petiole A general term for traditional Portuguese Easter sweet breads. It takes a little time to make something from scratch, but since we are restricted from going out due to the coronavirus, it seems like we have more time than we thought.
My family’s leaf recipe was passed down from my grandmother Felismina, who was from Rosmanijal, near Macau (in the heart of Portugal). For as long as I can remember, this sweet bread has been eaten around Easter. (Similar sweet breads are also baked around November 1st, All Saints’ Day.)
almost like petiole, the version my family makes is different from monastic sweets and other traditional cakes, a popular bread tradition often associated with the Catholic calendar and lacking eggs and sugar. It is based on. Instead, it’s loaded with cinnamon and aniseed. It’s not uncommon to put an egg or two on top of the leaves and bake them with the bread, but this version doesn’t have an egg on top (just the dough).
When I went shopping this week during lockdown, I couldn’t find any yeast or flour. There, only he had to bake bread with one kilogram of flour. Usually he bakes and distributes bread for his family, so for this recipe he needs 3 kg of flour. Then use the yeast left in the freezer by mixing it with baking powder. In various supermarkets in the city, not only flour but also all types of yeast have disappeared. Suddenly, we were all bakers. Will this become a habit or a temporary hobby? Either way, it’s heartening to see a renewed interest in baking. These days, most Portuguese people ignore their family bread-making traditions instead of buying delicious greens from their neighbors. pastelaria Or a supermarket. Even in small villages, people no longer bake bread as much as they used to.
Forard has long been associated with Easter and the feasts that take place on this holiday. In a previous article, I mentioned the delicious multi-layered Foral de Olhão. “After the winter months and the long fasting during Lent, Easter brings intense activity in terms of food preparation and the exchange of cakes, or forales,” Muett Barbov writes in his book I am. portuguese tradition (Portuguese bread). Forales were traditionally a gift from godfathers to godchildren, and people baked them at home in the days leading up to Easter. There are many different styles in the region. The flavorful leafy greens of northern Portugal are sometimes loaded with meat, sausage, and sardines. But overall, the sweeter version is more common.
As a child, I spent my Easter holidays in Rosmanikhar village. I remember long baking sessions. Then I took the bread to a kind of community oven that my cousin owned. Most people had their own wood-fired ovens, but once relatives started their own wood-fired ovens, it was more convenient and sustainable to use an already hot oven than to start one yourself. My brother and I, along with our cousins, didn’t do much other than eat and sometimes carry firewood and bread.
In addition to the leaves, regular bread was also made, which took time to ferment and often took a whole day to bake. It was incredible tasting the sweet bread fresh from the oven. The strong aroma of anise and cinnamon is one of my fondest childhood memories. Then, after returning to Lisbon, I shared it with relatives and friends. In fact, it tasted even better when I got it home, reborn as toast with butter and cheese. My grandmother passed away young, so her mother and Aunt Leonor still bake them, and more recently my cousin Paula has become an expert at making leaves.
I’m not as good as them, but I had the time this year and it took me a whole day to find the ingredients, mix them, let the dough rise, shape the leaves, let them rise again, and finally bake these. spent. Sweet and spicy bread. It’s been years since my mom and I did something like this together, but reuniting during this lockdown has made us realize that our love for food and cooking is stronger than ever. Ta. And when her grandmother told all of us, she was probably right. Please be careful when I’m doing this, these family recipes won’t be the same when I’m gone. ”
This recipe, like most of my grandmother’s recipes, didn’t have exact measurements. Because she had a lot of experience making it and she had memorized all the steps and ingredients. This version was recorded by her aunt and used by my mother and me.
Although the quantities were still very rough – “a little olive oil” and “enough yeast” – I identified some precise measurements that worked well. The leaves stay fresh for quite a long time. However, if it starts to get dry, it’s just as delicious toasted and spread with butter, jam, and cheese.
As we were shaping the bread, my mother cut a cross on the bread and said something she used to say. She said, “May God increase you for many.” In Portugal and many other countries, this is a ritual that has been passed down from mother to daughter for many years, and I intend to continue it.
Folar da Avó (Grandma’s sweet bread)
It will bake about 6 to 7 loaves.
yeast 50g
1kg of flour
400g sugar
70g butter
1/4 liter olive oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons powdered aniseed
2 tablespoons cinnamon
A small glass of aguardente (as well as grappa, any other strong alcoholic drink will do)
1/8 liter milk
lemon peel
pinch of salt
Dissolve yeast in a small amount of warm water, add flour and mix. Add sugar, butter, olive oil, and all other ingredients. Mix everything by hand or use a mixer. Work the dough with your hands for a few minutes. If you are concerned about it getting dry, add a little olive oil or milk. Once it no longer sticks to your hands, let it rest in a bowl lined with a tea towel, preferably in a warm place, for about 2 hours to ferment.
When ready, form the dough into a ball slightly larger than your palm and press flat onto a floured wooden board. Pull the four corners, fold north, east, south, and west, and place upside down on a tray lined with a tablecloth. Be sure to put a cloth barrier between the pans to keep them from sticking together. Let it ferment for another 2 hours. Finally, brush the petioles with egg yolk and place in a warm oven (preheated at 180°C for 20 minutes) to bake for about 20-25 minutes.
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