Food & Cooking Recipes Breakfast & Brunch Recipes Bread Recipes Christopsomo 3.8 (23) By Martha Stewart Editors Martha Stewart Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter Website An article attributed to "Martha Stewart Editors" indicates when several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The Martha Stewart team aims to teach and inspire readers daily with tested-until-perfected recipes, creative DIY projects, and elevated home and entertaining ideas. They are experts in their fields who research, create, and test the best ways to help readers design the life they want. The joy is in the doing. Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 16, 2017 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Yield: 2 9-inch loaves A Greek Christmas tradition, Christopsomo translates as "bread of Christ." Some families decorate the bread with a cross or "X." The letter "X" is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ and was used as an early abbreviation. Hence "Xmas." Ingredients 1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (two ¼-ounce envelopes) 8 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more for surface and more if needed 1 ¾ cups sugar 2 cups whole milk, warmed 2 teaspoons ground anise seeds 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest 1 teaspoon ground mastic gum 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pans 5 large eggs, lightly beaten Vegetable oil, for bowl 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon whole milk, for egg wash 3 tablespoons sesame seeds Directions Sprinkle yeast, 1 cup flour, and 1/4 cup sugar over milk in a medium bowl. Cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Combine remaining 7 cups flour and 1 1/2 cups sugar, the anise seeds, salt, orange zest, and mastic gum if desired. Make a well in center of mixture, and add milk mixture, melted butter, and eggs. Mix together ingredients using your hands. Once combined, turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth and supple, about 15 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Butter two 9-inch springform pans. Punch down dough, divide in half, and roll each half into a 24-inch-long log. Coil each log into a mounded circle (similar to a snail shell). Transfer each to a prepared pan. Cover with plastic, and let rise until doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush egg wash over tops of loaves, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack, and let cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pans, and remove bread. Let cool completely on wire rack. Cook's Notes Mastic gum, also called mastiha, is the dried resin of a Mediterranean tree. Grind it on a microplane zester or in a spice grinder.Christopsomo can be stored, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature for up to 3 days. Print