**Indulge in the Sweetness of Portuguese Sweet Bread: A Journey of Flavors and Traditions**
Embark on a culinary adventure with Portuguese sweet bread, a delightful treat that captures the essence of Portuguese heritage and flavors. These delectable breads, also known as "pão doce" in Portuguese, are a symphony of textures and tastes that have been enjoyed for generations. From the soft and fluffy interior to the crispy caramelized crust, each bite offers a delightful experience. Discover the secrets behind this beloved pastry and explore a collection of recipes that showcase its versatility and regional variations. Whether you prefer a classic recipe or a modern twist, this guide will take you on a journey of Portuguese sweet bread, unraveling the history, ingredients, and techniques that make it so special. Along the way, you'll find recipes for the traditional Sweet Bread, a braided Sweet Bread, a Sweet Rice Bread, and Sweet Bread Muffins, each offering a unique take on this iconic pastry. Get ready to indulge in a world of sweetness and tradition as you explore the art of Portuguese sweet bread.
PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD I
This recipe is for the bread machine. It is similar to homemade grandmother's sweet bread.
Provided by Jennifer Houde
Categories Bread Yeast Bread Recipes
Time 3h5m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Add ingredients in order suggested by your manufacturer.
- Select "sweet bread" setting.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 55.9 calories, Carbohydrate 6.9 g, Cholesterol 17.1 mg, Fat 2.6 g, Fiber 0.2 g, Protein 1.5 g, SaturatedFat 0.7 g, Sodium 180.6 mg, Sugar 6.6 g
PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD (MASSA SOVADA)
No where else can make a sweet bread loaf like my hometown of Fall River, MA. It is a traditional recipe that is known to be brought over from the immigrants of São Miguel. This bread is most popular at Easter, but enjoyed year round. I like to have mine for breakfast with a little butter added on it. But, it is also served for...
Provided by Tara Pacheco
Categories Other Breakfast
Time 8h40m
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- 1. Dissolve yeast in water and let rise to double in size.
- 2. Mix together flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, melt butter and shortening in milk over medium heat and cool to lukewarm. Beat eggs and sugar together.
- 3. Mix all ingredients together and knead until dough lifts neatly from bowl. Let rise, usually six to eight hours.
- 4. Punch down, deflating the dough. Form individual breads and put in buttered and floured pans (most any shape or size will do). The dough should fill only half the pan. Let rise again until dough doubles in size, filling the pan.
- 5. Brush top of dough with beaten egg.
- 6. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes (adjust longer cook time for larger loaves). The bread should be golden brown.
PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD
Provided by Food Network
Time 1h16m
Yield 5 to 7 loaves
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Dissolve 3 yeast cakes in 1/2 cup warm water, (not hot). Add 2 cups warm, nonfat milk (or scalded whole milk slightly cooled) and 3 cups flour, and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk together and set aside to proof yeast.
- In a separate bowl, add 1dozen fresh eggs, sugar, and lemon juice. Beat well and then add melted butter.
- Add yeast mixture, the remaining flour and 2 tablespoons of salt. Mix well and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes.
- Continue mixing until dough begins to pull away from bowl or knead with greased hands until dough pulls away from your hands. This takes a while and the dough is sticky unlike bread dough. Place in greased bowl and cover to let rise to double, about 1 to 3 hours.
- Punch down, turn over, and let rise to double a second time.
- Carefully break away about 2/3 pound of dough at a time, rolling dough into a nice loaf shape and place into greased loaf pans. This should make about 5 to 7 nice loafs. Let rise until double in the pans for a third rising.
- Make two to three 1/4-inch slits on the top of each loaf and then brush tops with 1 beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of water.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for about 10 minutes and then reduce heat to about 300 degrees F for another 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove loaves from the oven and lay them on their side on a rack for a couple of minutes before removing from the pan.
PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD
Steps:
- To make the sponge, stir together the flour, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Add the water and stir until all the ingredients are hydrated and make a smooth batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the sponge gets foamy and seems on the verge of collapse.
- To make the dough, combine the sugar, salt, powdered milk, butter, and shortening in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer). Cream together with a sturdy spoon (or the paddle attachment) until smooth, then mix in the eggs and the extracts. Knead by hand (or switch to the dough hook attachment) and mix in the sponge and the flour. Add the water, as needed, to make a very soft dough. The finished dough should be very supple and soft, easy to knead, and not wet or sticky. It will take 10 to 12 minutes with the electric mixer and close to 15 minutes by hand to achieve this consistency. (Dough with high amounts of fat and sugar usually take longer to knead because the gluten requires more time to set up.) The finished dough should pass the windowpane test (see NOTE below) and register 77 to 88 degrees F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into two equal pieces. Form each of the pieces into a boule. Lightly oil two 9-inch pie pans and place 1 boule, seam side down, in each pan. Mist the dough with spray oil and loosely cover the pans with plastic wrap.
- Proof at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, or until the dough fills the pans fully, doubling in size and overlapping the edges slightly. (If you only want to bake one loaf, you may retard the second in the fridge for 1 day, although it will take 4 to 5 hours to proof after it comes out of the refrigerator.)
- Very gently brush the loaves with egg wash. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
- Bake the loaves for 50 to 60 minutes, or until they register 190 F in the center. After 30 minutes, check the loaves and rotate 180 degrees, if necessary, for even baking. Because of the high amount of sugar, the dough will brown very quickly, but don't be fooled into thinking it is done. It will get darker as the center gradually catches up with the outside, but it will not burn. The final color will be a rich mahogany brown.
- Remove the bread from the pie pans and place on a rack to cool. The bread will soften as it cools, resulting in a very soft, squishy loaf. Allow the bread to cool for at least 90 minutes before slicing or serving.
PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD - PAO DOCE
I found this recipe when I was looking for recipes to be posted for ZWT5. It is from the New Betty Crocker International Cookbook. So soft and light!
Provided by Leahs Kitchen
Categories Yeast Breads
Time 4h35m
Yield 2 loaves, 10-12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl.
- Stir in milk, 3/4 cup sugar, 3 eggs, salt, margarine or butter, and 3 cups of flour.
- Beat until smooth.
- Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make the dough easy to handle.
- Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic - about 5 minutes.
- Place in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place until it is double in size - about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Punch down dough and divide in half.
- Shape each half into a round slightly flat loaf.
- Place each loaf into a well greased round 9" x 1 1/2" pan.
- Cover and let rise until double (a/b an hour).
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Beat 1 egg and brush over tops of loaves.
- Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar.
- Bake until loaves are golden brown, about 35-45 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 420.6, Fat 12.8, SaturatedFat 7.1, Cholesterol 102.2, Sodium 356.8, Carbohydrate 65.4, Fiber 2.3, Sugar 15.6, Protein 10.8
PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD
Adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Bread Baker's Apprentice (by Peter Reinhart), this recipe makes lovely sweet, light loaves. Prep time includes time for fermentation and proofing of the sponge and the dough. This bread will start browning rather quickly, due to the high sugar content, but don't be alarmed - it will get even darker as the center catches up with the outside, and the final color will be a rich mahogany brown.
Provided by GaylaJ
Categories Yeast Breads
Time 6h50m
Yield 2 1-pound loaves, 28 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- To make the sponge, stir together flour, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Add the water and stir until all ingredients are hydrated and make a smooth batter. Cover with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for 60-90 minutes, or until the sponge gets foamy and seems on the verge of collapse.
- To make the dough, combine the sugar, salt, powdered milk, butter, and shortening in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer, which is what I use). Cream together with a sturdy spoon (or the paddle attachment) until smooth, then mix in the eggs and the extracts. Knead by hand (or switch to the dough hook) and mix in the sponge and flour (I wait to change out the attachments until most of the ingredients are mixed, as it seems I have a problem getting the dough to grab onto the hook if I switch too early). Add the water, as needed, to make a very soft dough (more than likely you will not need the full amount of water, but it can vary due to factors such as the moisture content and protein percentage of your flour). The finished dough should be very supple and soft, easy to knead, and not wet or sticky. To achieve this will take 10-12 minutes with the mixer and close to 15 minutes by hand, as dough with high amounts of fat and sugar usually takes longer to knead because the gluten requires longer to set up. The finished dough should pass the windowpane test (see note below if you are unsure what this is) and register 77F to 81°F Lightly oil a large bowl, put the dough in the bowl, rolling it around to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Ferment at room temperature until dough doubles in size, around 2 hours.
- Remove dough from bowl, divide in 2 equal pieces, and form each into a boule. Lightly oil two 9-inch pie pans and place a boule, seam side down, in each pan. Mist with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
- Proof at room temerature for 2 to 3 hours, or until the dough fills the pans fully, doubling in size. (If you want to bake only 1 of the loaves, you can retard the second in the refrigerator for 1 day, but it will take 4 to 5 hours to proof after it come out of the refrigerator.).
- Very gently brush the loaves with the egg wash. Preheat the oven to 350F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
- Bake the loaves for 50 to 60 minutes, or until they register 190F in the center. After 30 minutes, check the loaves and rotate 180 degrees, if necessary, for even baking. The dough will brown rather quickly (please see intro), long before it is done. When done, the loaves will be a rich mahogany brown.
- Remove the bread from the pie pans and place on a rack to cool. The bread will soften as it cools, resulting in a very soft, squishy loaf. Allow the bread to cool for at least 90 minutes before slicing or serving.
- *Windowpane Test: Cut off a small piece of dough and gently stretch, pulling and turning it to see if it will hold a paper-thin, translucent membrane. It it falls apart before it make this windowpane, continue to knead for another minute or two and test again.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 100, Fat 2.7, SaturatedFat 1.2, Cholesterol 23.2, Sodium 95.8, Carbohydrate 15.7, Fiber 0.5, Sugar 3.7, Protein 2.7
Tips:
- Use fresh ingredients: The fresher the ingredients, the better the bread will taste. This is especially true for the yeast, which should be active and bubbly.
- Proof the yeast: This step is essential to ensure that the yeast is active and will work properly. To proof the yeast, dissolve it in warm water with a little bit of sugar and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until it becomes foamy.
- Knead the dough properly: Kneading the dough helps to develop the gluten, which gives the bread its structure. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
- Let the dough rise: This step allows the yeast to ferment and produce carbon dioxide, which will cause the bread to rise. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
- Bake the bread at a high temperature: This will help to create a crispy crust and a fluffy interior.
Conclusion:
Portuguese sweet bread is a delicious and versatile bread that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is easy to make and can be customized with a variety of ingredients. With a little planning and effort, you can create a delicious and beautiful Portuguese sweet bread that will impress your family and friends.
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