How to Make Portuguese Sweet Bread
Easy to make, Portuguese Sweet Bread is an amazingly delightful treat with a delicately sweet and lightly textured loaf. It makes a yummy breakfast and can be more mouth-watering when spread with butter, jam preserves or fruit jam. Moreover, you can serve it up as a dessert after a main meal or as a serving with a cup of tea or coffee as an evening snack.
Try this traditional Portuguese Sweet Bread recipe at home and enjoy its fresh zest.
Preparation Time: 3 hrs 35 mins
Serving Size: 10 to 12 loaves
Utensils Required: Mixing bowls, whisk or fork, plastic wrapping sheet, oven, baking tray
Ingredients:
– 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
– Warm Water
– ¼ cup warm water
– 1 cup lukewarm milk – scalded and then cooled
– ¾ cup sugar
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 4 large eggs
– ½ cup butter – lightly melted and softened
– 5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
– 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
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1
Preheat your oven to 350°F (176.67 °C).
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2
Dispense some warm water into a large bowl and add in 2 tablespoons of active dry yeast.
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3
Use a fork or whisk to beat until the yeast mixes well with the water.
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4
Stir in 1 cup lukewarm milk and ¾ cups sugar. Continue stirring until the sugar dissolves completely.
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5
Now crack the three large eggs into the yeast mixture.
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6
Add in 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ cup of softened butter, and 3 cups of all-purpose flour.
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7
Continue beating until all of the ingredients mix with each other and form a thick, but smooth batter. You can add in more flour to get the desired smoothness or to make the dough easy for yourself to handle.
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8
Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and place the dough on it. Now use your hands to knead it for 5 to 8 minutes or until smooth, elastic and less sticky.
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9
Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover it with a plastic wrapping sheet or by placing a plat at the top. Set the bowl in a lightly warm place for 1 to 1 ½ hours until it rises and is double in size.
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10
Unseal the bowl, punch down the raised dough and divide it into 10 to 12 dough balls.
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11
Use both of your floured hands to shape each of the dough balls into round, but slightly flat loaves.
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12
Arrange the dough loaves into a nicely greased oven pan, keeping some distance in-between. Use two pans, placing six loaves in each.
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13
Cover and set the pans aside for approximately one hour until the dough balls rise and double in size.
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14
Now, crack one large egg into a small bowl and beat it well until watery and foamy. Dip a medium pastry brush into the beaten egg and lightly brush over the dough loaves.
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15
Immediately sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over the dough loaves before the egg dries out.
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16
Place the pans in the preheated oven and bake them for around 40 to 45 minutes or until nicely browned.
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17
Remove the Portuguese Sweet Breads from oven and set aside until lightly warm.
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18
Cut it into fine slices and serve warm.
