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    Home / Breakfast / Hawaiian Portuguese Sweet Bread

    Hawaiian Portuguese Sweet Bread

    Hawaiian Portuguese sweet bread recipe: a golden, eggy loaf that is lightly sweet and impossibly soft, the pao doce at every Hawaii breakfast and brunch.

    ⏱ 15 minPrep time
    🔥 30 minCook time
    🍽 4Servings
    🏷 BreakfastCategory
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    Portuguese sweet bread, or pao doce, arrived with Portuguese immigrants who came to work Hawaii’s sugar plantations in the late 1800s. Its rich, eggy dough became a local staple, baked at home and sold in bakeries across the islands for breakfast, holidays, and French toast.

    What makes it great is its pillowy crumb and delicate sweetness, more bread than cake, but rich enough to eat plain. Toasted with butter or turned into thick French toast, it is the taste of a Hawaiian morning.

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    Step by stepInstructions

    1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with a pinch of sugar and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
    2. In a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, butter, eggs, and vanilla; knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
    3. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
    4. Punch down and shape into a round loaf. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let rise again for 45 minutes.
    5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the loaf with the egg wash.
    6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped. Cool before slicing.

    💡 Chef tips & storage

    The dough is soft and slightly sticky, so resist adding too much flour, as that is what keeps the bread tender. This loaf makes the best French toast you have ever had.

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    Recipe details

    Prep15 min
    Cook30 min
    Servings4
    CategoryBreakfast
    PublishedAugust 17, 2026
    Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

    Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

    Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

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