Homemade sweet bread (lenten)

Homemade tsoureki nistisimo

Ingredients

  • 85gr fresh yeast
  • 1/4 cup lukewarm water
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • little salt
  • 2 cups yellow pumpkin, cooked and well drained
  • 1,4 cups sugar
  • 0,5 cups orange juice
  • 0,5 cups corn oil
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 0,5 tbsp cooking fat
  • 1 sachet machlepi (powder)
  • 1 sachet cardamom (kakoule, powder)
  • 1 kgr flour
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt
  • 2-3 tbsp of corn oil to spread with
  • sesame seeds for sprinkling

Method

  1. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and a little salt and add the 2 tablespoons flour and stir well to make porridge.
  2. Cover and leave until doubled in volume.
  3. Beat the pumpkin in the blender, the sugar, orange juice, corn oil, orange zest and the cooking fat to come together well to melt sugar.
  4. In a bowl sift the flour, the mahlepi and cardamom and flour and mix all together.
  5. Prepare a puddle / hole in the middle and add the puffed yeast and the mixture from the blender.
  6. Mix gently by hand until the mixture is not sticking in hands.(You may need a little more flour.)
  7. In a bowl put 2-3 tablespoons of the corn oil and put in the mixture and lubricate well.
  8. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave to rise and double in volume.
  9. When risen, cut strips and knit braids or small round cakes and put them in a pan with non-sticking baking paper and let them inflate again.
  10. With a brush and some water brush them and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  11. Bake in preheated oven (resistance), at 180oC-200oC for 45 minutes.