Sweet Bread

Mom’s Portuguese Sweet Bread Recipe

Growing up with a Portuguese mother meant that besides anticipating colorful Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies, our holiday prep included a day of whipping up her Portuguese sweet bread recipe. Mom would twist the dough into braids and tuck eggs between the folds, just like her mom did.

From the fragrance of the proofing yeast to the dough rising and then baking into golden brown loaves of Easter bread, this family tradition – above all others – is my favorite. Nothing compares to a slice of sweet bread, still warm from the oven and topped by a pat of real butter.

Kneading the Portuguese Sweet Bread

Kneading is a method of repeatedly folding and stretching dough until it’s smooth. The old-school way to knead bread, of course, is by hand. Turn the sweet bread dough out onto a floured surface and sprinkle more flour onto the dough. This prevents the dough from sticking to your hands.

Use the heel of your hand to push the dough, making an indentation in its center. As you push, use your fingers to lift and pull the dough toward you, placing it back over the dough. Repeat with the opposite hand. Lift and turn the dough, adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking. (Use just enough added flour to prevent sticking; too much will dry out the dough.)

It’ll take about 15 minutes. You know you’re done when the surface of the dough feels smooth and not sticky. If you look closely, you might be able to see tiny air bubbles starting to form under the surface.

Modern day bread making allows us the use of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook to do the kneading.

🛒 Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (or half whole wheat for lower points)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar substitute (or 1 tbsp real sugar)
• 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (instead of butter 👌)
• 1/4 cup warm milk (low-fat)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Optional: 1 tbsp honey (light drizzle for flavor)

👩‍🍳 Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
3. In another bowl, whisk egg, yogurt, applesauce, milk, and sweetener.
4. Combine wet + dry ingredients until dough forms.
5. Shape into a small loaf or flat oval (like traditional nazuki 👀).
6. Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden brown.
7. Optional: brush a tiny bit of honey on top for that authentic sweet touch.

🔥 Why it’s low-point:

• No butter (applesauce swap)
• Low sugar
• Greek yogurt instead of heavy fats