Pão de Batata com Catupiry

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small pot for boiling potato
• •Potato masher or fork
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Baking tray
• •Parchment paper
• •Pastry brush

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the potato

   Put the potato chunks in a small pot, cover with water, and simmer until a fork slides through with no fight, about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain very well, then return the potato to the warm empty pot for 1 minute, shaking it gently. You want the surface dry and fluffy, because extra water makes sticky dough and then everyone starts blaming their hands.

   Leftover plain boiled potato works beautifully here. Mashed potato with milk, garlic, or lots of butter is not the same dough, and it will ask for more flour.
2. 2

   Mash it smooth

   Mash the potato while it's still warm until no lumps remain, then measure 1 cup lightly packed mashed potato. Let it cool until warm, not hot. Hot potato can weaken the yeast and cook the egg; warm potato blends into the dough like it was always meant to be there.

3. 3

   Start the dough

   In a large bowl, stir the warm milk, yeast, and sugar together. Add the mashed potato, egg, oil, butter, and salt, and mix until messy and pale. Add 3 1/2 cups flour and stir until a shaggy dough forms. It won't look elegant. Good. Bread dough is allowed to have an awkward childhood.

4. 4

   Knead until soft

   Knead the dough on a lightly floured counter for 8 to 10 minutes, adding the last 1/2 cup flour only a spoonful at a time if it sticks badly. Stop when the dough is soft, smooth, and just a little tacky, like a clean sticky note. Too much flour gives you heavy bread, and the potato came here to make it tender, not to be buried.

5. 5

   Let it rise

   Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it once, cover, and let it rise until puffy and almost doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Look at the dough, not only the clock. A warm kitchen moves fast, a cold one sulks, and both are normal.

6. 6

   Portion the filling

   While the dough rises, spoon the chilled requeijão into 16 small mounds, about 1 heaping tablespoon each, on a plate or tray. Keep them cold. A firm filling is easier to seal; a warm loose filling runs around like it pays rent.

7. 7

   Fill the rolls

   Gently deflate the dough and divide it into 16 pieces. Flatten one piece into a small round, put one mound of filling in the center, then pull the edges up and pinch them closed firmly. Set it seam side down on a lined baking tray. Seal well, because the oven will find every lazy pinch and send the cheese out first.

8. 8

   Proof and brush

   Cover the shaped rolls and let them rest until puffy, about 30 to 40 minutes. Brush gently with the egg yolk and milk mixture. The dough should look alive and rounded before baking; if it goes in tight and cold-looking, it bakes up dense.

9. 9

   Bake until golden

   Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 22 to 25 minutes, until the tops are golden and the bottoms sound lightly hollow when tapped. Let them sit 10 minutes before eating. The filling is creamy and very hot at first, and burning your mouth on impatience is not a technique.

Chef Tips

• •Chill the Catupiry-style requeijão before filling. Cold filling stays put long enough for you to seal the dough properly.
• •Don't chase a dry dough. Potato dough should feel softer than plain bread dough. Add flour slowly, or you'll bake little pillows that forgot how to be pillows.
• •Skip powdered cheese fillings and instant potato flakes here. Real potato and real requeijão are the whole point. This is comida de verdade, not a packet with good publicity.
• •Freeze the shaped rolls before the second rise if you want future dinner solved. Later, thaw on the tray until puffy, brush, and bake.
• •Serve with coffee for lanche, or with a bowl of beans, greens, and a fried egg when dinner needs help. That's how a gente desgourmetiza: food that works in real life.

Advance Preparation

• •Boil and mash the potato up to 1 day ahead. Keep it covered in the fridge, then bring it to room temperature before mixing the dough.
• •Shape the filled rolls and refrigerate overnight after the first rise. Let them sit at room temperature until puffy before brushing and baking.
• •Freeze shaped unbaked rolls on a tray until firm, then bag for up to 2 months. Thaw on a lined tray, let rise until puffy, brush, and bake.
• •Baked rolls keep 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in a low oven until the crumb softens and the filling turns creamy again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 75g)