Bread Of God: A Delicious Portuguese Dessert

El pâo de Deus, or “Bread of God,” is a dessert from Portugal. This bun has a light texture and a spongy texture, and it has some grated coconut on top. This is an ingredient that was added later.

This bread was eaten on All Saints’ Day. However, there are many who eat it all year round, both in the place of origin but also in other countries, such as Brazil and Venezuela, where there were colonies of Portuguese communities.

Many people claim that there is a dessert that is more than 200 years old. They also say that coconut was added after the Portuguese settled in Brazil, where people began to add new flavors, which were incorporated into their tradition. However, this has still not been confirmed by historians.

What is certainly true about this dessert is that  there are several recipes  that can include lemon juice or liqueur.

How to make authentic Bread of God?

Ingredients for the dough (12 servings)

• A little salt
• 1 stick butter (100 g)
• 2 medium-sized eggs
• ¾ cup sugar (15 g)
• ½ cup of milk (125 ml)
• 4 cups wholemeal wheat flour without yeast (480 g)
• 2 tbsp. fresh baked yeast (30 g)
• Optional: grated lemon or orange, 2 tbsp. rum (45 ml) and vanilla essence.

Ingredients for the topping

• 1 medium-sized egg
• 1 cup grated coconut (100 g)
• 2 tbsp. icing sugar (30 g)
• 2 tbsp. white sugar (30 g)

Also read: The world’s easiest recipe for apple pie

Preparation of the dough for the Bread of God

• Pour the milk into a baking dish and heat it in the microwave for a few minutes. There is no need for it to come up to boil. Just heat it until it is lukewarm.
• Add the yeast to the warm milk. Stir well with a spoon. Next, add a cup of flour (60 g).
• Stir it by hand until you get a mixture without lumps. Cover the bowl and  let it steep for 10-15 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, put the butter in a baking dish, and melt it in the microwave.
• Pour the flour into a separate bowl, leaving some space in the middle to hatch two eggs (do not whip them) and the melted butter. In addition, add sugar and yeast, which were prepared earlier.
• Mix it well with a hand mixer so you form a dough. Roll out the dough into a ball and  let it soak at room temperature, while it is covered with a damp cloth, for a few hours. As it pulls, the dough will increase its size.

• When the time is up, quickly sprinkle some flour on the surface where you intend to knead the dough.
• Bake the dough for about 5 minutes to  give it some flexibility. It must be soft enough to handle easily.
• Now, in the middle of the dough, open a hole (not too deep) and add a little salt. Close the hole and knead the dough for another 5 minutes, constantly.

Also read: Make cheesecake with cottage cheese without oven

Behind the Bread of God

1. Now, divide the dough into several pieces, and shape some balls the size of your hands. Next, flatten them out a bit to give them the same look as a sweet bun. Set them aside.
2. To prepare the topping, in a bowl, mix a hatched egg (without whipping it), white sugar and grated coconut. Put it in the fridge until you need to use it.
3. Place baking paper on a baking tray and at the same time  preheat the oven to  180 ºC.
4. Place the bread on the baking sheet and brush them with beaten egg. Immediately, add the mixture of coconut, sugar and eggs on top (1 tbsp. Per bun is enough). It is necessary to distribute the mixture with coconut in a way so that it does not fall into the bread.
5. Place them in the oven for  half an hour. 
6. Once the buns are brown, take them out and sprinkle them with icing sugar.

They can be  served hot or when cooled. It will all depend on your own taste. However, it should be noted that people in Venezuela often eat their Bread of God with coffee, or have them filled with cheese from cow’s milk (one that has a low salt content).

Some people make Bread of God with cream filling or jam. While these options are delicious, they can be a bit sticky for some people.

It’s up to you to experiment and pick out what you like!