Massa sovada is the soft, faintly sweet bread of the Azores, made for holidays and Sunday mornings. It is enriched with eggs and butter and kneaded until it is perfectly smooth.

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 bolos lêvedos and malassadas (recipes on the site), rounding out a proper Azorean bread basket.

Massa Sovada Recipe

What you need

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

Cook along

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the warm milk with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the yeast; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, and salt.
Add the eggs, softened butter, vanilla, and the yeast mixture. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead by hand or with a dough hook about 10 minutes, until smooth, soft, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
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.
Cover loosely and let rise again until puffy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush the top of the loaf generously with the egg wash.
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.
Cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes before slicing.