Greek volunteers carry on traditions with braided bread for Annunciation Easter bake sale

Kerry Clawson, Akron Beacon Journal
Volunteers from Annunciation's Philoptochos Society of Akron and Kalymnian Society of Campbell, Ohio, baked 400 loaves of tsourekia, a braided sweet Easter bread, Tuesday for Annunciation's Easter Bake Sale March 27 and 28.
Volunteers from Annunciation's Philoptochos Society of Akron and Kalymnian Society of Campbell, Ohio, baked 400 loaves of tsourekia, a braided sweet Easter bread, Tuesday for Annunciation's Easter Bake Sale March 27 and 28.

It was all hands on deck in the kitchen at Akron's Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Tuesday as more than 30 women baked 400 loaves of tsourekia, a braided Greek Easter bread.

All of the mixing, braiding and baking of the special bread was done during one daylong workshop for the Akron church's Easter bake sale, which will also include a variety of Greek pastries and cookies.

Annunciation's Philoptochos Easter bake sale will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 27 and 28, during Western Easter's Holy Week, at 129 S. Union St., Akron.

Tuesday's workshop brought together members of Annunciation's Philoptochos women's philanthropic society with 12 women from the Kalymnian Society of Campbell, Ohio, who came from Archangel MichaelGreek Orthodox Church.

Kathryn Schlosser puts a tray of baked bread on a cooling rack as volunteer bakers from Annunciation's Philoptochos Society and Kalymnian Society of Campbell, Ohio, bake braided Greek Easter bread at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron Tuesday.
Kathryn Schlosser puts a tray of baked bread on a cooling rack as volunteer bakers from Annunciation's Philoptochos Society and Kalymnian Society of Campbell, Ohio, bake braided Greek Easter bread at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron Tuesday.

At Annunciation, the visiting women shared their own tsourekia recipe from their native island of Kalymnos with the Akron volunteers.

"The Kalymnian Society ladies were very generous to give us their recipe," said bake sale co-chair Kathryn Schlosser. "It's unprecedented."

Schlosser and Argie Karvounides are co-chairs of Annunciation's Philoptochos bake sale, which has been going on in Akron for a good 50 years.

Katerina Koullias, left, and Argie Karvounides work with a mixer to make dough for tsourekia bread Tuesday. The braided Easter sweet bread will be sold at Annunciation's Easter Bake Sale March 27 and 28.
Katerina Koullias, left, and Argie Karvounides work with a mixer to make dough for tsourekia bread Tuesday. The braided Easter sweet bread will be sold at Annunciation's Easter Bake Sale March 27 and 28.

How to order Greek Easter bread

Pre-orders for the Easter bread, six varieties of Greek pastries and cookies as well as frozen spanakopita and galaktoboureko (phyllo filled with custard), sold by the dozen, will be accepted by phone or order form through Wednesday. Call 330-434-0000 or print out the order form to mail or drop off at the church at annunciationakron.org/s/EasterBakeSaleForm2024.pdf.

The community can also walk in to buy bread and other Greek treats at the sale Easter week. Schlosser recommends coming March 27, because the bread often runs out by the second day.

Cookies and pastries cost $1.50 to $2 each, or $6 per dozen for koulourakia (twisted coffee cookies) and paximadia (Greek biscotti). The braided Easter bread costs $12 per loaf.

Process of making traditional Greek tsourekia

For the volunteer women, the annual bake sale is about preserving and carrying on Greek traditions and recipes passed down from their grandparents. It's also about reaching out to the community to share their delicious food.

"Greeks like to eat, as is obvious," Schlosser said.

On Tuesday, the Greek language was flowing among the intergenerational visitors, who included Irene Mallias, president of the Kalymnian Society, and her mother, Katerina Koullias; and Katerina Trikilis, who enlisted the help of her adult son, Nikolas Trikilis.

Jennifer Tsarnas and Irene Mallias look over loaves of tsourekia fresh from the oven Tuesday at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron. The Easter bread was made with a recipe from the Kalymnian Society of Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church in Campbell, Ohio.
Jennifer Tsarnas and Irene Mallias look over loaves of tsourekia fresh from the oven Tuesday at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron. The Easter bread was made with a recipe from the Kalymnian Society of Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church in Campbell, Ohio.

For the bread's first step, the women mixed yeast with water, sugar and flour, for the "prozimi" starter dough, which was then covered for 20 minutes to rise. Then the starter was mixed in with flour, sugar, eggs, butter, Crisco, milk and a signature ingredient: mahlepi ground cherry seed.

The dough was left to rise for 30 minutes before being cut and weighed in 1¼-pounds rectangles, then separated and rolled into three strands for braiding.

The braided loaves next went in warming ovens and were washed with egg before baking for about 25 minutes. The finished, dense loaves weigh 1½ pounds.

Maria Moore and Eleni Kardoulias wash tsourekia with egg Tuesday with volunteer bakers from Annunciation's Philoptochos Society and the Kalymnian Society of Campbell, Ohio. The Greek Easter bread will be sold at Annunciation's Easter Bake Sale March 27 and 28.
Maria Moore and Eleni Kardoulias wash tsourekia with egg Tuesday with volunteer bakers from Annunciation's Philoptochos Society and the Kalymnian Society of Campbell, Ohio. The Greek Easter bread will be sold at Annunciation's Easter Bake Sale March 27 and 28.

Each huge batch of dough made 32 loaves of bread, with the women making a total of 13 batches Tuesday.

Eleni Kardoulis was one of the Campbell group's main bakers, and Irene Kantaras was a master braider. With three strands of dough lying parallel to each other, Kantaras began braiding the bread in the middle to make the loaf more uniform.

Irene Kantaras braids dough for tsourekia Easter bread with volunteer bakers from Annunciation's Philoptochos and Archangel Michael's Kalymnian Society of Campbell, Ohio, at Akron's Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Tuesday.
Irene Kantaras braids dough for tsourekia Easter bread with volunteer bakers from Annunciation's Philoptochos and Archangel Michael's Kalymnian Society of Campbell, Ohio, at Akron's Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Tuesday.

Schlosser, who originally hails from Campbell, brought the two groups of Greek women together, including her mother, Irene Pantelakis of the Kalymnian Society. Pantelakis, 84, has been making tsourekia for 60 years.

"This has been the most exciting workshop I've attended in years. It's so much fun," Georgia Stathopoulos, president of the Akron Philoptochos Society, said of joining forces with the Greek women from Campbell.

Volunteer bakers from Annunciation's Philoptochos Society and Archangel Michael Kalymnian Society of Campbell, Ohio, roll and braid dough to make tsourekia, braided Easter bread, at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron Tuesday.
Volunteer bakers from Annunciation's Philoptochos Society and Archangel Michael Kalymnian Society of Campbell, Ohio, roll and braid dough to make tsourekia, braided Easter bread, at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron Tuesday.

The Easter bake sale is expected to raise $32,000, Stathopolous said. All proceeds will support the charitable efforts of the Philoptochos women's philanthropic society.

The Greek word Philoptochos means “friend of the poor." For more information, see annunciationakron.org.

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Annunciation Greek bake sale in Akron includes braided bread, pastries

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