At Your Request

November 3, 2008 in Cooking + Baking, Eating, Writing by Colleen | 7 comments

Hi there –

How’s that crazy light in the above photo?  I love it when I see images like that around the house.  It is a good reminder to be present and open to all that is lovely in the world.

What a weekend!  I am happy to say I survived the first two days of NaNoWriMo, though their server is taking a beating right now.  Every time I try to log in to upload (or is it download?), it times out on me.  So you will have to take my word for it when I tell you that I wrote 4300 words.  Not too shabby.  I don’t think I’ll be breaking any records over there – some people having written nearly a half a million (!) words in a month, but I will have a very solid foundation, maybe more, for my next book.  It feels terrific.

Now, for something completely different – Welcome to all the visitors from my friend African Kelli’s blog!  Thanks for coming.  Here’s the recipe you are looking for:

Portuguese Sweet Bread

adapted from Bernard Clayton’s Complete Book of Breads

5 1/2 – 6 cups flour

2 packages yeast

1/2 cup sugar

2 t salt

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk, diluted with 1/2 cup warm water

1 t vanilla

1 t lemon juice

3 eggs, at room temperature, plus 1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup raisins

1 stick butter, at room temperature

2 T sugar

Combine three cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well and add diluted milk, vanilla, and lemon.  Add eggs and gently stir until combined.  Add raisins.  Beat in butter.  Add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it can be gathered into a rough ball.  Knead until it is smooth and elastic, about ten minutes.  Place in bowl with greased fingers, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about two hours.

Punch down dough, divide in half, and allow to rest for ten minutes.  Form each half into a ball and let rise for one hour.  Brush the dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees until they are golden and a skewer comes out clean and dry, about one hour.

Enjoy!

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7 comments

  2. Kelli’s avatar

    Kelli on February 21, 2009 at 5:08 pm

    AH! I lost my copy of this some how! I went through my kitchen top to bottom this afternoon; I am going to a brunch tomorrow and your bread has specifically been requested. Off to the kitchen I go! Thank God for the internets. :)
    Hope your weekend is going well!

  3. ann-marie’s avatar

    ann-marie on November 6, 2008 at 6:23 pm

    That looks so good! Thank you for sharing!

  5. tasterspoon’s avatar

    tasterspoon on November 3, 2008 at 8:36 pm

    Arrrgh! I was salivating over Kelli’s pictures, and I said to myself, I said, “there’s got to be a stick of butter in there.”

    And guess what! There’s a stick of butter in there!

    I am definitely making these.

  6. jessica’s avatar

    jessica on November 3, 2008 at 6:59 pm

    thank you for posting this recipe. will get the ingredients and make it for my neighbor and one for me.

  7. Mom’s avatar

    Mom on November 3, 2008 at 3:55 pm

    That is crazy light! Amazing how that happens.
    1
    The bread sounds delicious. I may just have to give it a whirl!

    Sounds like you got a great start. Love & luck to you.

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