Portuguese Sweet Bread Recipe
Portuguese sweet bread, also known as "massa sovada" in Portuguese, is a traditional sweet bread that is popular in Portugal and also in Portuguese communities around the world, for instance, it is referred to as "Hawaiian sweet bread" in Hawaii.
The bread is made with a sweet dough that typically contains ingredients such as sugar, eggs, milk, butter, and sometimes flavored with lemon zest, vanilla or cinnamon. The dough is usually braided or twisted into a round or oval shape, and then baked until it is golden brown on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
Portuguese sweet bread is often served as a dessert, either plain or with toppings such as butter, jam, or cheese. It can also be used in other recipes, such as French toast or bread pudding.
Ingredients
Directions
- Dissolve the active dry yeast in water with half teaspoon of sugar and let rise to double in size.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together except the sugar.
- Melt the butter and shortening in milk and cool to lukewarm.
- Beat the eggs and sugar together.
- Mix all the ingredients together and knead until the dough lifting in the bowl, let it rise for about 6 to 8 hours.
- Punch down, deflating the dough, form individual breads and put them in buttered and flour dusted pans (any shape or size will do).
- Preheat the oven at at 160°C or 325°F.
- The dough should fill only half of each pan, so let it rise until the dough doubles in size, filling the pan.
- For the egg wash, mix the egg with the teaspoon of water and brush the top of each bread.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (let it bake longer if the loaves are larger), the bread should be golden brown.
Recipe Credit: easyportugueserecipes.com *
Photo Credit: ingoodflavor.com
