Portuguese Sweet Bread III

This is a very old recipe for Portuguese sweet bread. The dough for this egg bread is prepared the night before, left to rise overnight, and then baked the following morning in round cake pans.

Original recipe makes 2 round loaves

Ingredients

2 (0.6 ounce) cakes compressed fresh yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 1/2 cups white sugar
6 eggs
5 pounds all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tablespoons salt
8 ounces butter, melted
4 cups milk
1 egg, beaten

PREP

30 mins
COOK

1 hr
READY IN

15 hrs

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, beat 6 eggs and the sugar together until light and fluffy. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the dissolved yeast, the egg and sugar mixture and the cooled, melted butter. Slowly add the milk to the flour mixture until the dough is of working consistency. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough is soft and elastic, about 15 minutes. Place into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a damp cloth. Set aside to rise overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease two 10 inch round cake pans. Divide dough in half, shape into round loaves, and place into prepared pans. Brush the tops with beaten egg.
Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for another 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.