Do you have Tsoureki leftovers after Easter but have no idea how to use it No need to worry, I have got you covered with my ultimate guide to Tsoureki leftovers.
What does tsoureki taste like?
Tsoureki is a traditional sweet bread closely resembling brioche and babka. It is sweet and aromatic due to its spice (mahlab, vanilla, cardamon) with soft zesty, orange undertones.It has a nice soft, fluffy texture.It is traditionally prepared on Easter or Pascha though nowadays it is made all year round.
What to do with Tsoureki leftovers?
There are many things you can do with Tsoureki leftovers.
- First and foremost, freeze them and simply defrost when you’d like to have some.
- Secondly, turn them into delicious puddings such as a Tsoureki bread and butter pudding or a tahini and jam Tsoureki pudding.
- Turn Tsoureki into Paximadia.
- You can also prepare Tsoureki sandwiches – either sweet or savoury,
- Prepare a chocolate log or salami (Mosaiko) by substituting biscuits for Tsoureki pieces.
- Make some delicious Tsoureki avgofetes, sweet or savoury.
Freezing Tsoureki leftovers
Tsoureki can easily be frozen and enjoyed at a later date. Simply slice it, cover it in cling film or plastic wrap and freeze. Slicing it prior to freezing makes it easier to defrost. Simply take out as many slices are you fancy, place them in the toaster and enjoy with your morning coffee!
Bread and butter pudding from Tsoureki leftovers
Elevate the traditional British bread and butter pudding with Tsoureki by simply substituting bread for Tsoureki. Homemade traditional bread and butter puddings are easy to make and require only a handful of ingredients: butter, milk, eggs and /or raisins. For a boozy Tsoureki bread and butter pudding soak raisins in Metaxa or any other cogniac of your liking. Believe me you will love this Tsoureki bread and butter pudding!
This Tsoureki bread and butter pudding can be made with any Tsoureki, plain, flavoured or stuffed. Nevertheless, it tastes divine with syrupy chocolate / cocoa Tsoureki. Chocolate Tsoureki slices or chunks in syrup will give the pudding a lovely caramel taste.
Tsoureki tahini & jam pudding
Apart from bread and butter pudding, there are numerous other puddings you can make with Tsoureki, with my favourite being with jam and tahini. I have used Carob flavoured Tsoureki, though this recipe works very well with all other Tsoureki versions.
Tsoureki paximadia
Tsoureki Paximadia is a quick and yet delicious way to enjoy Greek coffee with. Simply slice your leftover Tsoureki and bake it once again at 180C or 360F for 15-20 minutes to dry it out completely, just like my cinnamon Paximadia recipe. The recipe works great with all Tsoureki recipes.
Tsoureki sandwiches
Leftover Tsoureki is great for sweet and savoury sandwiches. You can prepare them with plain traditional Tsoureki but also with any flavoured or Stuffed Tsoureki.
Sweet sandwiches
If you love peanut butter and jam sandwiches, then simply substitute the bread for Tsoureki. It will taste delicious! You can also substitute peanut butter for tahini, to make a Greek style tahini jam sandwich. Tahini can have quite a strong taste, so make sure you spread a thin layer in your sandwich.
If you prefer simplicity, use slices of plain Tsoureki – you can find my plain traditional Tsoureki recipe here. If you’re feeling adventurous, use slices of chocolate, Carob or stuffed Tsoureki with peanut butter or tahini. They taste amazing!
Savoury Sandwiches
To make a savoury Tsoureki sandwich, combine slices of savoury spinach and Feta Tsoureki with either cheese or ham slices and grill.
Tsoureki Mosaiko or Salami (chocolate log)
Dice or break apart left over Tsoureki and make Tsoureki Mosaic or chocolate log. Simply substitute biscuits for Tsoureki chunks. This recipe works very well with plain, flavoured, stuffed and even syrupy Tsoureki! You can find my Greek chocolate salami recipe here.
Avgofetes with Tsoureki
Avgofetes (greek style French toast) is another ingenious way to use up left over Tsoureki. You can make your avgofetes either sweet or savoury.
For sweet avgofetes, prepare them as per my recipe and dust them with cinnamon or sugar and serve with a scoop of ice cream.
For savoury avgofetes, dunk slices of savoury spinach and Feta Tsoureki slices in egg and pan fry! There is no need to add any more ingredients as my savoury Tsoureki recipe already contains spinach and Feta cheese.