Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread)

Christopsomo literally means “Christ’s Bread”, which we make a few days before Christmas. Making Christopsomo is a tradition that dates back thousands of years and is considered sacred in Greece. There is always a cross on the top of the bread that represents the cross of Christ (after putting it in the oven mine does not look very much like a cross, but I tried).

Bless the bread

When the Christopsomo is ready, the father of the house will bless the Christmas bread by making the sign of the cross before he cuts it and shares the pieces with the family all around the table. I hope you feel inspired to make Christopsomo for Christmas and you share it with your friends and family.

Ingredients

• 280 ml of water at room temperature

• 7 grams of dry yeast

• 60 grams granulated sugar

• 50 ml olive oil

• 1/2 kg of flour

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 100 grams walnuts (chopped)

• 100 grams raisins

• 1 egg (beaten)

For decoration

• A few cloves

• 1 walnut, in it’s shell

• Juice of 3 lemons

• Some shelled walnuts

• Some of the dough to form the decorations

• Sesame seeds

• Some almonds

Steps to Make It

1. Mix the yeast with the warm water and the half of the sugar, stir until dissolved and set it aside until it bubbles.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the salt, cinnamon and ground cloves with the flour. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Mix until a soft dough forms, cover with waxed paper and a damp towel, and set aside to rise for 15 minutes.

3. Punch the dough down and knead for several minutes. Add the raisins and the walnuts and knead well to a homogenous dough!

4. Cover, and allow it to rise for 1/2 hour. Take a part of the dough and set it aside.

5. Create a nice, soft ball from the dough, with your hands, and shape the bread as I have in the pictures. Cover a baking pan with ovenproof paper, put the dough on it, cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest while you are creating the decorations.

6. Roll the saved dough into strips and create the cross. Brush the top of your bread with a beaten egg and set the cross on the top. Decorate it with walnuts and cloves or anything you like. Brush again with the rest of the egg.

7. Bake in a hot oven at 200 °C for 25 to 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 170 °C and bake it for another 10 minutes.