Choereg - Armenian Coffee Rolls
Dolores Samuelian's Cheoreg
Choereg (Armenian Easter Bread)
Choereg


Choereg - Armenian Coffee Rolls

These Sephardic rolls look like little challah, and they are
wonderfully delicious.

1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs, beaten
6 cups sifted unbleached flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup olive oil
sesame seeds

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Pour the warm water into a large
bowl, and sprinkle it with the yeast. Let the mixture stand a few minutes;
then stir to dissolve the yeast. Add the milk, 2 eggs, melted butter,
olive oil, sugar, salt and baking powder and blend well. Stir in the
flour, a little at a time, until a soft dough is formed. Turn the dough
out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 3 or 4 minutes, or until
smooth. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it over to grease
the top. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise about 2
hours, or until doubled in bulk. Line a cookie sheet with parchment
paper. Punch down the dough that has risen, and transfer to a lightly
floured surface. Divide the dough into 32 equal pieces. Braid the dough
like small challahs. Carefully arrange the rolls 2 inches apart the
cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise about 50 or 60 minutes, or until
they have almost doubled in volume. Brush the topes of the rolls with the
beaten egg, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 20 minutes, or until
a rich golden brown color. Turn onto a rack to cool, and serve at room
temperature.

Source:
<http://www.epicurious.com/members/member_recipes/recipe_views/views/1218957>




Dolores Samuelian's Cheoreg

Samuelian has lowered the cholesterol in this rich bread by using
nonfat milk, substituting oil for butter and giving egg whites as an
option to whole eggs. As a variation, she suggests using half
whole-wheat flour and kneading in 1/2 cup raisins.

3 (1 1/4-ounce) packages dry yeast
2/3 cup plus
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water
3 eggs or 6 egg whites, beaten, plus extra beaten egg for glaze
1 cup nonfat milk
2/3 cup safflower or canola oil
2 1/2 pounds flour (about 10 cups)

Sprinkle yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar over warm water and stir. Let stand
5 minutes, or until foamy. Combine eggs, milk, oil and remaining 2/3
cup sugar in large bowl. Stir in yeast mixture and mix until well
combined. Sift enough flour into mixture to make dough that is sticky
but not wet. (Oil hands if necessary to facilitate kneading.) Form
dough into ball, cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about
2 hours.

Punch dough down. Place on floured surface and shape into long narrow
cylinder about size of baguette. Cut crosswise into pieces 1 1/2 inches
long. Roll each into rope. Tie into knot. Place on greased or
foil-covered baking sheets. Brush tops with extra beaten egg. Let rise
in warm place 30 to 40 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown,
about 20 minutes.

Source: Los Angeles Times, February 29, 1996 - Page 5

Source: <http://www.cilicia.com/armo7a.html>



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."

Submitted by: Ani
Yield: 5 loaves.
Prep Time: 6 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ready In: 6 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 30

1 cup whole milk
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
5 eggs
6 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground mahleb
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds