Portuguese white and sweet bread made from scratch

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food editor

For Portuguese here and in their other homelands, home-baked bread was a daily staple — white bread all through the week and rich, yellow sweet bread on Sundays and holy days.

This first recipe is for the bread that used to be the standard in Portuguese households — a simple, round white loaf that was present on the table at every meal.

The potato and the water in which it's boiled is here a flavoring and texturing agent; before commercial yeast was readily available, potatoes served as a medium to capture the natural yeasts in the air and form a starter for bread. Water was traditionally used to make the rough, crusty loaf, because milk was too precious.

One option for a warm, draft-free place for rising is to turn the oven on to the lowest possible temperature and turn it off the minute it attains that temperature. If it still seems too hot, you can place the dough inside and leave the door ajar.

This recipe is adapted from two recipes: one in the sixth edition of "Our Favorite Recipes" (1963) by the Maui Home Demonstration Committee and John M. Peru's own recipe in "Portuguese Cuisine Hawai'i" (self-published, 1982).

• Pâo branco (White bread)
• 1 potato
• Water
• 1 cup water or scalded milk
• 1 cake or package (2 tablespoons) dry active yeast
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5-6 cups all-purpose or unbleached flour
• Butter or shortening, softened

Peel and dice potato and cook in enough water to cover. When potato is soft, drain, reserving water. Mash potato. Allow both potato and its water to cool to lukewarm.

When the two mixtures have cooled sufficiently (100 degrees or less on an instant-read thermometer, or warm but not hot to the touch), measure out 1 cup potato water and whisk in yeast and sugar. In a large crockery bowl, blend together 1 cup plain water or scalded milk, mashed potato and yeast mixture.

Cover with a kitchen towel and allow the yeast mixture to "proof" in a warm, draft-free place. This will take 30 minutes to an hour; the mixture will double in bulk and become bubbly and fragrant.

Meanwhile, measure out 4 cups flour and sift together with salt. Prepare large bowl in which dough will rise, coating it lightly with softened butter or shortening. Clear work surface for kneading and have a bowl of flour and a dough scraper at the ready.

When the yeast mixture is ready, stir in 2 cups of the flour/salt mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in another 2 cups flour/salt mixture.

Sprinkle a cup of flour generously around the kneading surface and turn out dough; knead, pushing forward with the palms, lifting the dough, pulling it over and folding it in and then back out again. Incorporate more flour as you go and turn the dough over from time to time. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. You may need to add an additional cup of flour, for a total of 6 cups, but the dough should not be too stiff.

Place the dough in the prepared, greased bowl, brush lightly with butter or shortening, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). Punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half, knead each half briefly, forming into a smooth ball, cover and let rise briefly (15-20 minutes) right on the board.

Meanwhile, grease two loaf pans or two 9-inch round cake pans. Form each round of dough accordingly and place in pan. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled (about 1 hour).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place loaves on rack in middle of oven. Bake 45-50 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

The following recipe is the classic sweet bread of fund-raising sales and decadent French bread.

Although the commercially baked products are pretty standardized now, pâo dôce once was a more individual thing.

Some home cooks flavored the bread lightly with lemon, some with cinnamon or Portuguese five spice, some with vanilla and some with whiskey or brandy. Some made large round loaves; others preferred bolinhos (little balls of dough crowded together in round cake pans).

Before baking, the dough might be brushed with egg yolk, egg white, melted butter or even canned cream and then a sprinkling of sugar (this from the classic 1937 version of the Hilo Women's Club Cookbook).

Some contained raisins or sultanas, even citron. Massa souvada, the sweet bread served at the Easter feast, had a whole egg secreted away inside the dough before baking; the one who discovered the egg was blessed.

Old-style recipes always begin with a potato starter.

Here's a recipe that combines elements of John Peru's and one from Dorothy Beacher in "A Book of Favorite Recipes" by the Hilo Women's Club (1982).

• Pâo dôce (Portuguese sweet bread)
• 1 large Irish potato
• Water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 package dry yeast
• 1/3 cup scalded milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• Flavoring*
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4-5 cups all-purpose or unbleached flour
• 1 cup raisins, optional
• Butter or shortening

Boil potato until soft. Drain and reserve 1/3 cup potato water and one-half cup mashed potato, cooling to lukewarm. Stir sugar and yeast into potato water until dissolved; add mashed potato. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, measure out 4 cups flour. Prepare large bowl in which dough will rise, coating it lightly with softened butter or shortening. Clear work surface for kneading and have a bowl of flour and a dough scraper at the ready.

Scald milk, pour into bowl and stir in salt; cool to lukewarm (100 degrees or less on an instant-read thermometer). Add yeast mixture.

In large mixing bowl, beat 3 eggs and gradually add sugar and flavoring (as desired). Gradually add potato mixture, blending thoroughly. Beat in softened butter. Gradually beat in 4 cups flour and raisins, if you're using them.

Sprinkle a half-cup of flour generously around the kneading surface and turn out dough; knead, pushing forward with the palms, lifting the dough, pulling it over and folding it in and then back out again. Incorporate more flour as you go and turn the dough over from time to time. Knead until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic and large bubbles form on the surface.

Place in prepared bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk.

Divide the two in two, knead briefly and allow to rise again 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, grease two round 8-inch cake pans or 2 loaf pans with butter or shortening.

Form dough accordingly, place in prepared pans and allow to rise again in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Beat remaining egg (or egg yolk only, or egg white only); quickly open oven and brush loaves with egg. Bake 10-15 minutes longer until loaves are a deep brown and make a hollow sound when thumped.

Flavorings: Add the finely grated rind of 1 lemon and 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract. Or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Or 1 jigger whiskey or brandy. Or 1 teaspoon cinnamon.