Oak Bluffs Massa Sovada

Submitted by RSHDiva

"Portuguese sweet bread was a traditional treat in my mother-in-law’s family for generations. Nowadays, you find it in ordinary grocery stores, but not yummy as this version. Thickly sliced, toasted, then spread with real butter is a little bit of heaven. Mace, which is the outer covering of a nutmeg, is the ingredient that gives it a distinctive taste. It is also the dominant spice in old-fashioned plain doughnuts."

 

• Ready In: 10hrs
• Ingredients: 11
• Yields: 2 pans
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup milk (heated)
• 1 (1/4 ounce) envelope active dry yeast
• 1⁄4 cup hot water
• 4 large eggs
• 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground mace
• 5 - 5 1⁄2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

directions

1. Dissolve butter, sugar, and salt in 1 cup hot milk. Cool to luke-warm. Combine with dissolved yeast.
2. Add 5 cups of the flour. Cover and set aside this sponge overnight.
3. In the morning, cut down. Shape into two round loaves.
4. Grease 8" cake pans and place loaves into them, Let rise another hour.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cool 5 minutes, then turn out on a rack, brush with melted butter and cover with a towel while cooling.

Reviews

[SusieQusie]

This was one of my picks for PAC fall 2006. Unfortunately, the directions are missing some key items. The chef will be correcting the recipe but if you make it before then - the 1/4 cup of water is for dissolving the yeast. Add the eggs, lemon extract & mace when you add the yeast. And most importantly, knead the dough till smooth BEFORE refrigerating overnight. My result had a nice flavor but I wasn't keen on the texture; more akin to a pound cake than a bread. Of course, never having eaten Portugese sweet bread, perhaps that is the desired texture. I tried, Chef! Thanks!