Emeril Lagasses Portuguese Sweet Bread Recipes

EMERIL LAGASSE'S PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the milk, salt and lard in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Set aside.
• In a small bowl combine the yeast, 1 cup of the flour, and 1/2 cup warm water and set aside.
• In a large bowl, with a whisk, combine the eggs, sugar and lemon zest and mix thoroughly.
• Add the milk mixture, yeast mixture and remaining flour and thoroughly combine.
• Set aside to rise, kneading 6 times every half hour.
• The bread will take 6 hours to rise.
• Prepare 5 round loaf pans with butter or lard.
• Divide the batter among the pans - each pan should be half full.
• Press the dough evenly in the pan and let it rise again until it reaches the top of the pan.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush the loaves with beaten egg.
• Bake for about 1 hour, until golden brown.

SWEET ONION BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, caramelize the onions for about 10 minutes. In an electric mixer with a whip attachment, whip the egg whites until stiff. Switch the whip attachment to a paddle attachment and cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each yolk. With the machine running add the apple juice and ginger. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper, together. With the machine on low speed, alternate adding the flour 1/3 at a time with the milk. Do not over mix the batter. Fold in the stiff egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and invert onto a wire rack. Allow the bread to cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice a couple of slices from the loaf and place the loaf and the slices on a plate.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, caramelize the onions for about 10 minutes. In an electric mixer with a whip attachment, whip the egg whites until stiff. Switch the whip attachment to a paddle attachment and cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each yolk. With the machine running add the apple juice and ginger. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper, together. With the machine on low speed, alternate adding the flour 1/3 at a time with the milk. Do not over mix the batter. Fold in the stiff egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and invert onto a wire rack. Allow the bread to cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice a couple of slices from the loaf and place the loaf and the slices on a plate.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, caramelize the onions for about 10 minutes. In an electric mixer with a whip attachment, whip the egg whites until stiff. Switch the whip attachment to a paddle attachment and cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each yolk. With the machine running add the apple juice and ginger. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper, together. With the machine on low speed, alternate adding the flour 1/3 at a time with the milk. Do not over mix the batter. Fold in the stiff egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and invert onto a wire rack. Allow the bread to cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice a couple of slices from the loaf and place the loaf and the slices on a plate.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, caramelize the onions for about 10 minutes. In an electric mixer with a whip attachment, whip the egg whites until stiff. Switch the whip attachment to a paddle attachment and cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each yolk. With the machine running add the apple juice and ginger. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper, together. With the machine on low speed, alternate adding the flour 1/3 at a time with the milk. Do not over mix the batter. Fold in the stiff egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and invert onto a wire rack. Allow the bread to cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice a couple of slices from the loaf and place the loaf and the slices on a plate.

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.

HELEN'S SAUSAGE STUFFED FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Using a serrated knife, trim the upper quarter off the length of the top of each loaf. Hollow out the center of the loaves, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell. Set aside.
• Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring to break up any clumps. Add the jalapenos, bell peppers, and green onions. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and Cheddar and stir until completely melted, about 2 minutes. Add the Essence and remove from the heat.
• Fill the hollowed-out bread loaves with equal amounts of the sausage-cheese mixture and wrap each loaf in aluminum foil. Place the loaves on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, unwrap, and sprinkle with parsley.
• Serve warm with chips for dipping, if desired, or cut the bread crosswise into 2-inch slices.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

BASIC ITALIAN BREAD BY EMERIL LAGASSE

Steps:

• Place the water and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer and allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes. Using a dough hook attachment, add the flour and sugar to the water and mix on low speed until a dough starts to form. Drizzle the oil and salt into the dough and beat on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a smooth, firm, elastic dough is formed.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 11/2 hours or until doubled in size. Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends.
• Preheat the oven lined with a pizza stone to 425 degrees F. Alternately, an inverted baking sheet may be used in place of a pizza stone.
• Place the dough on a baker's peel heavily dusted with semolina flour, or cornmeal, or alternately on an inverted baking sheet. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a damp towel, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Brush the dough with the egg white and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, score 3 (1/4-inch deep) slashes across the top of the dough at a 45 degree angle.
• Spray the dough generously with water from a water bottle and place in the oven on the baking stone. Immediately close the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Open the oven door and spray the dough again with the water bottle. Close the oven door and bake for an additional 3 minutes before spraying the dough for a third time (the spraying of the dough will ensure a crisp golden brown crust). Bake the dough for 45 minutes, or until a hollow thud is heard when the bread is whacked with the bowl of a wooden spoon. Allow the bread to cool slightly before serving.