Zatiki Chorek – Armenian Easter Bread

The traditional Armenian Easter Bread, Chorek, is rich and scrumptious, with its sweet and enticing aroma lingering in the kitchen for days. It’s truly heavenly. Easter heralds the end of Lent and a celebration of new beginnings, awakening, and rebirth. Chorek is an enriched bread loaded with eggs, butter, milk, and sugar, akin to brioche, challah, and Pena Pasquale.

 

Chronicles and Memoirs of Choek

As a little girl, I used to make this with my mom. She would give us a piece of dough and we would shape them into flowers, letters, birds, or most of the time some abstract figures. My mom would make the braids and roulades filled with walnuts or apricot preserves, sprinkled with poppy or sesame seeds.

The aroma of the baked chorek was sweet and enticing, lingering in the kitchen for days. It penetrated into all the nooks and crannies of my senses and became engraved in my memory.

Recently I came across an article that had a small excerpt from Fethiye Cetin‘s autobiographical book, entitled “My Grandmother: An Armenian Turkish Memoir“. The book is about her grandmother, one of the many Armenian women who were forced to become Muslims to survive and escape the death march during the horrendous events of the Armenian genocide of 1915-1922.   

This small passage tells the story of Chorek and how it was a secret message between the Islamized women who had the same fate. Women who tried to hide their identities from their children and grandchildren but held on to the sting of their roots by sharing their customs with one another. 

“Do you know that when I was a child, my grandmother and I came to your house? My grandmother baked chorek all day. After sitting for a while, after tasting my grandmother’s chorek, we also visited Shasho Ibrahim’s wife, Aunt Seher, and Tatuml, aunt. It caught my attention that day that all the people we went to had a served chorek. The choreks we tasted in other houses were like the ones we made in your house. When I was expecting a different kind of hospitality and was always disappointed to see the same pastry. My grandmother ate and drank tea in the homes of all the people we visited. It was only years later that my attention was drawn to the hospitality of that day and the community of homes we visited. “Shasho Ibrahim’s wife, Aunt Seher, was Armenian, and Aunt Tatiml later converted to Islam, like my grandmother.”

What’s unique about this Recipe?

Grocery and Pantry List

Special Ingredient Spotlight

• Discover what makes chorek truly unique with mahleb, a wild cherry stone kernel. With its delicate and exquisite flavor, mahleb adds a distinctive taste and enchanting aroma to chorek. Find this specialty spice at specialty spice stores or Middle Eastern markets, available in whole or ground forms.

Time Required:

Bake in 350°F(175°C) the preheated oven.

Special Tools to Use:

Chorek Recipe Steps at a Glance

This Armenian Easter Bread recipe can be broken down into the following steps:

Step-by-step: How to Make Chorek

Step 1: Make the starter

To activate the yeast, dilute with ¼ cup lukewarm milk, add 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 2-3 tablespoons of flour. Cover, and let it sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes. It will become frothy and double in volume.

Step 2: Make the dough 

While the starter is getting activated,, start making the dough either in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a big mixing bowl using a whisk. Mix the butter with a cup of flour until well combined. Then add the eggs, one by one, and incorporate with the butter. Gradually add the sugar, milk, and the activated starter. Once everything is well mixed, start adding the flour. If using a stand mixer, replace the paddle attachment with a dough hook. 

This enriched dough will require a good 10-15 minutes of kneading to develop the gluten and create elasticity. 

Step 3: Proof the dough

After kneading, cover the dough and place it in a warm location (~ 75°F for 2-3 hours.) I like to put it in the oven (which is turned off) since it has a more controlled temperature.

Check the dough, it should have doubled by now. 

Punch it down and do a couple of folds by pulling the dough underneath and pulling it over and across. Rotate, and do a few similar folds. Cover the dough and let it rise for the second time for 1 hour.

Step 4: Dividing and shaping the dough

After the dough rises the second time, divide the dough into desired portions, and begin to give each piece its initial shape. Cover the portioned dough with a towel or plastic wrap (it needs to rest before final shaping).

Shaping ideas and options

Braids: 

I typically make the braids with 500-600 grams of dough. I use three strips. There are more elaborate braids, but I am sticking to the traditional ones. I divide the dough into three equal parts, knead each piece, and give each an initial sausage shape. After that, roll each piece into the long ropes. 

Roulades: 

To make a roulade with the walnuts or jam, I portion ~400 grams of dough. No initial shaping is required; I simply knead and ball the dough and set it aside covered.

Chevron: 

For small chevron-shaped rolls, I portion 70-100 grams of dough, knead them into the little balls and set them aside covered.

Croissant:

Roll out the dough into a large circle, then allow it to rest for a few minutes. Next, divide the dough into 10-12 wedges. Fill the widest end of each wedge with a mixture of chopped walnuts, sugar, and spices, then roll them up into little croissant shapes.

Step 5: Bake the chorek bread

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

After I shape all of the pieces, I let rise one last time (approximately 15-30 minutes.) The kitchen now is much warmer (with the preheated oven), so the bread will rise more quickly. To ensure the bread is ready for baking, give it a poke test by firmly pressing onto the dough with your knuckle or finger. If the dough springs back rapidly, it needs more proofing. If it leaves a small indentation (which slowly fills), it’s ready to bake. Beat one egg with a little bit of water and brush each piece with an egg wash. Sprinkle seeds on top and place into the oven for 30 minutes. If you have two trays in the oven you can flip and rotate them halfway through.

By the time I finish baking, the warm and sweet smell of the bread has permeated the house; it’s so cozy and inviting.

Best Way to Serve

Tips and Wisdom from Cafe Osharak

More Recipes to Try From Cafe Osharak

If you try out this recipe, I would love to hear from you. Let me know if you find it delicious and straightforward to prepare. I am here to answer any questions and provide any suggestions. Also, be sure to explore other recipes from Cafe Osharak, as I’m sure you’ll love them too!

Happy Easter!