Portuguese sweet bread

Votes: 1

Time: 3 hours 30 minutes plus fermentation time

This traditional Portuguese sweet bread boasts a rich, dark crust, a fluffy white crumb, a slightly sweet flavor, and a subtle citrus aroma. It's perfect for both holidays and everyday use. Start by making the bread with a starter, then knead it into a soft, elastic dough. A mixture of lemon, orange, and vanilla extracts imparts a subtle yet delightful aroma. For a deliciously golden crust, brush the surface with beaten egg before baking.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Dough

0.5 cups of bread flour
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 and 1/4 teaspoons of instant yeast
0.5 cups of water, room temperature

Dough

6 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup dry milk
2 tbsp (30 g) butter, room temperature
2 tbsp. vegetable cooking fat
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups of bread flour
About 6 tablespoons of water, room temperature

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: yeast dough, bread flour, dry milk, lemon essence, eggs

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Add water and stir to moisten the flour and form a smooth dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 60-90 minutes, or until the dough has risen and foamed.
To make the dough, combine the sugar, salt, dry milk, butter, and shortening in a 4-quart bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer). Beat the mixture with a strong spoon (or a mixer with a paddle attachment) until smooth, then fold in the eggs and extracts.

Continue kneading by hand (or using the dough hook attachment on your mixer) and fold in the yeast and flour. Add more water as needed to form a very soft dough. The finished dough should be easy to knead and very elastic and soft, not wet or sticky. This will take 10-12 minutes if using a mixer, and about 15 minutes if kneading by hand. Doughs with more fat and sugar usually take longer to knead because it's harder for the gluten to develop. The finished dough should pass the gluten window test, and its temperature will be 25°C-30°C. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to it, turning it over to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into two equal portions. Shape each portion into a round loaf. Lightly grease two 9-inch pie pans with vegetable oil and place a loaf of dough, seam side down, in each pan. Spray the dough with cooking spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
Let rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours, or until the dough fills the pans, doubles in size, and slightly extends over the edges. If you're only making one loaf, you can refrigerate the second loaf for 1 day, then remove it and let it rise for 4-5 hours before baking.
Very carefully brush the tops of the dough with beaten egg. Preheat oven to 175°C, setting the oven rack to the middle position.
Bake the bread for 50-60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 185°F (88°C). Check the bread after 30 minutes and rotate it if necessary to ensure even baking. The large amount of sugar causes the crust to darken very quickly, but don't be fooled into thinking it's ready. The bread will darken as the center bakes, but it won't burn.The crust of the finished bread will be a rich brown color.
Remove the loaves from the pans and place them on a wire rack to cool. The bread will soften as it cools, eventually becoming very soft. Let it cool for at least 1.5 hours, then slice and serve.