Go Back
+ servings
Christopsomo is a layered Christmas bread with the most unbelievable texture and flavour
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Christopsomo

Christopsomo is a layered Christmas bread with the most unbelievable texture and flavour
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Proofing time5 hours
Total Time6 hours 30 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Greek
Servings: 2 loaves
Author: Mia Kouppa

Ingredients

  • 5 ⅓ cups (800 grams) all-purpose flour, + an additional 1 ½ cups (225 grams) all-purpose flour, only if needed
  • 3 tablespoons (45 mL) vegetable oil divided + extra for coating bottom of pan
  • 5 ¼ cups (1,310 mL) warm water divided
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) melted olive oil spread see notes below
  • 2 whole walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • toothpicks

Instructions

  • Prepare your dough by sifting 5 1/3 cups (800 grams) of all purpose flour into a large mixing bowl.
  • In a small bowl or mug, combine 1/2 cup of warm water, the 1/4 teaspoon sugar, and the 1 tablespoon active dry yeast.  Stir well and allow to sit for approximately 3 – 5 minutes.  You should see some bubbling on the surface, which indicates that your yeast is working.
  • Pour this yeast mixture into the large bowl which contains your flour, and add the additional 4 3/4 cups of warm water and 2 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.  Mix well with your hands and begin to knead your dough.  You may find that you need to add additional flour; add 1/4 cup flour at a time (sifted before you add it to your dough) until you have a dough which is soft and not sticking onto your hands (we added a total of about 1 1/4 cups or 185 grams more flour at this point). You should end up with a dough which is soft, not too stiff and not sticking to your hands. You can see video here of dough consistency.
  • Form the dough into a ball in your bowl and lift one side of it so that you can add 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the bottom of the bowl.  Cover your dough with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for at least 2 – 3 hours in a warm, draft free place
  • After this first rising you should notice that your dough has almost doubled in size.  Begin to knead the dough again for an additional 5 minutes or so. Reshape into a ball and cover once again with your clean kitchen towel.  Allow the dough to rise for another 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
  • Now it is time to shape your christopsomo.  Note that this amount of dough will make two loaves of christopsomo.  If you will be making two loaves, place some vegetable oil on the bottom of your round baking pans (we used 13 inch diameter pans) and set aside.
  • Divide your dough into equal halves.  Put aside one of the halves, and continue the following steps with one of the halves.  (Note: if you only want to make one christopsomo, use half your dough and freeze the rest to make a plain loaf of bread at a later date.)
  • Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.  Take one of the pieces and roll it out to about one inch thickness and a diameter which is the size of your pan.  Place the dough into your baking pan and brush the top with the melted olive oil spread.  Repeat this process two more times, so that you end up having 3 layers of dough with olive oil spread brushed on top of each layer, including the top one.
  • Using a sharp knife, make a large cross in the dough, cutting through all 3 layers of dough, but beginning approximately one inch from the edges (see photos above).
  • Beginning at the center of the cross, begin to pull back the layers of dough, one at a time, securing the folded back pieces with toothpicks.  Each layer will have 4 points pulled back, and this will be done with all 3 layers (see photos above).  You will end up with an empty space at the bottom of your pan, right in the middle.
  • Use your fourth piece of dough to roll it out into a long strip and roll it around itself to make a coil.  Place this coil into the empty center area of your pan.  Do not worry if you still have some areas of the bottom of your pan visible; as the dough rises again these empty spaces will be filled in.  Using a pair of kitchen shears snip pieces of dough from the center coil to make points of dough.  Place your walnut into the center of your coil.  Brush the entire top of your dough with additional melted olive oil spread and sprinkle your christopsomo with sesame seeds.  Cover with a clean cloth and set aside to rise for approximately 30 minutes.
  • (Repeat with the rest of your dough if you will be baking 2 loaves of christopsomo).
  • During this last rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Bake your christopsomo in the middle rack of your oven for approximately 1 hour.  While your bread is baking, mix your 2 egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of water and set aside.  After the first 30 minutes,  carefully remove from oven, and gently remove the toothpicks, brush the egg yolk on top of the bread and add more sesame seeds.  Continue baking until the bread is cooked.  You will know your christopsomo is ready when it is easily detached from the pan, and when it sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom.  If either of these conditions are not met after an hour of baking, give your loaf another 5 – 10 minutes in the oven.  If your christopsomo is already browned on top and you are worried about it getting too dark, simply cover it loosely with aluminum foil.
  • Remove from oven,  and let cool. Flip pan over, to carefully remove the bread.
  • Enjoy, and Merry Christmas to you and your families.

Notes

If you can’t find olive oil spread you can use margarine or butter.