Recipe: Portuguese Sweet Bread
3 yeast (cakes or dry) (or about 3 tbsp dry yeast)
18-20 cups of flour
1 1/2 tbsp salt
4 1/2 cups sugar
18 eggs (separate out nine whites) beaten
3 cups lukewarm milk
3/4 lb butter
1/2 cup corn oil
Crisco for greasing pans
Dissolve 1 yeast in 1 cup warm water with 1/2 cup flour and set aside. Later place 18 well beaten egg yolks and 9 whites into large pan with salt, sugar, half the flour and milk. Mix well. Add all the yeast, butter, and oil. Add most of the remaining flour. Mix well, adding flour until mixture does not stick to hands but remains moist. Knead on floured surface for at least 10 minutes.
Let rise overnight in covered pan that has been cleaned and greased. Cover pan with moist towel. (Use the oven of the stove as the place to raise the bread -- location that is above room temperature is required). The next morning the bread should have at least doubled in size.
Cut off small pieces, knead lightly and place in greased pans. Allow room for the loaves to double in bulk in the pans.
Paint the doubled loaves with a mixture of whites and water and bake in oven that has been heated to 350° F. Biscuits take 25 minutes, loaves take from 35 to 60 minutes or more depending on the size. Test for doneness with a wire cake tester. If bread in oven starts to become too dark, cover with paper from tearing up a grocery bag until inside of loaf is cooked as determined by the tester. Makes 6 or so loaves. |
