Massa Souvada Single Loaf is my answer to everyone who loves this traditional Portuguese sweet bread but isn’t ready to commit to six to eight loaves at once. This version gives you all the same soft, rich, golden results — just scaled down to one beautiful loaf. Perfect for when you want to treat your family without feeding the whole neighborhood.
What is Massa Souvada Single Loaf?
Massa Souvada is a traditional Portuguese sweet bread with roots in the Azores, most commonly made at Easter and for Holy Ghost Feasts. This single loaf version uses the same rich dough — eggs, butter, whole milk, and sugar — but scaled for home bakers who want a manageable batch. The result is a light, airy loaf with a golden crust and a slightly sweet crumb that is impossible to stop pulling apart.
How to Make Massa Souvada Single Loaf
The technique here is the same as the full batch — patience is the main ingredient. Start with your yeast sponge and give it the full 30 minutes to bubble and double. When you combine everything, beat the dough well before folding in the egg whites — that’s what gives this bread its lift. The first rise takes 2½ to 3 hours, so plan accordingly. Shape, let it rise again, brush with egg wash, and bake at 325 degrees until golden.
Tips for the Best Results
- Beat your egg whites to stiff peaks before folding them in — this is what makes the loaf light and airy
- Make sure your milk mixture is warm but not hot before adding it to the flour — too hot kills the yeast
- The dough will be sticky — resist adding more flour or the loaf will be dense
- Use an angel food cake pan if you have one — it bakes more evenly and slices beautifully
- Check doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center — it should come out clean
- If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil and keep baking
- Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing
What You’ll Need An angel food cake pan gives this bread the best shape and most even bake — Angel Food Cake Pan. A hand mixer or stand mixer makes beating the dough much easier —Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.
Serving and Storing
This loaf is best the day it is baked, still slightly warm with butter. It keeps well wrapped at room temperature for two days. You can also freeze it tightly wrapped for up to a month — thaw overnight and warm briefly in a 300 degree oven to bring it back to life.
PrintMassa Souvada/ 1 Loaf Portuguese Sweet Bread
Thank you everyone for your collaboration in making this recipe perfect This was truly a team effort with contributions from all over. I listened to your suggestions and tweaked the recipe to perfection. The results are wonderful: light, airy and delicious. Keep in mind, this makes just a single loaf but it still takes time and effort!
- Yield: 1 Large Loaf 1x
- Category: Baked Goods
Ingredients
4 to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup of whole milk
6 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
Yeast sponge:
2 pkg. active rapid rise dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp each pkg)
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 cup of warm water
I have many of my mother’s sweetbread pans, but if you find that you don’t have any here’s one from Portugalia Marketplace that you may like. You can see a larger image of it in my store, as well as a link to Portugalia to purchase it.
Instructions
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the yeast with sugar with warm water. Making sure that everything is well mixed, cover and leave aside for 30 minutes. The mixture will bubble and double in size.
2. In a large bowl, place the 4 cups of flour and create a well at the center and leave aside.
3. In a new medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and forming peaks, leave aside.
4. In a saucepan, heat together sugar, milk, butter, and salt just until warm; stirring constantly. Make sure the liquid is not too hot before adding to the flour mixture.
5. Add the liquid into the well of flour and beat together. Then add the 3 egg yolks. Beat at low speed of electric mixer for 3 minutes, scraping bowl. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can mix in with a spoon. The fold in the egg whites and mix well. Last but not least, add the yeast sponge and mix/ knead together.
6. Then on a lightly floured surface, or in the bowl if large enough; knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough (dough is a little wet and sticky) until smooth and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes total.
7. Place dough in a bowl and cover – let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Punch down. Let the dough rest 10 minutes then shape into a greased large round baking pan or pan of your choice (I like using angel food cake bans, it bakes faster, plus easier to cut in slices). Cover the dough; let it rise until doubled in size, about 50-60 minutes. If using a round baking pan, use a sharp knife or scissors, cut a cross on top of the loaf. Brush with 1 beaten egg.
8. Bake in a 325 degree oven on middle rack for 45 min to 1 hour depending on the oven. Double check using a toothpick to see if cooked through. Cool on wire rack.
Love Portuguese sweet bread? Try my Massa Souvada Portuguese Sweet Bread for a larger batch, or explore more traditional baking with my Bolo Lêvedo.
