Author Ashley Gouveia
Massa Sovada, also known as Portuguese sweet bread, originated from the islands of Portugal, Azores. It is a light and airy bread, with a slightly sweet taste, perfect for topping with butter or jam. It is not only a bread to eat with spreads, but also sometimes served with savoury dishes, alongside seafood and fish.
Food is the highlight of many popular Portuguese celebrations, and some dishes are only eaten on these special occasions. Massa Sovada is made and eaten during times of celebration, such as Christmas or Easter, and commonly made for smaller celebrations as well. It can be found at Western Portuguese celebrations in the U.S. and Canada for their annual fiesta.
During Easter, a special type of Massa Sovada is baked. It is a variation of this sweet bread called, folar da páscoa. folar da páscoa represents the bread of the last supper.
The difference between Massa Sovada and folar da páscoa is that in the middle of folar da páscoa, a whole egg is baked on top with the bread. This symbolizes the rebirth of Jesus. This egg is covered by two strands of dough in a cross shape, to symbolize Jesus’ crucifixion.
My entire life I have had the joy of watching and helping my family members create such an important part of my culture. Every Christmas and Easter, my avó has baked dozens of batches of Massa Sovada and folar da páscoa for my whole family, and even more for friends. This sweet bread is such an important part of Portuguese culture. It has carried through hundreds of generations, and I am so glad to be a part of it.
Massa Sovada literally means “kneaded dough”. The people who bake this complicated bread go through many difficult steps to get the best results. Maria Lawton, also known as the Azorean Green Bean, is one of the Portuguese community’s favourite at home chefs. In her cookbook Azorean Cooking: From My Family Table to Yours: she has a delicious Massa Sovada recipe that my family, and hundreds of others, have already tried in their kitchen.
Massa Sovada Recipe
Level: Intermediate
Servings: Five to six 9-inch round loaves
Prep & Cook Time: 8 - 11 hours prep time; 45 min - 1 hour cook time
Ingredients:
For the yeast:
3 (1/4-oz) packets of active dry yeast (Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise preferred)
4 tbsps flour
1 cup warm water
For the dough:
4 cups whole milk
4 sticks butter - room temperature
12 large eggs - room temperature
5 cups sugar
5 pounds all-purpose flour
3/4 tablespoon salt
+1 egg for egg wash
Additional ingredients for folar:
5 or 6 eggs (1 for each loaf of bread)
Directions:
1. Proof the yeast. Put all of the yeast ingredients (yeast packets, flour, warm water) in a small bowl and mix together to dissolve. Set aside until the liquid becomes foamy and begins to rise, usually about 10 minutes.
* If it doesn't rise after 20 minutes, your yeast might not be active and you need to start again with new yeast.
2. Heat the milk and butter in a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Stir frequently until the butter has completely melted. Let the mixture get very hot, but not boiling. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat together the eggs and sugar. Start at low speed until the ingredients are incorporated together. Then raise the speed to high and whip the mixture until it becomes light and fluffy and air bubbles start to form. The mixture resembles a light batter, and when left standing for a minute, foam should form at the top. Set aside.
4. Pour the 5 pounds of flour into a very large bowl, and then sprinkle the salt over it. Form a well with the flour by pushing the flour to the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and sugar mixture into the well and, with a wooden spoon, start mixing it all together.
5. Then add the milk and butter mixture very slowly. Continue to mix. Once all of the milk and butter have been added, the dough might get harder to mix with the spoon. If that happens at any point, you’ll need to start kneading with your hands.
6. Once all of the dough ingredients are mixed well, add the yeast to the dough. Knead it well, using a slight slapping and hitting motion. Always check for lumps, since you don't want lumps in the dough. Once well kneaded, cover the dough and let it rest for a half hour.
7. After half an hour, knead the dough again, bringing the sides of the dough up to the middle and punching it down again. Repeat several times. Then sprinkle the top of the dough and sides of the bowl with flour. Cover the bowl of dough with kitchen towels or a blanket to keep warm and away from drafts. Let the dough rise until it doubles in size. This can take a while, sometimes up to 5 hours or more.
8. Grease the baking pans (9"diameter, 3" tall) well with butter and set aside.
9. Once the dough has doubled in size, flour your hands, then punch down the dough, kneading it several times.
10. Rip off pieces of dough and knead each one in your hands into a ball-like shape and place in a baking pan (always flouring your hands lightly before you grab the dough). A large baking pan can take up to 3 balls of dough. If making a folar, set aside a large grapefruit-size piece of dough; you’ll be using it to create strips over the raw egg.
11. After placing the balls of dough in the baking pan, let the dough rise while covered again in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 2 to 4 hours.
12. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Position rack in the middle of the oven and remove any extra racks.
13. Once the dough has doubled, beat one egg to create an egg wash. Brush the egg wash generously over the top of each loaf. If making a folar, before adding the egg wash, place one whole egg into the top of each loaf leaving the top of the egg exposed. With the extra dough from step 10, place 2 small strips over the egg forming a cross.
14. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until golden brown. Test with a toothpick; it should come out clean when the Massa Sovada is done. Watch the bread closely because you don’t want to overbake it and get too dry.
*If the top of the bread is a perfect golden color but the dough is not done, cover the loaf with foil while the dough finishes baking. This should keep the top from burning.
15. When done baking, transfer the baking pan onto a baking rack to cool for 20 minutes.
16. After 20 minutes, remove each sweet bread from the pan and let cool completely. Wrap generously in plastic saran wrap and the Massa Sovada will last for two to three days. You can also freeze the loaves to store them longer.
Comments