Choereg (Armenian Easter Bread)

Ani, God Bless you for sharing this coveted recipe! I lost my grandmother's recipe for choereg :( No doubt I was thrilled to find this, which turned out as good as I remember grandma's. I had to use about 8 cups of flour for this recipe, and instead of the butter/margarine combo, I used all butter and the result was superb! Thanks again for sharing.

This recipe was wonderful and easy to follow. I used all butter instead of half butter and half margarine. My husband requested I make this as his grandmother is Armenian and many of his Aunts make it in smaller loaves than this recipe calls for to hold their boiled eggs in on the Easter table. As he requested it a bit late I did an online search and found this. My husband said it tasted just like he remembered. As the recipe says, DO NOT omit the Mahleb! It may be hard to find but it does make the recipe perfect. Also, using the same braiding technique mentioned on smaller sections of dough and connecting the ends to form a small circle produces a lovely "egg cup." when you do this the same cooking time applies.

Thank you bunches for sharing your mother's recipe. I'm sure she won't be upset once she learns that it has received so many stars ; ) WHERE TO PURCHASE MAHLEB: you can purchase it on-line by going to The Spice House. (Ani is registered with them.) TIPS by D McM from Toronto: Use mahleb in similar quantity to how you use nutmeg in any bread or pastry recipe. Mahleb does wonders when added to the dough of shortbread, pound cake, pie crusts and waffles.

You can replace the mahleb with 2 tbsp. freshly ground orange peel and decorate the top after brushing with egg with whole almonds.

Ani's mother would probabably kill her for divulging the formula... my grandmother never wrote them out! This is a great recipe. Only problem was the dough was too soupy, I had to add about 1 to 2 cups of flour (to the halved recipe) Norm Grandparents were the Azadians, Syracuse, NY

I have not made this particular recipe. However, I spent an entire weekend trying to duplicate my grandmother's recipe which of course was not written down. I found several recipes...this one being close if not dead on to the base recipe that I used. (Some from the internet, one from the St. James Armenian Church recipe book (Richmond, VA). After a couple of close encounters, I remembered that my grandmother used evaporated milk. When I substituted evaporated milk for whole milk, it tasted identical to my grandmother's. My grandmother would put M&M's, colored sugar, and gummy candies on top of the bread (likely for us!). We loved the way that it smelled in the kitchen. She made it at Christmas as well as Easter. Oh, how I miss her cooking--both the smell and taste of it! These also make WONDERFUL dinner rolls that your guests will love. So, don't relegate them to the holidays! Thanks you for sharing this recipe.

Being of Armenian descent I've had my fair share of Choereg, and I must say, this is truly a wonderful recipe. My mother too would kill me because she gave me her recipe last year (which I lost and couldn't bring myself to tell her) so I found this one, I tried it and EVERYONE was so pleased with the outcome, including my mother who thought it was her recipe! Oh well, at the end of the day it's about yummy food right?! This will just have to be my little secret. :)

Added about 2 extra cups of flour, otherwise perfect!

I've had my eye on this recipe for a couple of years now, and finally got around to making it. The flavor is great—I'd never baked with mahleb before. I didn't like working with the dough, though. I found it to be greasy and sticky, almost like braiding cookie dough. I think that the next time I make this recipe (and I do plan to make it again) I'll try bread flour instead of all-purpose and use the method for mixing brioche: letting the dough mix and the gluten structure form before adding room temperature butter, a tablespoon or so at a time, until fully incorporated.

Oh this bread was delicious! I found mahleb at Amazon.com believe it or not. I halved the recipe and used all butter (never ever margarine at my house) and got two large, tender braids. I liked it best fresh from the oven, but DH enjoyed it lightly toasted with honey butter. Thank you so much for sharing!

Most excellent. Not too hard to make. I make 6 loaves not five. Hardest part is remembering how to braid! Really flavorful. Really good! Use less bread flour or the max normal flour. Forget the margarine, use all butter. I've been making this for Easter and bake sales at church. It is extremely popular with everyone. Soft inside with a light crust ... yum! I toast the sesame seeds for more flavor. I get Mahleb on Amazon. Otherwise it's hard to find. Watch your liquid temperature carefully. I let it cool to 115° before adding the yeast mixture. Too hot will kill the yeast. Proof the yeast first too.

Dear Ani I would like to thank you a lot for this recipe which I've been looking for it for ages. I had the chance to taste it may be 30 years ago, since then I was hopping to find the recipe to make it myself. Thank you again and by the way I am from Egypt, if there'll be any recipe you might think of and would to have it from our side, I'll be more than glad to help with it. Take care and keep up the good work AL

Very authentic. Just like what I grew up eating at Easter. I would have to agree that additional flour is needed and I added one extra egg. The mahleb is a very key ingredient here, so do not leave it out. This also freezes very well but should be wrapped in several layers of plastic or foil as it is a delicate bread.

Thanks for sharing your recipe -- it's perfect, just how my mom and yaya made it. I don't use margarine, so mine was all butter. I also leave out eggs several hours ahead of time so they come to room temperature, as my yaya suggested. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly. Can't wait to make it again this Easter.

Thank you for sharing this recipe. Its just like my mom's. I didn't change a thing and it came out just perfect.

Ok, I hate to say it, but this recipe is BETTER than the armenian cook book (cooking bible for armenians!)! Being 100% Armenian, I have cooked traditional Armenian food for years. I cant believe I found a recipe so very yummy! I did not have mahleb, so I used anise seed (sparingly since my family is not fond of the taste) This got RAVE reviews from family and friends. Beautiful presentation as well. MAKE IT!! ITS YUMMY!

This is delicious but using salted butter a bit more sugar and orange peel rather than the mahleb makes for a much more delicious treat... at least that is how my Armenian Great Grandmother made it. Yum.

Growing up traditional cooking wasn't my mothers thing, so every holiday I try recipes which I think create family time and bring some of the older traditions back. This sweet bread was amazing.Really great instructions to follow, (since this is my 2nd yeast bread EVER)simple and precise. The family loved it and want it made not just at Easter. Doubled the "wow this is great" by having spreadable honey butter to go with. Thank you for sharing.

When it comes to baking my cooking skills drop considerably so I may have done something wrong. I had to add almost 3 cups of flour because the dough was not a dough but the consistency of thin oatmeal you would have for breakfast. It was about right then but of course it was a little heavy then. I have not tasted it yet but I bet it will taste ok but it will not be lite and/or fluffy.

I made this as part of my Easter brunch and it was amazing! I had to travel a ways to buy whole mahleb, and then grind it with a mortar and pestle, but it was so worth the work. It may sound strange, but I loved kneading this dough! It was so soft and flexible. My guests loved it, and I still have 2 loaves to myself! Thank you!

This choereg is so delicate it just melts in your mouth. Fantastic! Thank you for sharing the recipe Ani!

This is the BEST. Thank you.ASTVATS ORHNI

Thank you for the perfect explanation of this delicious Çörek (this is how we spell it in Turkish but I bet the pronunciation is same). It used to be something we get when we used to visit our Armenian friends in Istanbul in Easter times. Now I live in Ankara and do visit them occasionally but catching the easter delicacies is like winning the lottery. Thank you for the recipe... I'll try it as sson as I go and get Mahleb from the spice store.

This was fantastic. Thanks for introducing me to Mahleb. I've started adding it to all kinds of things (like a cherry pound cake, delicious!).

amazing! this was my first yeast bread.. and I was in absolute awe as to how well it turned out! absolutely delicious!

Ok so I made this twice. I'm a reasonably good baker and when I read other reviews about needing more flour, in the first batch I added enough flour make a dough familiar to me (which was a fair bit). After baking it, I ended up with a beautiful bread that was like Challah's twin. The second time I made the recipe exactly as written, and got this greasy mess of a dough that I thought would be terrible. It didn't rise as well either. However, the finished bread is absolutely exquisite! It's flaky but bread all a the same time...best way I know how to describe it. So, when you're making it (and DO make it) don't have a heavy hand when adding flour and don't look for a typical bread dough. And, one last thing about the mahleb - first batch I made I didn't include it because I didn't have it and figured it would be hard to find. But a couple days later I saw it just sitting on the shelf at the grocery store so I put it in the second batch. Totally worth it! And, I hardly live in a major city or anything so check locally before deciding you won't find it near you. All in all, this bread is amazing and exactly what you'd hope for when you invest time into making bread. It's delicious, different, and beautiful on the table.

very good!

Wonderfully, awesome, spectacular bread. I Made this bread around easter, but i did not have any mahleb, mostly because in north mississippi there is no one who carries it. it came out great. i made some more yesterday and substituted caraway seeds for the mahleb and it was wonderful too. thanks for the recipe.

I couldn't find mahleb, so I used cardamom.

Absolutely perfect. Be sure to grab some fresh out of the oven! I actually ran out of all-purpose flour, so I used mostly bread flour, but it still came out delicious. I also used all butter. Mahleb was ordered from the Spice House online. My brother is living in Armenia and can't be home for Easter, so making this bread brings him a little closer to home. Thank you for sharing, Ani!

Thank you Ani, shad hachogh er.. :)

Thanks for sharing this recipe! My family enjoyed it. Don't skip the mahleb. I halved this recipe and it made two big loaves. I had to add about 1.75 additional cups of flour to get it to be a workable dough. It was much too wet without adding the extra flour. I also used all butter instead of margarine, and I used skim milk instead of whole. The bread turned out fine. Maybe I'll even add a bit more mahleb next time.

Thank you for posting the beautiful pic--it sure came in handy for my daughter's ancestor project. :)

Incredible Bread that may be enjoyed as is, or as a delicious sandwich, filled with your favorite savory meats. Slightly crunchy crust, structured, yet fluffy textured crumb with subtle sweetness that's addicting. I added diced candied citrus peels to the dough and sliced almonds on top prior to baking on the stone. Fantastic presntation for a festive celebration... Thanks Ani!

Lovely and so soft and yummy. However, you do need to devote an afternoon to making this recipe.

I am Armenian and I approve of this recipe! My only changes: used all butter, no margarine. And I prefer a slightly sweeter bread so added another 1/3 cup of sugar. As far as shaping them, I make my aunties shapes..pinwheels, and twists.

All you need is one more person telling you that more flour was needed! But, I halved the recipe and still added 2-1/2 cups of extra flour. However, I didn't have the "required" spices, but read somewhere on a spice website that I might want to try anise, nutmeg and cinnamon; so I did - and it was superb! Only 1/2 tsp. of each for half the recipe, and barely detectable when eating the bread... but I think it enhanced the sweetness of the bread. I also used all butter in the recipe. I shaped the dough, brushed with egg and sprinkled with sesame seeds prior to letting it rise - proofing it on the oven proofing setting for 45-60 minutes, then just turned the oven on to 350 and baked it for about 20 minutes. Everyone was quite impressed, and out of 18 people - some who took a few slices home with them for leftovers - there were only 6 slices left for our family. We devoured it at the next meal. This is a wonderful - quick and easy, actually - recipe that I'm sure I'll make again!

Wow this bread tastes so rich and buttery, i have made hefezopf for years and years which is a German variation and is a braided yeast bread, This recipe was no more difficult to make and the result is truly delicious. I will probably switch to this Armenian variation going forward for its rich texture and buttery flavor. I made this hoping to surprise my husband when he comes home from work as he is Armenian and his grandmother and mom make this too. Thank Ani for sharing!

Seriously delicious. My family loves this bread. Yes, does need about 1.5 cups more flour. Otherwise perfectly worth the search for Mahleb.you won't be disappointed!

Hi ANi....am so thrilled to find our renowned Choereg here! Will ask mom to try out this too..just to compare...since i already love hers!

Thank you for this amazing recipe! The choereg turned out delicate, flaky, and with just the right amount of sweetness.

My husband and I really enjoyed this bread and will continue to make it every Easter. I added an extra 3/4 of a cup of flour to get the correct consistency. I couldn't find Mahleb anywhere so I replaced it with cinnamon and nutmeg. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

This is absolutely wonderful. I have made it every week for a few months now. I use white wheat sometimes. I have added into the braids Nablus cheese, I have made them little zaatar pies. It goes quick. If someone knows I am making it, they ask for some too! Nothing smells better than bread baking in the house! Yummmmm

I was amazed at the amount of butter (we used all butter instead of margarine) in this recipe--but it makes a very tasty bread! Thanks for this recipe--I think it's going to become my standard Easter bread!

I am an experienced baker. Love to try other people's recipes. Trying out this recipes right now. Did not read reviews-Definitely needs more flour- Had to add 3 more cups of flour. Will rate after baking, I feel it will be a winner.

The amount of flour needed for this recipe was way off, so if you are an inexperienced baker, this would not be the recipe to start with. Other than that, the flavor was very good.

I have always wanted to make this bread but had no idea what mahleb was until I found a SPICE store near by! I was pleasantly surprised by the texture of the bread and the hint of flavor from the mahleb. The bread was so light and moist not like bread at all. Like others, I had to add extra flour, but only enough to make the dough so it didn't stick to my fingers -- still very soft. I am hooked on this now and would have made my Armenian Aunt Noone proud.

Are used all butter, no margarine turned out great everybody loves it!

Made it twice and the results are great! Followed the exact recipe and it worked well for me. The smell in the house is wonderful!

The only change I made was subbed the margarine for butter (I think margarine is gross) and not sure what that did, but it came out dry and crumbly. I think there needs to be more kneading to develop gluten, and maybe an overnight ferment after the initial rise. I too found that this recipe is short on flour, weights and flour type would help. Not sure why this recipe gets such high ratings.

Made it the first time two years ago. Came out great. Mahleb gave this a distinct taste. Everyone enjoyed it. My nephew, 29 yo at that time, stated, "It was the best Easter Bread I have ever tasted." It was light & fluffy. This year, I plan on making this again. I've had several special requests! I will post a picture of the bread when completed.

Delicious. Tastes like a butter croissant (not too sweet but definitely a buttery flavor like a plain butter croissant). I added an extra 1 cup of flour when mixing the dough in the mixer. The dough is a greasy/buttery and wet consistency but this appears to be normal since it turned out great after I baked the bread. It is a buttery/rich bread that I would only make for special occasions (too buttery to have every day). Instead of making the 5 loaf, I made 5 small pastries with chocolate chips inside; I cut the 5th portion of the dough into small squares and placed chocolate chips on one end of each square and then rolled it up (almost like a chocolate croissant).

First time making these, tried to replicate my Armenian grandmother’s creations which were never documented. My wife and loved it! I am not a baker, so my grandmother was looking down on me and provided some good luck. I cut the recipe amounts in half which made four loaves shown in the picture. I used only one full stick of butter and no margarine for health reasons, and we think more butter or margarine would be excessive. We plan to make this regularly! Thank you very much for sharing the recipe and for writing the steps so clearly for us novices.

I would certainly give this recipe 5 stars for flavour and crumb as it is really delicious. The recipe calls for 6 cups of flour "or as needed". I will keep this in my collection for special occasions but with the changes noted. Thank you.

I followed the Direction and found the dough very liquidy, not workable. Here are my changes: 2 TBSP Mahleb 3 sticks of butter ( no margarine) Cut the salt into 1/2 TSP only, for a less salty taste One additional cup of flour (7 total) to be able to work with the dough Baked at 325F depending on your oven

I have made this at least five e Times maybe more so needlessly say that I enjoyed making it. I have dexterity problems making the braid watched ton of video s. I gave up. My friend bought me a silicone three braid pan.. I had some difficulty finding the spice and decided to see amazon h a d it, they did and I received it in two days I love baking breads and cakes

This is honestly the most complicated thing I believe I have ever baked, but it was so, so worth it. I am not an expert at working with yeast or making bread, but I followed the directions EXACTLY as they were written (with the addition of a good amount of flour during the kneading process) and it came out AMAZING. I cannot believe I actually made something this delicious. I am in charge of the Armenian dish for my daughter's kindergarten culture program and I think even the pickiest eaters there will LOVE it. Thank you SO much for sharing.

Omg THANK YOU for this recipe! I did not change a thing...... except adding the water eggs on top! Delicious!

I am sorry, but I have to give this recipe only two stars, and that many only because at least the steps were well presented. I cannot say the same about the ingredient list. I decided to try this recipe because it had received many very good reviews. When I looked over the recipe, I saw that the amount of butter and margarine - one cup each! - was about twice the normal amount for Choereg. I also noticed that the sugar was very limited given that Choereg is often pretty sweet, but that part does vary by taste. Despite my misgivings, I decided to give it a try. Not surprisingly, my dough was way too wet and yellow in color for Choereg. As others have said, I had to use much more flour than stated in the recipe, yet still the dough never looked or felt right. The end result was disappointing. As you can probably tell, I am familiar with Choereg, and I have to say this is not a recipe I would recommend for making Choereg.

This was absolutely delicious and my Armenian husband loved it! I used all butter and golden caster sugar, i used a lot more flour to get a good dough consistency maybe 2-3 more cups....it made 5 good sized loaves and was soft, fluffy and very moorish :)

This sounds VERY similar to my mother-in-law's recipe. She was Turkish and used to call it "pita or peta" bread (not like the pocket bread). I made her recipe a long time ago using cardamom as I didn't have mahleb. It was pretty close in flavor. I have not yet made this recipe but can't wait to try it! My mother-in-law has passed away and my husband really misses her traditional Easter and New Year's bread. Thanks so much for sharing!

It was delicious. I used 8 cups of flour to be more precise. It was so good that I got so many compliments!

Thank you very much for this recipe. I made it with butter only. I tasted the dough as I loved eating it when my mom made it. I added a couple of tablespoon of sugar. They came out perfect. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. I will definitely make it again very soon. They are all eaten already. Great recipe!

This is by far the best version of this bread recipe I have found. I've been using it for years. One note, 6 c flour is NEVER ever going to be enough. It always takes 10 cups to get to a nice soft workable dough. The dough works like a dream. I typically don't let it rise 2x before shaping because of time limitations. If I do, then I make the dough the night before, let it rise once on the counter, and then put it in the fridge overnight and shape in the morning.

Cut this recipe in half and made 2 gorgeous loaves - it smelled amazing while it was baking!! A tender, slightly sweet bread. Really delicious.