Massa Sovada (Azorean São Miguel Sweet Bread)

Massa sovada is the soft, faintly sweet bread my grandmother made on São Miguel for every holiday and most Sunday mornings besides. It’s enriched with eggs and butter and kneaded until it’s smooth as a baby’s cheek, which is exactly how she described it to me.

This is also the bread that Azorean and Madeiran immigrants carried to Hawaii generations ago, where it eventually became the ancestor of what’s sold today as Hawaiian sweet bread. The family resemblance is unmistakable if you’ve had both.

It pairs beautifully with the bolos lêvedos and malassadas (recipes on the site) I already make often, rounding out a proper Azorean bread basket. My kids fight over the heel, which in our house is the highest compliment a loaf can get.

Massa Sovada Recipe

Prep time: 30 minutes, plus about 3 hours rising · Cook time: 35 minutes · Total: About 4 hours 5 minutes · Servings: 1 large loaf (10 slices) · Calories: ~260 per serving

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• 1 cup whole milk, warmed to about 110°F
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the egg wash:
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the warm milk with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the yeast; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, and salt.
3. Add the eggs, softened butter, vanilla, and the yeast mixture. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
4. Knead by hand or with a dough hook about 10 minutes, until smooth, soft, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
5. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
6. Punch down the dough and shape into one large round loaf, or divide into two smaller loaves; place in greased cake pans or on a baking sheet.
7. Cover loosely and let rise again until puffy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
8. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush the top of the loaf generously with the egg wash.
9. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom; tent with foil if it browns too quickly.
10. Cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Recipe Notes

• Massa sovada is the same family of bread that became Hawaiian sweet bread once Portuguese immigrants from the Azores and Madeira brought it across the Pacific.
• The dough should feel soft and slightly sticky but shouldn’t leave a mess on your hands after kneading; resist adding too much extra flour or the loaf bakes up dense.
• This bread freezes beautifully once cooled. Slice it first, then wrap tightly, so you can pull out just what you need.
• Leftover slices make outstanding French toast, which is basically what my kids ask me to do with it by day three anyway.