Tasty Tuesdays ~ Portuguese Sweet Bread (Massa)

Guest Blog Written By: Ashley from The Mutts Kitchen

Good Morning Mamma’s,

My name is Ashley Machado and I am one of the Chef’s at The Mutts Kitchen. Today is my first appearance on the page, I am sure you can only imagine my excitement. 🙂

I will be sharing with you today my recipe for Portuguese Sweet Bread (Massa). My fondest memories of my grandmother are not only those of her kind and sweet heart, but also those of her delicious sweets and love for “sopa” (soup). We would never leave our grandparents home on an empty stomach upon visiting. She would set everything but her kitchen sink on the table for us to eat or pick at. One of my favourites though was her Massa. “Querida faliha, vavo vai fazer chá com leite para beber com Massa, espera” (Sweetheart, grandmother is going to make some tea with milk to drink with the Massa, hold on). She would come back with a pot of steeped black tea, sugar, milk, and mugs. My brother, sister and I would dip our bread into our tea and enjoy every crumb. She would tell us to take home an extra loaf, one that she had in the freezer (frozen) knowing how much we loved it. We wouldn’t object!

Every time I make Massa I cannot help but think of her. She passed a few years ago after being diagnosed with Breast Cancer. This Easter I am baking a few loaves topped with eggs (just how she loved it) in her memory.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do…and just in time for the Easter holiday.

Please don’t forget to boil a pot of water to steep some black tea (add milk), and I guarantee that you too will make this a tradition.

Portuguese Sweet Bread (Massa)

Recipe by: Ashley Machado Medeiros
Serving: 4 Loaves
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 95 min (not including resting/rising time)

When visiting my grandparents, we were always greeted with our childhood favourites; massa, arroz doce, and biscoits. My grandmother would bake a few loaves of massa and freeze them for another day (or when her children and grandchildren visited). I cannot resist a piece with a cup of chá com leite.This recipe will give you a light and fluffy sweet bread.

Ingredients:

6 3/4 tsp active dry yeast or quick rise yeast (3 pkgs)
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 cups milk
1 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp salt
2.5 lbs of all purpose flour (10 cups, plus more for kneading)
1 lemon, zested
2 cups sugar
8 eggs, room temperature
16 eggs (optional)
1 egg, beaten (egg wash)

Supplies/tools:

1 large bucket
4 high-round loaf pans (can be purchased at Portuguese Supermarkets-Tavora sells them for $10/each approx.)

Directions:

1. Add the lukewarm water into a bowl, sprinkle the yeast and set aside. Do not mix as it will “foam” and activate in approximately 10 minutes or less.
2. Add the dry ingredients (flour and salt) and lemon zest into your bucket, mix with your hand.
3. In a small sauce pan over high heat, add the milk and butter. Turn off the stove once the butter has melted, set the pan aside to cool.
4. In a separate bowl beat eggs with sugar. Add to the dry ingredients (in the big bucket) along with the yeast mixture.
5. Mixing and kneading with your hands, slowly add the milk and butter mixture to the bucket with the dry ingredients.
*What my Vovo taught me was, add small quantities of milk at a time and mix. Do not add more milk until the flour has already absorbed what was added. This will take time and energy, so please do not stop mixing until it all comes together into “a dough” and doesn’t stick to the bucket.
6. Cover your bucket/dough with a towel/blanket and do not disturb it for approximately 8 hours.
7. You will notice little “air pockets” forming in the dough, perfect timing to flour your working surface, dump your dough and punch down to deflate it. Keep on kneading the dough for about 10-15 minutes, add more flour to your work surface if needed (it will be sticky when handling).
8. Divide your dough into four equal loaves.
9. Butter your pans generously with clean fingers or paper towel. Add flour and remove remaining by tapping the pan.
10. Add your divided loaves into the buttered and floured pans. Set aside and cover with a towel/blanket.
11. Let them rise again for about 1-2 hours until dough doubles in size, filling the pan. (I let them rise overnight as I am an early riser.)
12. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
13. Brush the top of the Massas with the egg wash.
14. Optional Step-Wipe 16 eggs with vinegar to remove inked date stamps. Wash, dry and place the eggs on top of the loaves (4 each), pressing them down lightly to secure them in.
*The eggs will cook in the oven so do not parboil them.
15. Bake the Massas at 325 degrees for approximately 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown.
16. Let rest for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pans and place in plastic bags to remain fresh.
*You may freeze extra loaves and thaw at room temperature that morning of.

Enjoy and Happy Easter 🙂

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