Azorean Massa (Sweet Bread)

This recipe dates back to my Great Grandmother, but it likely goes back further. This recipe is for a traditional Portuguese sweet bread. The recipe is large because we would share a few loaves with family or friends (and we would eat a lot ourselves!). Massa would be made every year at both Easter and Christmas. It's often served with a rice pudding (arroz doce). Massa is not too difficult to make, but it's a process since you need to make it overnight and the batch is large. As kids, we would fight to be the ones who got the Massa to rise overnight in their bedroom, as you want it nice and warm. The smell is incredible and the bread is so light and fluffy.

The Dough:

• Mix yeast, sugar (1 TBSP) + 3/4 cup of warm water together, set aside to rise.

• Mix 20 eggs, 1 TSP of salt, 5 cups of sugar, and lemon zest in a large bowl with a hand mixer.

• Put 24 cups/3.6KG of flour into a very large bowl. Make a hole with the flour and pour in the egg/sugar mixture.

• In a separate bowl (use the same one from the egg mixture) add 2 cups of water (warmed) + 2 cups of homo milk (warmed).

• Add milk, water and yeast mixture into the flour and eggs.

• Mix by hand until no lumps of flour.

• Once all the flour and lumps are gone, add 1/2 lb. of butter and 1/3 cup of Tenderflake (microwave the butter and Tenderflake before adding) to the dough mixture.

• Work in the butter ensuring you work it under the dough and massage the butter into the dough.

• Repeat this process and fold the dough 4 ways until ALL the butter has been worked into the dough (this is the hard part and takes 15 minutes).

• Cover the dough with a blanket/table cloth and leave it to rise overnight in a warm area.

Baking Instructions:

• Make sure the dough has risen overnight.

• In the morning, punch down the dough and divide it into 8 portions.

• Grease round or rectangular pans.

• Place the dough portions into the pans and cover. Set aside to continue rising for 6-8 hours.

• Preheat the oven to 350℉. In a small bowl, beat the two remaining eggs and a splash of water together with a fork, then gently brush the egg wash over each loaf.

• Bake 4 pans at a time, always on the same rack, for 15 mins or until golden brown, then reduce the temperature to 300℉ for the remainder (another 30 minutes).

TIP: If the top of the Massa is too brown, reduce the oven temperature to 275℉.

• Once baked and the pan has cooled slightly, remove the Massa from the pan and put it directly onto a tea towel on the counter.

• Once cooled completely, you can store the Massa in an air tight bag. If not cooled completely, you can cover it with tea towels overnight.