke, our sweet, loyal and perpetually hungry Labrador home to guard the precious silver loaves. I was very young, but I do remember coming in the door to my Mom screaming at the dog. I can still picture the carpets, speckled with bits of silver confetti here and there…and really, everywhere. It was all over the house. Not one, truly, not one loaf of choereg was left. I have no idea how Duke survived that one. My sisters and I thought for sure that if 20 loaves of choereg didn’t kill him, my Mom certainly would.
You have seen this bread before on Taste Love & Nourish, but I wanted to change things up a bit for Easter. This recipe is slightly different from my original. It’s a bit lighter in texture, but still has that wonderful flavor from the mahleb (a Middle Eastern spice made from the seeds of sour cherry pits). It’s a warm and nutty flavor. You’ll love it.
Normally, choereg is a long braided loaf, but since I can’t seem to ever leave anything alone, I took my braided loaf, brought the ends together to make a braided round. I had no idea how they’d turn out…but I love the way they look!
With a bit of butter and your favorite jam, choereg makes breakfast (or anytime) feel special. We love this so much, I make it all year round.
Armenian Easter Bread Rounds (Choereg)
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast from a jar
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
- 5 large eggs + 1 yolk for the egg wash
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground mahleb
- 6 cups all purpose flour + 1/2 cup for kneading
Instructions
- In a 2-cup heat safe measuring cup, heat the milk in the microwave for a minute and a half. Stir in the sugar to dissolve, then the yeast. In a small bowl, microwave the butter until melted. Let both mixtures stand for 25 to 30 minutes.
- In your largest mixing bowl, beat the 5 eggs, add the sugar, vanilla, mahleb, butter and milk mixture and whisk lightly to combine. Using a sturdy wooden spoon or your hands, mix in 6 cups of the flour until the dough starts to come together. The dough will be quite sticky at this point. Liberally cover your counter with the 1/2 cup of flour. Turn the dough out onto the floured counter and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until the dough has become elastic,smooth and just until it is no longer too sticky to work with. Depending on the weather, and if the moons are aligned, your dough may not need all of the flour on the counter.
- Wash out the mixing bowl, dry it well, then butter the interior. Place the dough in the buttered bowl and cover it well with either plastic wrap or foil and top off with a dish towel. Keep the bowl in a draft free spot on your counter for 5 to 7 hours.
- At this point the dough should be doubled in size. Turn it out onto your counter. I do not flour the surface unless it really needs it. If your dough is too sticky, you could probably use the tiniest amount of flour. The reason is, once it’s floured, it becomes really difficult to roll the dough out into ropes. Divide the dough into 3 equal loaves. Now divide each loaf into 3 equal parts. Roll each dough ball out into a rope measuring about 16 inches. Once rolled, braid the ropes and pinch each end a bit. Now, bring the ends together to form a circle and gently pinch the ends together. Repeat for the remaining two loaves. Place the loaves on a baking sheet (one without sides) greased with butter or vegetable oil. Cover the loaves with a towel and let sit for 20 to 25 minutes to rest.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with about 1/2 teaspoon of water to create an egg wash (the less water, the shinier the crust). Brush each loaf with the egg wash. Place the loaves into the oven and bake for about 25 to 28 minutes. Start checking around 20 minutes, since oven vary.
- Once done, remove from the oven, place on a wire cooling rack and cool completely before wrapping.*
Notes
Omg! This was so good! We ate one loaf right out of the owen. The mahled gave the bread very nice, subtle flavor. Will be making it again soon.
OH! I’m thrilled to hear that, Anna! So funny…our tradition is that we eat one loaf right away. We call it quality control. ;)
Hey there, I see in the comments a few years ago you were working on a vegan choreg. Any developments? Thank you!
Hi Andrea! I’m so glad you asked! ;) Yes…actually, it’s funny…I’ve stepped away from creating new content on the blog as I’m working on other projects, but I do think I’ve perfected my vegan choereg! I’ll tell you what…with Easter coming up in a couple of months, I will post that recipe. I think you’ll love it. Stay tuned! And thanks for asking!
I have been using this recipe for years. It is exactly how I remember my grandmother’s choereg tasting. I’m so happy to have this! Thank you.
Hello
Just made the dough and realized there is no salt in the recipe. Wanted to make sure that was right. Thanks so much!
Hi Linda! That is correct. There is no salt in this recipe. Hope you enjoyed it!
Hi,
What do you recommend substituting the milk, butter, and eggs with in order to make a vegan variation? I know that Lent is over, but the Fast of the Prophet Elijah is coming up (June 10 to 14) and I don’t want to have to give up choereg.
Hi Sevan! Apologies for the delayed reply. I actually have created a vegan choereg that may not be exactly like traditional choereg, but it still really delicious. I’m still tweaking things a bit, but I will make sure to reach out and let you know when I’ve got it perfected!
Hello! My aunt used to make a big batch of choereg every Easter. Oh the memories! I’m vegan now and was wondering if you had any success with your vegan version or insight as to how to substitute the eggs. Thanks!
I love that this brought back those memories for you, Olivia! Choereg does the same for me. I’m vegan now as well…and yes I do have a few vegan variations that I’ve been working on. I do want to tweak them a bit before sharing. Stay tuned! :) I will be sure to reach out to you as soon as it’s posted!
Hello!
I want to make this on Saturday for Easter dinner on Sunday. How can I store these? Thanks.
Well, Melissa…you’ve probably figured it all out on your own by now! Apologies…I’ve been away. I always make these a day or two in advance. Just allow them to cool completely and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. I think the texture is so much nicer the next day anyway. The crust becomes softer and more delicate. I hope you enjoyed these!
My boyfriend is half-Armenian and, although his grandmother made him Armenian food a lot growing up, he doesn’t have a particular attachment to it. Well I love to cook, and I love to try new things, so darn it we’re having Choreg for Easter this year! (I’m sure he’ll love it, especially if your dog gave such rave reviews) Thanks for the recipe, it looks absolutely delicious
Katie, you are such a sweet girlfriend! :) I hope you had a chance to bake this and that your boyfriend loved it as much as his Grandmother’s. Thank you for putting a huge smile on my face today!
Thank you for this recipe. It tastes very similar to the choereg my mother used to make. I was feeling bad because I lost her handwritten recipe but this has worked well and tastes just like momma used to make…and the kitchen smells amazing! Happy Easter everyone. :-)
Oh, Saronne! This makes me so happy! Thrilled to hear it tastes like your Momma’s! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! Happy Easter to you and your family! :)
I’m of Greek/Macedonian decent and I LUV my choereg!! You took me back to my youth when I read your story. Loaves upon loves all over the living room floor! My job was to brush egg and sprinkle sesame seeds on the loaves before they went into the hot oven. My kitchen is out of commission until May, due to renovations. I wasn’t going to make any Choereg but I think I’ll be venturing into the city to visit Greektown for some Mahlep, it’s never too late to make these delicious breads! I thank you for a trip down memory lane :-)
Oh, I just love that reading this brought back such a great memory for you, Angie! Thanks so much for sharing that…it brightened my day! I hope you get a chance to make some choereg and wishing you lots of healthy and happy cooking in your new kitchen!
Thanks so much Caroline! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Easter :-)
I can’t stop staring at this amazing bread. I’ve never made a brioche type bread, this one has definitely inspired me!
Awww…thank you, Sue! I hope you give this one a try! It really is a wonderful bread.
Can’t wait to try your recipe. This was always a favorite of mine growing up. Had the same problem with the lab as well. I didn’t think it were possible for a dog to eat two dozen cheoreg and a pizza but she did!
That’s so funny Rachel! AND a pizza? Wow! Thanks for the laugh! I hope you love this choereg! It’s my favorite!
Great job on your artistic braiding technique! They turned out awesome!
Thank you so much Andrea! It’s so much easier than you imagine! :)
This looks amazing, I will be making it for Easter.
Awww…thank you! Let me know how you like it! :)