Massa to some cultures may mean something totally different but, in a Portuguese house-hold, it means warm, buttery, sweet bread! My Vavó (grandmother) would typically make this around Easter or Christmas time and I would always love to get my little paws in the dough and help her out when I was a kid!
My dad even has some funny, Massa making, childhood stories of his own. When he was growing up in Canada in the same household shared with several family members, him and his cousins had found a way to turn the gas supply off for the stove leaving the poor ladies in the family crying over their ‘cursed’ Massa. Cheeky buggers am I right?
Make sure your oven is on and serve this one up nice and warm with your favorite cup of tea. I even love enjoying this as a breakfast or brunch treat, toasted with some butter spread on top. Enjoy monkeys!
Ingredients:
1 package Yeast
1/4 cup warm Water
1 cup warm Milk
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Butter
1 teaspoon Salt
About 6 cups All-Purpose Flour
3 eggs, plus 1 egg, beaten
Step 1:
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water.
Step 2:
In a large bowl, combine milk, sugar, butter, and salt and stir until butter is melted. Stir in two cups of flour and beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour or enough to make a very soft dough. Transfer dough to floured board and knead until dough is very smooth and ‘satiny’ – about 15 to 20 minutes (you can use a large floured bowl for this step like my Grandmother used to do!).
Step 3:
Shape dough into ball and place in a buttered bowl, turning to coat dough with the butter. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size – about 2-1/2 hours.
Step 4:
Punch dough down, allow to stand for 10 minutes. Divide dough in half, shape each portion into a flattened, round loaf. Place into greased pie pans. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size – about 1 hour.
Step 5:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Gently brush the tops of the loaves with the beaten egg (traditionally, my family would cut a cross onto the tops of the loaves for Easter). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer loaves onto wire racks to cool.
Makes 2 loaves.
