My Grandmotherâs Portuguese Sweet Bread Recipes

GRANDMA'S PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix sugar, hot milk, butter, and salt together in a large bowl, stirring until butter melts. When cooled to lukewarm, beat in eggs and yeast mixture. Gradually beat 5 cups of flour into liquid to make a smooth dough.
• If you have a stand mixer that will handle this amount of dough, you can use that to shorten the process. Simply complete above steps in your mixer bowl and let your dough hook do the kneading for you.
• To knead by hand, heavily flour a board with a portion of the remaining flour. Turn dough out onto board and sprinkle with remaining flour. Knead until very smooth, adding flour to eliminate stickiness as necessary. You should see small "blisters" of air on the surface of the dough. This takes about 15-20 minutes. Consider it your workout for the day.
• Place dough in a large buttered bowl. Cover loosely with a towel and put in a warm place until doubled in size (about two hours).
• Punch down dough (it will collapse). Using buttered hands, form dough into desired loaves. You can divide dough into two large loaves or try them as smaller rolls. Or you can try the pie pan method you see used by the historical society.
• Place your formed loaves on a buttered cookie sheet or in a buttered pie pan. Cover loaves and set in a warm place to rise again for about an hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Baking time will vary a bit depending upon loaf size.
• Optional: Use a pastry brush to baste milk over the loaves just as they start to brown. This will give them a beautiful shiny glow.
• Turn dough onto floured surface. Divide dough in two. Form each half loosely into a two-inch log. Cut log into two-inch lengths.
• Roll dough into balls. Place onto a buttered cookie sheet or in a buttered pie pan, not quite touching.
• Cover rolls and set in a warm place to rise again for about an hour.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
• Form each half of the dough into a ball, working to put the "loose" ends on the bottom so that the top is nice and smooth. Place each dough on a cookie sheet and set aside to rise.
• Divide each half of the bread dough into three equal pieces.
• Roll each into a rope, about 1-2 inches in diameter.
• Press the ends of the ropes together and braid. When you reach the end, tuck ends under slightly and place bread on a cookie sheet for the second rise.

PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD FOR BREAD MAKER

Steps:

• Put ingredients in breadmaker's bread pan in the order suggested by machine manufacturer.
• Set on white or sweet bread, light crust. Press start.

MY GRANDMOTHERâ??S PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD

Steps:

• Fill sink 2 inches with hot water and place the mixing bowl in the sink to warm it. Have ready thick hand towels for covering the bowl.
• Sift the bread flour and 2 cups of the all purpose flour into the bowl in the sink. Add the salt and stir lightly to combine.
• In the bowl of a mixer add 1 cup of butter (1 stick) and 2 cups sugar and cream together on low. Add 4 eggs and mix to combine. Add the remaining 3 eggs and mix to combine.
• Add the yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar to the warm water in a small bowl or glass measure. Cover with a plate and set aside to bloom the yeast. Make a well in the flour in the sink and pour in the yeast mixture. Don’t stir. Cover with the hand towels and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Add the milk to a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Slowly add to the egg and butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add to the flour and yeast mixture and fold the flour into the egg mixture from bottom of the bowl to the top. It should be sticky and not completely mixed. Cover again with the towels and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Melt 3/4 cup of the butter and set aside. Sift 1/4 cup of remaining flour over the dough and using a spoon beat in a folding motion to incorporate into the dough. Continue adding 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is too thick to beat with a spoon. Use your hand to grab the dough from the bottom of the bowl, up the side and fold into the middle and punch down lightly. Repeat using more sifted flour and the melted butter until the dough starts to clean off your hands but is still slightly sticky and glossy. Cover with the towels again and place in a warm draft free location until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Grab a lemon sized ball off the side of the doubled dough and form into rolls of choice. Place on a greased cookie sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Cover and place in a warm draft free location and allow to rise for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325º F and bake rolls 1 sheet at a time for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and brush with melted butter and cool.

PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD - PAO DOCE

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.

MY GRANDMOTHER'S PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD - FARMGIRL GOURMET

Steps:

• Fill sink 2 inches with hot water and place the mixing bowl in the sink to warm it. Have ready thick hand towels for covering the bowl.
• Sift the bread flour and 2 cups of the all purpose flour into the bowl in the sink. Add the salt and stir lightly to combine.
• In the bowl of a mixer add 1 cup of butter (1 stick) and 2 cups sugar and cream together on low. Add 4 eggs and mix to combine. Add the remaining 3 eggs and mix to combine.
• Add the yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar to the warm water in a small bowl or glass measure. Cover with a plate and set aside to bloom the yeast. Make a well in the flour in the sink and pour in the yeast mixture. Don't stir. Cover with the hand towels and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Add the milk to a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Slowly add to the egg and butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add to the flour and yeast mixture and fold the flour into the egg mixture from bottom of the bowl to the top. It should be sticky and not completely mixed. Cover again with the towels and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Melt 3/4 cup of the butter and set aside. Sift 1/4 cup of remaining flour over the dough and using a spoon beat in a folding motion to incorporate into the dough. Continue adding 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is too thick to beat with a spoon. Use your hand to grab the dough from the bottom of the bowl, up the side and fold into the middle and punch down lightly. Repeat using more sifted flour and the melted butter until the dough starts to clean off your hands but is still slightly sticky and glossy. Cover with the towels again and place in a warm draft free location until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Grab a lemon sized ball off the side of the doubled dough and form into rolls of choice. Place on a greased cookie sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Cover and place in a warm draft free location and allow to rise for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325º F and bake rolls 1 sheet at a time for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and brush with melted butter and cool.