Papos Secos Portuguese Rolls

One fine day not long ago my hubby asked me if I knew how to make the kind of bread that is used for the famous Macau Pork Chop Bun 澳門豬扒包. Pork Chop Bun is a super popular snack in Macau, consisting of a deliciously marinated fried pork chop placed inside a bun (locally called a piglet bun or 豬仔包) that is crispy on the outside and deliciously soft on the inside. Macau's own version of the hamburger, lol.

I was so very tickled pink cuz hubby never asks me to make bread. He just be weird like that. So I dove into the research. What was this mysterious bread that made the Macau pork chop bun so special?

It turns out, I believe, that this bread bun originated from the traditional Portuguese bread rolls called Papos Secos. Makes sense, since Macau was a Portuguese colony for over 400 years. To test my theory, I made some papos secos and am quite pleased to report that if this bread isn't it, it's darn tootin' yummilicious enough to be it and more! Bread that's crispy on the outside but oh so soft and luscious on the inside, we were hooked so hard on this bread at once. And it's the perfect bread for sandwiching a pork chop or whatever else you want in your gosh darn sandwich. And, ultimate proof of the pudding, hubby has asked for it again and again!

Start with some bread flour, also sometimes known as strong flour. This kind of flour has a higher protein content. This helps to create stronger gluten which makes for a better rise in bread. I like to stick with the same flour brand when I bake, that way I am familiar with what it will do.

The yeast is activated first in some warm water and a dash of sugar. This also confirms that the yeast is still good. The yeast mixture should foam up after a couple of minutes (photo right). If it doesn't your yeast is too old.

Mix together the activated yeast, flour, water and some butter. Adding butter makes the bread more tasty and tender as well as allowing the bread keep for longer. I like to use butter made from milk from grass fed cows, it's the best!

Then stir everything, using a low speed if using a machine, until a dough ball is formed (photo right). This dough ball is covered and left to rest and relax for a while.

This next step was interesting enough that I set about researching it a bit. The salt for the recipe is only added now, after the dough ball has been formed and then rested. Why this late, I wondered. Usually I just add the salt in at the start.

Turns out that adding the salt in later like this helps to avoid inhibiting yeast activity and also improves the dough's capacity to stretch and expand without tearing! Which means a much greater possibility for a most excellent rise for the bread. Exciting news for a aspiring bread maker like me! Totally gonna use this trick for future breads.

With the salt finally added the dough is kneaded until it is smooth, slightly sticky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky to do this add in a bit of flour at a time until it does so.

Cover the dough with a plastic bag and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled. Look at how beautifully my dough did rise!

The next step was also unusual, though it reminded me of how we make homemade White Bread using the 'French Fold' method. The dough has doubled during its rise, meaning that gluten strands have developed. Instead of deflating the dough we reach into the side with a wet hand, grab the edge and fold over to the middle (photo left). Turn the bowl a bit and repeat, around 4-5 times. The finished folded dough is shown in right photo. The dough is covered and left to rest before this whole process is repeated again.

This process doesn't disturb the gluten strands developed during the initial rise. Instead it stretches those gluten strands even longer through delicate folding. As least that's what I think it does. Whatever the science is, I confess that I have never made a western style bread with a more tender and airy crumb than this one!

After folding and the subsequent rest/rise, the dough is divided (use a food weight to measure for more perfectly sized buns) and then tightened into round balls. Tightening is important cuz you're basically developing the skin or the crust of the bread.

There are two ways to tighten the skin of your dough ball. First way is to tuck the dough towards the bottom of the round until the surface of the ball is nice and taut. Pinch the bottom to seal as necessary to keep the shape you've just made.

The second way to tighten the skin is to roll the ball of dough inside your cupped hand. Put dough ball onto a work surface (no flouring necessary). Place your cupped hand over the dough ball and roll in small circles against the work surface. The dough ball will tighten up like magic!

The dough is covered and left to rest again. The photo on the right shows the dough balls after the rise. Note the tight smooth skins.

Something to note here. You could bake straight from the round little dough balls you have shaped here. After a final rest slash the tops with a knife or a razor and in the oven they might go. However, if you want to go full authentic you can continue on and find out below how to shape the dough into the classic papos secos shape, kinda like a cute little bum.

To create the special shape of the papos secos the rested and relaxed dough is flattened on a generously floured surface. Use the side of your hand to indent the middle of the circle, like a karate chop. Grab the two ends of the indentation line and pull gently to elongate the shape to an oval.

Fold the dough over along the indentation. The next part I forgot to photograph, oops! You need to twist the two ends to a fat point and press a bit down a bit to make them hold shape. Also be sure that both sides of the dough are floured.

In the photo on the right you can see the papos secos from the top, with the fold facing up. While I did the final rise with the dough in this position, I think it's also okay to let the dough rise on its side, like the position in the photo on the left. The dough is covered and left to almost double.

To get the a crackling crust we will want the oven to have some steam. In a home oven you can provide the necessary steam by placing a container of hot water near the bottom of the oven. I used an individual muffin tin, filled it with hot water and slipped it on the bottom tray of the oven before sliding the dough in. Oooo...time for delicious baking aromas!

Soon the Papos Secos Portuguese Rolls were ready to come out of the oven, puffed and golden and smelling so very incredible. A roll with a crusty, crackling skin that breaks open to a soft, airy, tender crumb. And the most amazing thing is the incredible taste of the papos secos! This bread is sooo tasty! I think it must be the rather long fermentation that creates this rich, complex flavor. It's so completely wild that the humble ingredients of flour, water, salt, and butter can transform into this magical bread! I love it! Bread is life!

Epilogue: We didn't make the Macau Pork Chop Bun with our Papos Secos but we're sure as heck gonna do that soon. Instead, in rather delirious hunger, we opened some canned sardines (omg we love us some canned sardines!), sliced up some red onions and fixed up the most deliciosa sanduíche ever. Omgosh, dear readers, so yummilicious...

Papos Secos Portuguese Rolls Recipe

(makes 10) (Adapted from the recipe at Leite's Culinaria)

Prep time: 20 mins Rise time: 3 1/2 hrs Bake time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

2 cups lukewarm water, 480g
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
5 cups bread flour, 600g
2 tbsp unsalted butter, 28g
1 tbsp salt

Directions:

Activate the yeast: Add the yeast, sugar and 1/2 cup of the water in a small bowl. Mix and let sit for 5-10 mins or until the surface foams.

Mix the dough: Add the flour, 1 1/2 cups water and butter into mixing bowl. Mix with low speed for a couple of mins until a dough ball is formed. Cover the bowl and let sit for 30 mins.

Knead the dough: Add the salt and mix with medium high speed for around 8 mins or until the dough becomes smooth and pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. If the dough stays too sticky to do this then add extra flour, one tbsp at a time, until the dough releases.

Rise the dough: Cover the dough and place in a warm draft free spot to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Stretch and fold the dough: Dampen hands. Reach in and grab the edge of the dough and fold over gently. Don't punch the dough down. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat folding 3 more times. Cover and let rest until doubled in size, approx 30 mins. Repeat this whole process one more time.

Shape the dough: Weigh out the dough into 10 equal pieces. Place one piece of dough on a non floured work surface. Cup a hand over it and roll the dough against the work surface in small circles until the ball tightens and the surface of the ball is very smooth. Place tightened ball son a floured tray, cover and let rest for 20 mins.

Shape papos secos shape: Flatten dough ball to 6 inch circle on a generously floured surface. Use side of the hand to chop an indentation through the middle of the circle. Grab the two ends of the indentation and gently pull to an oval shape. Fold in half along the indentation. Twist the two ends to fat points then press lightly down to seal. Move shaped papos secos to a floured tray, cover and let rise in warm draft free area until almost doubled in size, around 30 mins.

Bake the papos secos: Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). In order to add steam to the oven prepare a small oven safe vessel as well as some boiling water. Just before the bread goes in the oven place the vessel filled with hot water on shelf below the one the bread will use. Slide in the bread immediately and close the oven door right away to trap the steam. Bake for 15-20 mins or until the bread is golden brown. Remove and cool on a rack. Enjoy!

Store the bread: The bread will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. If keeping for longer pack in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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