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Vegan Brioche with Mastic

by Hajnal
vegan brioche with mastic and cardamom

Many cultures have the tradition of making tender, sweet bread for Easter and it comes in many versions. French brioche, Greek tsoureki, Hungarian braided brioche or fonott kalács…just to name a few. This time I baked in Greek style with mastic, cardamon, a touch of orange and sprinkled with some pisctachio.

I have strange love affairs with special ingredients. One of my special love is mastic or mastiha. My sister just asked me how is the taste but I don’t know anything to compare with or words to describe. Maybe pine and cedar. This translucent, crystalline raisin is coming from the Evergreen Pistache tree from Chios Island. Hence the name the Tears of Chios. It’s not only used in gastronomy but in perfumes and cosmetics, medicine and dental care. There are many clinical studies about it’s healing properties but since the ancient times it is known remedy for gum, skin and stomach problems.

Mastic can be a love or hate relationship but I would definitely recommend to give it a try because it’s truly unique.

stages of brioche dough, dough ball, braided and topped with pistachio and baked
vegan tsoureki and slice with butter spread and orange marmade

vegan brioche with mastic and cardamom

Vegan brioche with Mastic

Many cultures have the tradition of making tender, sweet bread for Easter and it comes in many versions. French brioche, Greek tsoureki, Hungarian braided brioche or fonott kalács…just to name… Breakfast Vegan Brioche with Mastic Greek Print This
Serves: 4 Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Click on Stars to Rate Recipe → 5.0/5
( 2 voted )

Ingredients

Yeast dough starter:

  • 7 g yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon strong bread flour
  • 70 ml lukewarm non-dairy milk

Brioche:

  • 350g  strong bread flour
  • zest of an orange
  • zest of a lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground mastic raisins 
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 60g caster sugar
  • 100 g orange juice
  • 60g melted vegan butter or margarine
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze and topping:

  • 1 tsp water
  • 1 tsp sweet orange marmalade
  • 20 g coarsely chopped pistachio

Instructions

  1. Mix the sugar, yeast, flour  and the non-dairy milk and in a cup for the starter. Let it rise for 5-15 minutes.
  2. In a bowl  mix the activated yeast starter, flour, mastic, cardamom, orange and lemon zest.
  3. Dissolve the sugar, salt and vanilla extract in the orange juice.
  4. Add the orange juice and the melted butter to the flour mix.
  5. Knead it for 5-10 minutes until a smooth and elastic ball forms. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set aside until the dough rise double in size.
  6. Knead it again and cut the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll them into a long rope, approximately 20 cm. Stick their edges together and braid them. Pinch the end of the big braid together.
  7. Line a baking tray  or a loaf pan with baking sheet and place the bread. Let it rise again for 20 minutes.
  8. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
  9. Mix the water with the marmalade and brush the loaf with the mixture. Sprinkle with the pistachio pieces.
  10. Bake it for 35 minutes.
  11. Let it cool and serve with plant-based butter or sweet orange marmalade.

Notes

As mastic is a raisin its the easiest to make it into powder if you add with a teaspoon sugar into a mortar.

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