Portuguese Caralhotas de Almeirim Recipe

Caralhotas de Almeirim is a homemade water bread, identical to merendeira, it's delicious and goes well with any soup.

8 cups of all-purpose flour1 and 1/2 tablespoons of bakers yeast1 tablespoon of salt3 and 1/2 cups of warm water

Dissolve the bakers yeast in warm water.
In a large bowl, place the flour and the salt.
Make a hole in the center of the flour and pour the warm water and the yeast.
With your hands, mix the flour with the water, so as not to leave lumps (if you find that it is still a little dry, add more warm water, until the dough looks moist and sticky). This process takes a few minutes (10 minutes approx.)
After mixing and kneading, cover the dough with a clean cloth, and add another warm cloth on top, in order to start the fermentation, which takes between one and two hours, depending on the location and time of year.
At this point preheat the oven at 180ºC or 350ºF.
With wet hands, take bun sized pieces of dough and form them into balls.
Place the balls in a dusted with flour baking sheet and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.