Hi everyone! Today I want to share with you one of my favorite recipes from my childhood: Folar de Valpaços. If you don’t know what it is, let me tell you: it’s a delicious bread with meat and eggs that is typical of the region of Trás-os-Montes, in northern Portugal.
It’s also the only folar (Easter bread) in Portugal that has a protected geographical indication (IGP), which means that it has to follow certain rules and standards to be authentic.
I learned how to make Folar de Valpaços from my grandmother, who was born and raised in Valpaços, a small town surrounded by olive groves and vineyards.
She used to make it every year for Easter, and it was always a special occasion for our family. We would gather around the table and enjoy this hearty bread with cheese, wine and coffee. It was so good!
I moved to the USA when I was 18 years old, but I never forgot my roots or my grandmother’s recipe. Every year, I try to recreate her folar at home, using the best ingredients I can find.
It’s not easy to get some of the traditional meats here, like salpicão (smoked sausage), linguiça (spicy sausage) or presunto (cured ham), but I do my best with what I have.
Making Folar de Valpaços is not very complicated, but it does take some time and patience. You have to prepare the dough with flour, eggs, olive oil and margarine or lard, and let it rise for a few hours.
Then you have to roll out the dough and fill it with slices of meat. You have to fold the dough over the filling and place it in a baking pan. Then you have to bake it for about 45 minutes until golden brown.
The result is a soft and fluffy bread with a crispy crust and a savory filling that melts in your mouth. It’s perfect for breakfast or brunch, or as a snack anytime of the day. You can eat it hot or cold, plain or with butter or jam.
If you want to try this amazing recipe at home, keep reading this blog post where I will show you step by step how to make Folar de Valpaços like my grandmother did. Trust me: you won’t regret it!
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