-
-
-
-
-
+2
Koulourakia (Greek Easter biscuits)
Greek Easter, like many Orthodox religions, is based on the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar that Catholics and many western churches follow. By following the Julian calendar and adhering to the practices of the early Christian church, it ensures that Easter is never celebrated on or before Passover. As a result, the Greek Orthodox Easter often falls later than the western Easter. This means that my own childhood growing up and now with my own family, we can find ourselves celebrating two Easters. We had planned to celebrate Greek Easter in Greece itself this year, so that the children could get an authentic experience of the celebration in the country itself. Unfortunately, sad circumstances have dictated otherwise so we'll be marking the occasion here instead. Greek Easter is not celebrated by chocolate eggs and the Easter Bunny. Instead it is marked with a church service and eggs dyed a bright red, followed by plenty of food with lots of family.
Ingredients
Makes: 3 dozen
- 450g butter, softened
- 300g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 550g plain flour
- sesame seeds for sprinkling
Method
Prep:40min ›
Cook:10min ›
Ready in:50min
- Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Grease baking trays and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add two of the eggs one at a time, mixing through thoroughly. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Sift in the flour and mix together until a soft dough forms.
- Take a walnut-sized piece of dough and roll into a snake, then form an 'S' shape. Alternatively, you can shape them into wreaths or twists.
Place each biscuit onto the greased baking tray, leaving a clear space around each.
Beat the remaining two eggs in a small bowl. Brush each biscuit with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch.
Remove from oven and leave to cool on a baking rack.
They can also be stored in an airtight container for a week or so. They never last that long in this house though!
