Portuguese Dessert “Bread Of God “

El pâo de Deus , or “Bread of God,” is a Portuguese dessert with a light and succulent texture. Coconut grater is sprinkled on top today, but this ingredient was not part of the original recipe.

This pastry used to be eaten on a public holiday, but today it is consumed at any time in both Portugal and, for example, Brazil and Venezuela, which have a Portuguese influence.

Many believe it is a dessert over 200 years old, but coconut flakes were added later. When the Portuguese came to Brazil, they began to add new products to their foods that became part of the old dishes. However, the story of coconut flakes is not confirmed by historians.

What is certain, at least, is that it is a dessert that has been made into several different versions with, for example, lemon juice or liqueur.

Portuguese dessert “God’s bread”

Dough ingredients (12 servings)

• A little salt
• 100 g of butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 125 ml of milk
• 480 g of whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons fresh yeast
• Grated lemon or orange peel
• 45 ml of rum as well
• Vanilla extract (if desired)

Icing

• 1 egg
• 100 g of coconut flakes
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Dough making

• Pour the milk into a bowl and heat in the microwave to hand temperature.
• Add the yeast to the warm milk. Mix the milk with a spoon and add the sugar.
• Whisk by hand to a smooth and lump-free mixture. Cover the bowl and let the dough stand for 10-15 minutes.

• Melt the butter in the microwave.
• Put the flour in a separate bowl and leave in the middle of the space where you can add two broken eggs (don’t beat) and melted butter. Also add the milk mixture you made earlier, citrus peels, rum and vanilla extract.
• Mix the ingredients by hand or with an electric mixer (dough hooks work well). Then roll the dough into a ball and leave it at room temperature covered with a damp cloth for a few hours. This is how the dough rises.
• Then sprinkle a little flour on the surface so you can knead the dough more easily.
• Bake the dough in the oven for about five minutes to make it a little supple – it should be so soft that handling is easy.
• Make a hole in the middle of the dough (not very deep) and put a little salt in it. Close the cavity and knead the dough for five minutes.

Roasting

1. Separate the dough into pieces and roll these into hand-sized balls. Flatten a bit and wait.
2. To make the icing, mix the egg (without whipping), the sugar and the grated coconut. Put in the refrigerator to wait until use.
3. Put parchment paper on the baking sheet and heat the oven to 180 ºC.
4. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet and immediately brush the mixture of coconut, sugar and egg on top of the buns.
5. Put in the oven for half an hour.
6. When the buns are browned, take them off and sprinkle a little icing sugar on top.

They can be enjoyed warm or chilled – to taste! In Venezuela, “God’s bread” is eaten a lot with coffee, and it is often accompanied by cheese made from cow’s milk (low-salt).

Some make this dessert with a cream filling, and some with jam – these are delicious, but the end result can be a little over-sweet.

Try this classic recipe and choose the ingredients to suit your taste!