Folar is a traditional Portuguese bread that is stuffed with linguica , slab bacon and presunto (Portuguese sausage and ham). There are various renditions of this recipe, but the one that I will share with you was my Mother’s. It is customary to serve this bread at Easter, but it is also eaten year round and served at many family celebrations. I try to keep the tradition alive by making it at Easter. I make several small ones, unlike my Mother who made one that was so big it barely fit in the oven ,one to eat when it first comes out of the oven, one for breakfast on Easter morning , one for the dinner guests, and a couple to send home with the kids.
5 lbs. flour
2 dozen eggs
1 1/2 sticks of salted butter
1/2 cup olive oil
salt ( a few pinches)
1 cup of warm water
2 packages of yeast
Mix the yeast with the warm water in a small bowl. Melt the butter. Beat the eggs ( key is to let the eggs sit at room temperature before beating).
Add the other ingredients and slowly add in the flour. Beat everything together.
Kneed the dough and then let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size.
Separate the dough into how many breads you want to make. Roll out the dough on a floured counter and add the meat. Roll it up to form the shape of the loaf, tucking the ends under. Place on a floured cookie sheet and let it rise again from 30-60 minutes.
Bake at 350 until the crust gets hard ( 40-45 minutes for small loaves and 1 hour for larger breads).