Best Portuguese Egg Bread Recipes

GRANDMA CARDOZA'S PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve 1 package of yeast and 2 tbsp. sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. Let stand until frothy and bubbly (about 5-15 minutes).
• In a small saucepan, combine milk and butter and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
• Combine flour and salt. My grandma's recipe calls for sifting the flour, so I sift as grandma suggests.
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until mixed well. Next add the milk and butter mixture, the lemon extract, the anise extract, and the yeast mixture to the eggs and sugar.
• Gradually add the 6 cups of flour to the mix.
• Knead the bread until very smooth, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Cover the dough, place in a warm area, and let rise until the dough doubles in size. This takes approximately 2 hours.
• Punch dough down, divide, and form into rolls, large round loaves, or braided loaves.
• Place the dough on a buttered cookie sheet (I use parchment paper) or in a pie pan, cover, and let rise again for roughly an hour.
• If you are making Folar da Pascoa, make sure the eggs are boiled and tuck them in the loaves before baking.
• Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. When the bread starts to brown, I brush the top with milk, and this helps give a shiny, golden top to the bread. As soon as the bread is ready, I butter the top.
• Enjoy right from the oven, if you choose!

PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD (MASSA SOVADA)

Steps:

• 1. Dissolve yeast in water and let rise to double in size.
• 2. Mix together flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, melt butter and shortening in milk over medium heat and cool to lukewarm. Beat eggs and sugar together.
• 3. Mix all ingredients together and knead until dough lifts neatly from bowl. Let rise, usually six to eight hours.
• 4. Punch down, deflating the dough. Form individual breads and put in buttered and floured pans (most any shape or size will do). The dough should fill only half the pan. Let rise again until dough doubles in size, filling the pan.
• 5. Brush top of dough with beaten egg.
• 6. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes (adjust longer cook time for larger loaves). The bread should be golden brown.

PORTUGUESE EGG BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl put yeast and 1/2 teaspoons sugar in warm water. Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, crisco and margarine in a separate bowl by hand. Beat eggs well(separate bowl). Warm milk and water but do not boil. Add the milk, water, yeast mixture and eggs to dry ingredients.
• knead the dough, cover and let rise to twice the original amount. Loaf the bread in greased baking pans and let rise again to twice the size. just before putting in the oven; brush tops of loaves lightly with cream.
• Bake at 300 degrees until golden brown; about 1 hour.

PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD I

Steps:

• Add ingredients in order suggested by your manufacturer.
• Select "sweet bread" setting.