Tradition

I'm one-quarter Portuguese on my Mom's side.  Growing up around mostly my Mom's family, I associate myself more with Portuguese culture and traditions.  I also have dark hair and olive skin, unlike my east coast cousins, so it's not a stretch.  My Nana and Grandma D played major roles in shaping my life and both left big impressions with their personalities.  As a family, we would go and enjoy the Portuguese festas in Gustine, CA.  Gustine is where Nana and Grandma  D and their family came to after moving from Newport, Rhode Island.  Both HUGE Portuguese communities. 

Grandma D (Gloria da Silva), Great-Uncle Maurice Silva, and Nana
(Alice Silva Thurber, my great-grandmother)
The two ladies who taught me tradition

In any case, at the Our Lady of Miracles Festa, following mass would be a beautiful parade of all the princesses dressed in colorful dresses and the cows waiting to have their milk blessed (the Bodo de leite) for thanksgiving and good health.  We would also enjoy having big meals of sopas (stewed meat with pickling spice, mint, and soaked bread), sit on the curb and eat lupini beans, grab a linguica sandwich from one of the food trucks (Silva's is the BEST linguica), and get loaves of massa sovada (Portuguese sweet bread).  All delicious treats.  But, sweet bread is a family favorite...something that both Nana and Grandma D made every year for Easter.

As the story goes, my Nana would make her massa sovada straight from memory as she learned it from her mother, an old world recipe that wasn't written down.  Making the bread from scratch was and is an all day business.  She made the loaves in the shape of a basket and bake it with a dyed egg on top to symbolize fruitfulness and the resurrection. 

After my Nana could no longer make the bread, Grandma D took over, but tried to find a Portuguese recipe book that produced the same result.  The cookbook "Foods of the Azores" by Deolinda Maria Avila is the one she used since I can remember.  I remember Grandma D making loaves and loaves for the whole family and shipping them off to various locations around California.  When she became a bit older, I asked her to show me how to make the massa sovada.  It was an honor and a great time to share with her.  She handed down all of her tricks and hints to making the delicious, sweet, heavenly bread.  One thing that I always admired about her is that she NEVER had the dough stick to her hands.  No matter how much flour I cake on my hands, I still always get sticky dough hands.  I will always treasure that time we shared.  I received her copy of the recipe book with all of the handwritten notes after she passed away.

Four generations
My mom holding me, Nana, and Grandma D

Now, I make the loaves massa sovada.  I can hear Grandma D's voice when I knead the bread or shape the loaves.  I can also hear the admonishment when I do something wrong, like stirring wrong or leaving out the sugar :).  My family eagerly anticipates the package in the mail around Easter.  One batch makes 10 loaves.  I've made up to 4 batches, but now it's down to a managable 3 batches...or 30 loaves.  The best way to enjoy it is to slice it, toast it, and slather butter on it.  De-lish.  I leave out the egg baked on top, since it's difficult to toast with.  I'm glad it's Easter. 

Here is my link to an adapted version of Deolinda's recipe from "Foods of the Azores" that makes 5 loaves.  I posted the recipe to the Tasty Kitchen recipe site.  Enjoy!

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breads/massa-sovada-portuguese-sweet-bread/

Cooling loaves of Massa Sovada from this year's batch