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folar da pascoa (portuguese easter sweet bread)

(2 ratings)
NakedMaggie avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Maggie May Schill
@NakedMaggie
Jacksonville, FL

Folar da Pascoa is a traditional Portuguese bread that is served typically during holy days. Traditionally people would make the bread and serve them to their priests or godparents as a gift. However, I grew up with these types of bread being readily available in the grocery store around Easter-time. This bread contains 7 hard-baked eggs. Which traditionally was a symbol of Christ's rebirth to the Portuguese people. Some people find the bread weird because they are not familiar with the concept of a hard-baked egg. The eggs are not boiled first.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

A beautiful Portuguese bread with a wonderful story. There are a lot of steps for this Easter bread but, like most old-fashioned recipes, it's worth it. The bread is slightly dense but buttery soft at the same time. There's a subtle sweetness to the bread we adored. The golden brown crust is slightly crisp while the inside is nice and soft. The eggs baked into the bread create a pretty presentation and are similar to a hard-boiled egg. A beautiful addition to your Easter table.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(2 ratings)
yield 7 serving(s)
prep time 2 Hr 20 Min
cook time 50 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For folar da pascoa (portuguese easter sweet bread)

  • BREAD
  • 3-3 1/2 c
    bread flour
  • 1/2 c
    granulated sugar
  • 1/4 oz
    pouch of active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 2 lg
    eggs, room temperature
  • 2
    egg yolks
  • 2/3 c
    whole milk
  • 3 Tbsp
    salted butter
  • 7 lg
    brown eggs, washed and patted dry
  • EGG WASH
  • 1 lg
    egg, beaten

How To Make folar da pascoa (portuguese easter sweet bread)

Test Kitchen Tips
In our oven, the bread was baked in 45 minutes.
  • Flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a bowl.
    1
    In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of flour, salt, sugar, and yeast together with your fingers. Set aside.
  • Heating milk and butter.
    2
    In a medium saucepan, heat milk along with the 3 tablespoons of butter. Heat to 110'F, no higher!
  • Milk and flour mixture combined.
    3
    Slowly pour milk into the flour mixture. Stir with fingers to completely combine. Let stand for 10 minutes.
  • Remaining flour and eggs added to the bowl.
    4
    Add the remaining flour, eggs, and egg yolks to the mixing bowl.
  • Turning the dough into a ball.
    5
    Combine with hands, mixing for 6-7 minutes until the dough is well mixed and elastic-like. Turn the dough into a tight ball. Side note: Add a tablespoon of flour at a time if needed to get the dough where it needs to be. Do not exceed an extra 1/2 cup, however.
  • Dough in an oiled bowl covered with a dish towel.
    6
    Turn dough out into a large mixing bowl greased with extra virgin olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl until the dough ball is coated in oil. Cover with a dishcloth and let rise for 1 hour.
  • Dough cut into 2 balls.
    7
    After the dough rises, punch it down and turn out onto a floured board or countertop. Divide dough into two even balls. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes.
  • Dough rolled into ropes.
    8
    Roll each dough ball into 24-inch ropes. Cut the last 4 inches of each rope off and set aside.
  • Dough twisted into a braid.
    9
    Twist the 20-inch dough ropes around each other into a simple braid.
  • Braid formed into a ring.
    10
    Form the twisted braid into a ring and press to connect the ring at the seams.
  • Eggs placed into the bread.
    11
    Slip 6 of the brown eggs between the folds and put the 7th in the center of the dough ring.
  • Remaining dough braided into a cross shape.
    12
    Take the two 4-inch dough strips and form a cross. Cover the center egg with the cross. I try and use the cross to conceal the seam in the ring. Carefully move the dough ring over to a greased baking sheet and let rise a 3rd time covered for another hour.
  • Brushing the bread with an egg wash.
    13
    Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the dough with egg wash.
  • Baking the Folar Da Pascoa.
    14
    Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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