Christmas koulourakia with yeast (Χριστουγεννιάτικα κουλουράκια με μαγιά)

Christmas koulourakia with yeast (Χριστουγεννιάτικα κουλουράκια με μαγιά)

Savoury Christmas koulourakia with yeast are a traditional Greek holiday recipe

Χριστουγεννιάτικα κουλουράκια με μαγιά. Much of the beauty of Greek cuisine is that it varies from region to region.  In part this is due to agricultural possibilities (think mountainous landscapes versus islands surrounded by the sea), connections with other cultures, and local customs and traditions.  Every recipe tells a story, and offers a glimpse into the rich web of history, both cultural and culinary, that makes Greece and Greek food such an important and fascinating area of study.  Although many of these unique regional dishes are well known (think kalitsounia from Crete or lalagia from Messinia), others are so local that they are known only to isolated villages.  The recipe for Christmas koulourakia with yeast which we are sharing here is one such example.

Christmas koulourakia with yeast (Χριστουγεννιάτικα κουλουράκια με μαγιά)

Unless you come from one of the small villages in Messinia near where our parents grew up, you have probably never had these Christmas koulourakia with yeast.  Both of our parents however grew up eating these when the Nativity fast started, as they contain no dairy and no eggs.  As we were baking these with our parents most recently, our mom told us that every year her mother and aunts would gather to spend the day making tons of these koulourakia. They are really more like round breadsticks than the sweet cookie you usually expect when you hear the word koulourakia.  They would use the orange peels from the oranges which grew on their property,  olive oil from their olive trees, flour that they produced in their mill and other simple ingredients which they had on hand. Everything came together to create a unique and flavourful koulouraki.

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Allow the dough for these Christmas koulourakia with yeast to rise

Because these Christmas koulourakia contain yeast, there is time which needs to be set aside for rising of the dough.  The first rising is after mixing all of the ingredients together, and the second rising is after the koulourakia are shaped and before baking them.  Our mother remembers that with their small kitchen, this second rising meant that shaped koulourakia were spread out on clean table cloths laid across all the beds in the home.  A great and practical idea except for the one time that her uncle came in after a long day and plopped himself onto the bed, too tired to realize that he had just ruined hours worth of work.  Fortunately for him, everyone was already in the Christmas spirit!

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Christmas koulourakia with yeast (Χριστουγεννιάτικα κουλουράκια με μαγιά)



Helpful hints

Read the recipe through before beginning!


It is a very good idea to read this recipe carefully before you set out to make these Christmas koulourakia with yeast. There is a bit of prep work which needs to be done, including preparing your flour the night before.

How to dry orange peel to use in the Christmas koulourakia with yeast


When oranges are in season, our parents like to dry orange peel to preserve it and to use it in recipes such as this one.  You can learn more about how they do that here, but if you don’t have dried orange peels, don’t worry, fresh peels will work just as well.

How to activate the yeast


When you combine the liquid you will prepare with the yeast, the liquid should be warm.  This helps to activate the yeast but be careful; if the liquid is too hot it will kill the yeast and you dough will not rise.  The best way to test the temperature is to put your clean finger in the liquid; it should feel hot, but comfortable enough for you to leave your finger there.

Liquid needed to make Christmas koulourakia with yeast


When reading through the recipe you will see that it calls for a total of 4 cups of liquid; you are asked in the ingredient list however to prepare 4 1/2 cups of liquid.  That extra 1/2 cup is there to be available in case you need to use some of it to get your dough to the right consistency because types and brands of flour, altitude and precipitation levels all impact dough making.

How to serve Christmas koulourakia with yeast


As mentioned, these are not sweet cookies.  Indeed, they are savoury and much more like breadsticks.  We love to dunk these into a nice warm bowl of fakes, or chickpea soup.  They are equally good on their own, and if your diet permits, go great with feta. Also, although they are referred to as Christmas koulourakia with yeast, they can be enjoyed all year long!

Christmas koulourakia with yeast (Χριστουγεννιάτικα κουλουράκια με μαγιά)
Christmas koulourakia with yeast (Χριστουγεννιάτικα κουλουράκια με μαγιά)
Christmas koulourakia with yeast (Χριστουγεννιάτικα κουλουράκια με μαγιά)
Christmas koulourakia with yeast (Χριστουγεννιάτικα κουλουράκια με μαγιά)

How to store Christmas koulourakia with yeast


Kept in an air tight container, these Christmas koulourakia with yeast keep very well for a couple of weeks at room temperature.  Alternatively, you can keep them in the refrigerator where they will stay fresh even longer.

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Christmas koulourakia with yeast (Χριστουγεννιάτικα κουλουράκια με μαγιά)

Christmas koulourakia with yeast

Savoury Christmas koulourakia made with yeast!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Bread, meze, Snack
Cuisine: Greek
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Resting time, total: 14 hours
Total Time: 14 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 85 cookies
Calories: 87kcal
Author: Mia Kouppa

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 13 cups flour
  • orange peel from 3 oranges, dried or fresh
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1 whole nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or a sprig of fresh thyme
  • 1 liter + 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil, or any other mild oil

Instructions

  • The night before you are planning to make your koulourakia, mix your flour with the olive oil and the vegetable oil. The flour will be somewhat crumbly; cover it with a clean kitchen towel and leave at room temperature until you are ready to use it the next day.
    1/2 cup olive oil, 13 cups flour, 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • Several hours before you are planning to make your koulourakia you must prepare the liquid which will be used for the dough.
  • In a medium size pot combine the orange peel, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, cloves, thyme and salt. Add 1 liter and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium high and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow to rest with the cover still on for approximately 2 hours, or longer. If you prepare the liquid the night before, you can keep it in the refrigerator after it has come to room temperature. You will have to reheat it to warm for the next step.
    orange peel from 3 oranges, dried or fresh, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves, 1 whole nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or a sprig of fresh thyme, 1 liter + 1/2 cup water
  • In a small mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup of the warm liquid with the yeast. Mix well and allow to sit for 2 – 3 minutes.
    2 tbsp active dry yeast
  • Add the yeast to the large bowl of flour along with 3 1/2 cups of additional water. Mix well and knead the dough for approximately 7 – 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the bowl and continue to knead. Watch video here, to see what the dough should look like. Shape the dough into a ball and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm, draft-free place and allow to rise for approximately 2 hours or until doubled in size.
    1 tbsp vegetable oil, or any other mild oil
  • To prepare the koulourakia take approximately 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it on a clean surface to make a strip which is approximately 6 to 8 inches long. Pinch the ends together to make it round. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to rise for an additional 20 – 30 minutes.
  • Bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 20-22 minutes, until golden brown.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 0.2IU | Vitamin C: 0.002mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

Thanks for sharing!

2 Comments

  1. Phillip Peters says:

    Looks good! Has anyone egg washed and topped with sesame seeds before baking?

    1. miakouppa says:

      Hi Phillip. Egg washing would provide a nice colour to the top of the koulourakia. We don’t do this because traditionally these are lenten koulourakia (meaning that they are fine during periods of Orthodox lent which does not allow for eggs, dairy, meat). If fasting is not a concern, then by all means, add the egg wash 🙂

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