There’s a legend that tells how the Greeks, during the Byzantine era, donated gold to their emperor so that he could pay the invading forces not to besiege their beloved Constantinople. The siege didn’t take place and, probably in a celebratory mood, St Basil persuaded all the royal bakeries to bake cakes or pies with the donated coins in them – this way the money was re-distributed to the people who desperately needed it. This tradition is found, especially, in the Greek families of Anatolian descent who, often, even have a ritualised way of cutting the cake when they divide it up.

The Vasilopitta is, in truth, a sweetened bread enriched with various differing spices or nuts, depending on whereabouts in Greece you travel. Here is a reasonably simple, albeit time consuming, version of an often complex bread. I was very tempted to give you the “instant yeast” one, but making this can be very therapeutic – so why not start the new year thoroughly relaxed?

Ingredients

• 650 gm flour, unsifted
• 2 tablespoon dry yeast,
• 50 ml warm water,
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon aniseeds
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 bay leaf
• 30 ml Ouzo
• 125 ml Water
• 125 ml hot milk
• 115 gm butter
• 30 gm sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 20 walnut halves (or almonds)

Method

• Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside.
• Put all the spices, orange zest, bay leaf and ouzo in a pot with ½ cup of water and bring to a boil.
• Set aside to steep and cool.
• Heat milk and remove from heat.
• Heat the milk, remove from the heat, add the butter and allow the milk to cool slightly.
• Put the flour, the sugar and the salt in a large bowl.
• Combine the eggs, the yeast, the milk mixture and the flavoured water with the flour, removing only the bay leaf.
• Mix well, until all the flour has been absorbed.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth – this will take about 20 minutes.
• Place in a buttered bowl, turning it around so that the whole piece of dough is greased will with butter.
• Cover with cling wrap and put in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size (about 4-6 hours).
• Pre-heat oven to 180 C
• Punch down the dough, kneading until smooth and glossy.
• Shape into one large loaf, make an incision at the bottom, insert a coin, pushing it upwards with your finger and decorate the top with walnut halves, brushing with any remaining butter, melted.
• Allow to rise for another 2 hours, this time uncovered and then bake for about an hour.
• Keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn.
• Turn out onto a wire rack and do not cut until it has cooled down.
• I have seen it covered in icing sugar which does make it taste rather delicious when you bite into it – however, I like to bake it as a sweetened bread.