Portuguese Sweet Bread
Posted by in FoodToday’s post is a guest post from my friend Kris Bordessa who blogs at Big Island on the Cheap and Honolulu on the Cheap (if you’re going to Hawaii, you need to visit these sites for some excellent tips). I’ve known Kris for many years and have been perpetually green with envy over her move to Hawaii. My family visited Hawaii 2 years ago and we fell in love with the islands, the people, and the food. Portuguese sweet bread is a special treat you can find in Hawaii. When we were there, we visited the Punalu’u Bake Shop to buy some (and it was soooo good). Today Kris is sharing her memories of this special bread as well as her family’s recipe, so please welcome her!
When I was growing up, my mom made Portuguese sweet bread once a year for Easter. I remember the smell of the proofing yeast and waiting for the golden brown loaves to emerge from the oven so that I could have a slice warm, with butter. I always thought it was such a shame that we only had sweet bread once a year.
When I moved my family to Hawai‘i years ago, I discovered one of the unexpected bonuses of island living: Portuguese sweet bread aplenty. Courtesy of the large Portuguese population here, it’s a staple on grocery store shelves, and the Punalu‘u Bake Shop is a Big Island destination for travelers with a sweet tooth. Visitors to Hawai‘i Island can even see bread made in the old style, courtesy of the Kona Historical Society. Once a week they fire up the forno, or stone oven, baking sweet bread in the traditional manner.
With Portuguese sweet bread so readily available, I was inspired to break out my mom’s recipe. My 17 year old son has become the family baker, whipping up a batch of sweet bread every week or so. I love the idea of passing the baking tradition on to my son, outside the confines of Easter. And while we can always pick up a loaf at the store, the loaves that come out of our oven always taste just a little bit sweeter.
Portuguese Sweet Bread
2 packages active dry yeast (4½ teaspoons)
¼ cup warm water
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk, scalded and still hot
¼ cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
6-7 cups all-purpose flour
Dissolve yeast in warm water. In the bowl of a Kitchen Aid or electric mixer, blend together sugar, hot milk, butter, and salt. Stir until butter melts. When cooled to lukewarm, beat in eggs and yeast mixture. Using the dough hook on low speed, beat 6 cups of flour into the liquid, blending until smooth. Add remaining flour, a little at a time, until the dough holds together in a tight ball around the hook and its surface is smooth. Continue mixing on low for about five minutes.
Transfer dough to a buttered bowl, cover with a clean towel, and allow to rise for about 2 hours (we place ours in the oven with the light on). Punch down, and divide dough into 2-3 portions. Form each into a round ball and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover the shaped dough with a clean towel and allow to rise again, for about an hour or until doubled in size.
Bake in a 350 oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Note: Obviously, this recipe can be made without the use of modern equipment like a mixer. You’ll just need to stir ingredients together and knead the dough by hand for 15-20 minutes.
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Wow – I am always looking for a good sweet bread recipe. I am going to try this today! I didn’t realize there was a large Portuguese population in Hawaii.
Oh. Yum. I’ve had Portugese sweet rolls from the supermarket, but it’s been years since I’ve even seen them on the shelves. Now I’m reminded how much I love sweet bread. I need to get some right away! And with the right kind of butter…the best.
I used to make this year’s ago, but there was always something flawed about my recipe. The bread never really rose, so I ended up making sweet cake instead of sweet bread. Your recipe looks better and is quite simple, so I think I will try this again and see what happens!
Num num num, that looks good. I’ve only attempted yeasty things a couple times before, but this sounds not too difficult and tasty.
This. Sounds. Amazing. Love it. Isn’t great when a move produces unexpected and wonderful byproducts we never could have imagined. Brette and Kris, I enjoyed this post.
I have to make this if I can. I used to live in Hawaii and loved the Portuguese sweet bread there. I I sure miss it.
Thank you for posting this recipe. I love Portuguese bread. There were a lot of Portuguese fishermen in Provincetown, but it is getting harder and harder to find their traditional bread and pastries. Now I can make it myself!!! Hurray!
i am a big fan of breads and pastries in general, and this recipe for sweet breads is something definitely to try out. i have to admit though that i have never had sweet breads before.
It’s not really sweet like a dessert. It’s a white bread that has sweetness to it, if that helps explain it. You know how challah is somewhat sweet? Same idea, but a little sweeter in my experience.
How did I miss this when I visited Hawaii two years ago? Guess I’ll have to put this on the list for my next trip!
I remember seeing a couple of Portuguese bakeries when we were in P-town. We were there in the afternoon though, so there wasn’t much left to buy at that time of day.
There is a portuguese bakery near me, but I forget it’s there. When I remember it, I always get the sweet bread. I’ll have to try this recipe.
Yes definitely! The Big Island is where the Punalu’u Bakery is and we stopped on our way to the volcano. We bought some in the grocery store on Oahu also – it was sold with all the other packaged breads and wasn’t as good as the Punalu’u bread. I bought a mix there and made it at home about a year after we visited and it really took me back. Now I can use Kris’s recipe!
Just don’t call me Martha, Brette! I’ll be curious to hear how it turns out if any of you try it.
I grew up hearing sweet breads were something else. 😉 This looks pretty great!!
Sounds delish but just checking: Can even the baking challenged succeed at this recipe?
This bread sounds so wonderful! I especially love that you’re sharing the recipe and baking with your son. What a lovely gift!
This looks so so sooo good. I have to try making it. I loved seeing those outdoor brick bread ovens when we were in Hawaii.
Sarah, yes! Certainly, having watched my mom make it gave me a leg up on knowing when the dough is “just right.” But if my 17 year old can make it, I think you can! Funny story. Last week, Brad was making it and feeling proud of himself that he really didn’t need to ask my help with it. And he misjudged the dough. When he punched it down to make the loaves, it was a sticky mess. We just added more flour at that point (NOT how it’s supposed to work), made the loaves, and baked them. It was still great.
I’ve never had this bread before — and I’ve never been to Hawaii, either. It’s clear to me I need to rectify this situation.
I’ve never had Portuguese Sweet Bread, but it always sounds divine.
That is so neat. Nothing better than homemade bread.
I can’t wait to try this. If her 17 y-o can make it, my guess is I can get my 12 y-o too.
I’ve been wanting to try a good sweet bread recipe and I’m thrilled to see this recipe!Thank you!!!