Falso Forno de Massa Sovada
Massa Sovada·(mah-sah soh-vah-dah)
Sunday Saudade: Family Roasts & Hearty Rices
If you grew up Luso-American, summer smelled like church parking lots, brass bands, and Massa Sovada. It’s a golden, pillowy sweet bread built for tearing apart with your hands and plunging into the wine-dark gravy of a Sunday pot roast. The old women of Terceira knew exactly what they were doing: they spiked the dough with a sweet potato starter to keep it soft for days, and baked it in a wood-fired brick oven. To get that authentic crust on a Tuesday night without building a hearth in your backyard, we mimic the inferno with a screaming-hot cast-iron Dutch oven and let the fridge do the slow fermentation while you sleep.
Ingredients
- sweet potato1 small
- large egg1
- granulated sugar1 tbsp
- active dry yeast2 1/4 tsp
- bread flour1/2 cup
- whole milk1/2 cup
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- large eggs4
- unsalted butter8 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- lemon1
- aguardente, brandy, or dark rum1 tbsp
- bread flour4 1/2 cup
- large egg1
Method
- 01
Make the sweet potato starter the night before.
In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine the mashed sweet potato, lightly beaten egg, 1 tablespoon of sugar, yeast, and 1/2 cup of flour into a thick, sticky paste. Cover the bowl tightly and leave it on your counter overnight to become bubbly and highly active.
- 02
Combine the starter and wet ingredients in a stand mixer.
The following evening, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the warmed milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, 4 whole eggs, softened butter, melted butter, salt, lemon zest, brandy, and the entire sweet potato starter on low speed until just combined.
- 03
Knead in the flour until a tacky, rich dough forms.
Gradually add 4 cups of the flour, turning the mixer to medium speed. Let it knead for 10 to 12 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it resembles a loose batter, add the remaining half cup of flour, but keep it slightly sticky to ensure a moist final crumb.
- 04
Let the dough cold-ferment in the refrigerator overnight.
Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly, and chill overnight. The cold slows the yeast, developing incredible flavor while you sleep and working the exhausting traditional kneading process into a manageable schedule.
- 05
Divide and shape the dough into two tight rounds.
Remove the dough from the fridge two hours before baking and punch it down. Divide it in half, fold the edges into the center to form smooth balls, and place each on a square of parchment paper. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for about an hour until noticeably puffy.
- 06
Bake the loaves in a preheated cast-iron Dutch oven.
While the dough rises, preheat a covered Dutch oven at 425°F for 45 minutes. Brush a puffy loaf with egg wash, use the parchment paper as a sling to lower it into the blazing hot pot, cover, and bake for 25 minutes. The trapped steam perfectly mimics a traditional brick oven.
- 07
Remove the lid and let the crust caramelize.
Take the lid off, drop the oven temperature to 350°F, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. The high butter and sugar content causes rapid browning, so tent loosely with foil if it gets too dark. Cool on a wire rack and repeat the bake with your second loaf.
Notes
Serve slightly warm, torn by hand.
To eat this the way it was intended, leave the bread knife in the drawer. Tear it with your hands and use it to mop up the savory juices of a pot roast, or just slather it with salted butter alongside a strong cup of coffee.