Macedonian Christopsomo (Χριστόψωμο Μακεδονίας)

Christopsomo of Macedonia is the Christmas bread of the house, a round loaf with a dough cross laid over the top and a walnut pressed at the center. This version belongs to northern Greek kitchens: olive oil, honey, Chios mastic, orange, sesame, and walnuts inside the crumb. It should smell festive, but it is still bread. Not cake.

The one method that decides it is simple: make the dough smooth before the walnuts go in, and keep the cross dough plain. Walnuts added too early tear the dough and slow the rise, and a nutty rope cannot make a clean cross. Knead first, reserve a small piece for the mark, then fold in the walnuts. The loaf will rise high and the blessing will still be visible after baking.

I bake this for the Christmas table, not as a showpiece but as bread you actually slice, pass, and eat with coffee the next morning. My Thessaloniki notebook has several household versions, and this is the one I trust for a first loaf: Λίγα και καλά, a few good things, and patience.