Portuguese Honey Spice And All Things Nice Fruit Bread Food

PORTUGUESE HONEY BREAD

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Butter loaf pans.
• Bring cranberries, candied fruit, and Port to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and set aside, covered.
• Pulse walnuts in a food processor until just coarsely chopped. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and spices and pulse to combine.
• Beat together butter (2 1/2 sticks) and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes in a stand mixer or 6 with a handheld. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Stir together yeast and warm water in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
• Add one third of flour mixture to butter mixture and mix at low speed until combined, then add molasses and mix until incorporated. Add half of remaining flour mixture and mix until combined, then add honey and mix until incorporated. Add yeast mixture and remaining flour mixture and mix until combined, then stir in candied-fruit mixture.
• Divide batter among pans, smoothing tops. (Do not let batter rise.) Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in centers of loaves comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pans on a rack 10 minutes, then remove loaves from pans and cool completely on rack.

PORTUGUESE HONEY, SPICE AND ALL THINGS NICE, FRUIT BREAD.

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F (160 C).
• Butter 6 (6 by 3 1/4 by 2 inch) metal loaf pans. (2 to 2 1/4 cup capacity)
• Put cranberries, candied fruit, and Port together in a small saucepan and heat until it simmers. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
• Coarsely chop walnuts using a food processor then add the flour, salt, baking soda and spices and pulse just enough to combine.
• Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, and then add the eggs 1 at a time, beating each in well.
• Stir together yeast and warm water in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. If your mixture doesn't foam, discard it and start over with new yeast.
• Starting with one and a half cups of flour mixture added to butter mixture and mixing with an electric beater at low speed . add each of the following and combine after each addition : molasses, then another one and a half cups of flour mixture, then the yeast mixture, the final one and a half cups of flour mixture. Then hand stir in the candied fruit mixture.
• Divide batter among pans, smooth the tops. You don't need to let the batter rise.
• Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in centers of loaves comes out clean.
• Cool in the loaf pans on a rack for about 10 minutes, then remove loaves from pans and cool completely on rack.

PORTUGUESE SWEET BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve 3 yeast cakes in 1/2 cup warm water, (not hot). Add 2 cups warm, nonfat milk (or scalded whole milk slightly cooled) and 3 cups flour, and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk together and set aside to proof yeast.
• In a separate bowl, add 1dozen fresh eggs, sugar, and lemon juice. Beat well and then add melted butter.
• Add yeast mixture, the remaining flour and 2 tablespoons of salt. Mix well and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes.
• Continue mixing until dough begins to pull away from bowl or knead with greased hands until dough pulls away from your hands. This takes a while and the dough is sticky unlike bread dough. Place in greased bowl and cover to let rise to double, about 1 to 3 hours.
• Punch down, turn over, and let rise to double a second time.
• Carefully break away about 2/3 pound of dough at a time, rolling dough into a nice loaf shape and place into greased loaf pans. This should make about 5 to 7 nice loafs. Let rise until double in the pans for a third rising.
• Make two to three 1/4-inch slits on the top of each loaf and then brush tops with 1 beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of water.
• Bake at 325 degrees F for about 10 minutes and then reduce heat to about 300 degrees F for another 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove loaves from the oven and lay them on their side on a rack for a couple of minutes before removing from the pan.

HONEY SPICE BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar and milk. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat., In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. In another bowl, whisk eggs, honey, oil and brown sugar mixture until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened., Transfer the batter to a greased 8x4-in. loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (cover top loosely with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning)., Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. In a small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth; drizzle over bread. Freeze option: Securely wrap cooled loaf in foil and then freeze. To use, thaw at room temperature. Glaze as directed.

PORTUGUESE FRIED BREAD

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add milk, and mix well. Divide dough into balls. Pat out on a flat, floured surface to 1/2 inch thick.
• Fry in 1/2 inch hot oil, browning both sides. Serve warm.