Christopsomo: Greek Christmas Bread with Honey and Spices

Christopsomo, Greek Christmas bread with a dough cross on top

Christopsomo, “Christ’s bread”, is the decorated loaf Greek families bake on Christmas Eve. A cross of dough lies on top, with a walnut in the middle and at each end as a wish for a fruitful year. Every region, and often every family, decorates it in its own way. On Christmas Day the head of the house breaks it and gives everyone a piece with wishes for good health.

The dough is lightly sweet and smells of honey, orange, cinnamon and cloves, with the Greek baking spices mahlepi and mastic.

Serves: 1 large loaf (12 slices) | Prep: 40 min plus 3 hours rising | Cook: 45 min

Ingredients

  • 1 kg plain flour, plus extra for kneading
  • 16 g dried yeast (2 sachets)
  • About 350 ml lukewarm water
  • 150 g honey
  • 120 ml olive oil
  • Juice and grated zest of 1 orange
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp ground mahlepi
  • ¼ tsp mastic tears, ground with 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • To decorate: 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp water, 5 walnut halves, 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method

  1. Mix the yeast with 100 ml of the lukewarm water, 1 tbsp of the honey and 3 tbsp of the flour. Leave for 15 minutes until it foams.
  2. Mix the rest of the flour with the salt, cinnamon, cloves, mahlepi and mastic in a large bowl. Make a well and pour in the yeast mixture, the rest of the honey, the olive oil and the orange juice and zest.
  3. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes, adding the remaining water little by little, until the dough is soft, smooth and no longer sticks to your hands.
  4. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1½ to 2 hours, until doubled in size.
  5. Knock the dough back and cut off a fifth of it for the decoration. Shape the rest into a round loaf and put it in an oiled 28 cm round tin.
  6. Roll the reserved dough into two ropes of about 40 cm. Lay them over the loaf as a cross, cut the four ends open by 5 cm and curl each half into a small spiral. Press a walnut into the centre and one into each spiral.
  7. Cover and leave to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
  8. Brush with the egg yolk, sprinkle with sesame and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until deep golden and hollow-sounding when you tap the bottom. Cover loosely with foil if it browns too quickly. Cool on a rack.

Tips

  • Use lukewarm liquids, never hot: heat kills the yeast.
  • The dough is ready to shape when a finger pressed into it leaves a dent that slowly fills back.
  • Wrapped in a clean tea towel it keeps for 3 to 4 days, and day-old slices are wonderful toasted with honey.

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Photo: Jason Hollinger, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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