Bolos Lêvedos (Portuguese Muffins)
By Mark HuxsollPublished on October 27, 2020
Time
1½ hours, plus 2½ hours rising and cooling
Yield
Makes 8 muffins
Ingredients
Flour Paste
⅔ cup water ¼ cup (1¼ ounces/35 grams) all-purpose flourDough
6 tablespoons whole milk 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened2 large eggs 3 cups (15 ounces/425 grams) all-purpose flour plus extra for shaping1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast ½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) sugar 1 teaspoon table salt 1 teaspoon vegetable oilBefore You Begin
If you don’t own a microwave, the flour paste can also be made in a small saucepan over medium heat. Just be sure to whisk it constantly so that the ingredients don’t scorch. Split the muffins with a knife. Serve them with butter or use them as sandwich bread or burger buns.
Instructions
- Whisk water and flour in medium bowl until no lumps remain. Microwave, whisking every 20 seconds, until mixture thickens to stiff, smooth, pudding-like consistency, 40 to 80 seconds. Transfer paste to bowl of stand mixer.
- Whisk milk into flour paste in bowl of stand mixer until combined. Whisk in butter until fully incorporated. Whisk in eggs until fully incorporated.
- Add flour and yeast to paste mixture. Fit mixer with dough hook and mix on low speed until dough comes together and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes. Turn off mixer, cover bowl with dish towel or plastic wrap, and let dough stand for 15 minutes.
- Add sugar and salt to dough and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough is elastic and pulls away from sides of bowl but still sticks to bottom (dough will be sticky), about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to greased large bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap; and let rise until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn out dough onto clean counter and divide into 8 equal pieces, about 4 ounces (113 grams) each. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, cup dough with your palm and roll against counter in circular motion into smooth, tight ball. (Dough will be sticky; very lightly flour dough and hands as needed, but avoid excess flour in order to maintain tackiness necessary to roll dough into tight ball.)
- Sprinkle ¼ cup flour on counter. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, turn dough ball in flour and press with your hand to flatten into 3½- to 4-inch disk. Transfer dough disks to prepared sheet. Lay second sheet of parchment over dough disks, then place second rimmed baking sheet on top to keep disks flat during second rise. Let rise for 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Using paper towels, carefully wipe out oil from skillet.
- Transfer 4 dough disks to skillet and cook until deeply browned on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Return toasted disks to sheet. Repeat with remaining 4 dough disks.
- Bake until muffins register 190 degrees in center, 11 to 14 minutes. Transfer muffins to wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Serve. (Muffins can be stored in airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
for the flour paste
for the dough
Time
1½ hours, plus 2½ hours rising and coolingYield
Makes 8 muffinsIngredients
Flour Paste
Dough
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Flour Paste
Dough
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Flour Paste
Dough
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Though they look a lot like English muffins, these Portuguese “cakes” (“bolos” means “cakes” and “lêvedos” means “leavened”), originally from the Azores, are denser and richer, with a fair amount of sweetness and a rich crumb thanks to whole milk, eggs, and butter. Inspired by a visit to Central Bakery, a Portuguese bakery in Tiverton, Rhode Island (read about our visit here), that turns out dozens of bolos lêvedos a day, we set out to create a smaller-scale recipe for the home kitchen. First, to ensure that the dough would be hydrated enough to create a tender finished product, we followed a method called tangzhong, which involves quickly heating a small portion of flour and liquid to form a paste before mixing it in with the rest of the ingredients. This helped hydrate the dough quickly and created a more workable dough (it also helped the cooked bolos stay fresh for longer). To further ensure full hydration and tender bolos, we included an autolyse step: mixing everything together (except for the sugar and salt) and allowing it to rest for 15 minutes to fully hydrate and get a head start on gluten development. After a traditional two-stage rise, we browned our muffins in a skillet and finished cooking them in the oven, which yielded slightly sweet, moist cakes fit for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Before You Begin
If you don’t own a microwave, the flour paste can also be made in a small saucepan over medium heat. Just be sure to whisk it constantly so that the ingredients don’t scorch. Split the muffins with a knife. Serve them with butter or use them as sandwich bread or burger buns.
Instructions
- Whisk water and flour in medium bowl until no lumps remain. Microwave, whisking every 20 seconds, until mixture thickens to stiff, smooth, pudding-like consistency, 40 to 80 seconds. Transfer paste to bowl of stand mixer.
- Whisk milk into flour paste in bowl of stand mixer until combined. Whisk in butter until fully incorporated. Whisk in eggs until fully incorporated.
- Add flour and yeast to paste mixture. Fit mixer with dough hook and mix on low speed until dough comes together and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes. Turn off mixer, cover bowl with dish towel or plastic wrap, and let dough stand for 15 minutes.
- Add sugar and salt to dough and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough is elastic and pulls away from sides of bowl but still sticks to bottom (dough will be sticky), about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to greased large bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap; and let rise until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn out dough onto clean counter and divide into 8 equal pieces, about 4 ounces (113 grams) each. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, cup dough with your palm and roll against counter in circular motion into smooth, tight ball. (Dough will be sticky; very lightly flour dough and hands as needed, but avoid excess flour in order to maintain tackiness necessary to roll dough into tight ball.)
- Sprinkle ¼ cup flour on counter. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, turn dough ball in flour and press with your hand to flatten into 3½- to 4-inch disk. Transfer dough disks to prepared sheet. Lay second sheet of parchment over dough disks, then place second rimmed baking sheet on top to keep disks flat during second rise. Let rise for 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Using paper towels, carefully wipe out oil from skillet.
- Transfer 4 dough disks to skillet and cook until deeply browned on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Return toasted disks to sheet. Repeat with remaining 4 dough disks.
- Bake until muffins register 190 degrees in center, 11 to 14 minutes. Transfer muffins to wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Serve. (Muffins can be stored in airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
for the flour paste
for the dough
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