recipe reviews for:

Choereg (Armenian Easter Bread)

“Ok...so my mother would just kill me if she knew I made our family recipe for Choereg public. But my policy is 'why keep a good thing to myself'. Choereg is a traditional, slightly sweet bread, especially made for Easter. It is delicious for breakfast with a nice cup of coffee. It takes some level of skill, but anyone used to handling yeast should not have a problem. You can find Mahleb at Middle Eastern grocery stores, especially around Easter. It will be with the spices. Please do not omit it, as this is what gives it its distinctive flavour and aroma.”

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Reviewed: Apr. 20, 2012

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!

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marljong

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Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: San Mateo, California, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 10, 2012

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!

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cmartcookie

Reviewed: Apr. 9, 2012

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.

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SilentStarlight

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Apr. 2, 2012

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.

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4 users found this review helpful

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sireesanwar

Reviewed: Feb. 21, 2012

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 the milk, butter, and 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.

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Carolyn

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: May 30, 2011

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.

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6 users found this review helpful

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Cgregb

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Living In: Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Reviewed: May 19, 2011

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

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mrsyaki

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Seattle, Washington, USA

Living In: San Diego, California, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 29, 2011

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!

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Reviewer:

gina

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Sodus, New York, USA

Living In: Severn, Maryland, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 26, 2011

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.

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kdmom

Reviewed: Apr. 24, 2011

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!

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