Portuguese Muffins – Bolo Levedo

I made the dough in a bread maker , halved the sugar, can’t imagine putting a full cup of sugar in this recipe, would’ve been way too sweet. I cooked them as directed 5 minutes each side in small cast iron pans. The bolos came out nicely shaped, the air holes were small, not quite like the bolos levedos we had on Sao Miguel. Overall, first try was very tasty.

This was very easy to do. I made it as the recipe said. They came out light and fluffy and moist. The outside was tender but nice and brown. Next time going to use raisins and some lemon zest.

It’s so good to see more Portuguese recipes on here now. I have been making these bolos for years. This recipe is different from mine and I like it a lot better. In my experience I recommend the following techniques for perfect bolos: use a mixer to knead the dough- I usually just use my Ninja blender and pulse until it becomes like a dough. This takes only minutes and your triceps will thank you the next day. allow more time to rise- I allow mine to rise for at least an hour the first time and that is using my proof setting below my oven and quick- rise yeast. Don’t rush the rise on this bread. I toast the bolos on the skillet about 5 min on each side and then bake for 15 min at 350 degrees. This will ensure that you do not have a raw line in the middle. Thank you for submitting this recipe. My family and I will enjoy!

We’ve always bought these made by a Portuguese bakery. I took a chance on the recipe figuring it would be a huge let down compared to the ones we loved but this recipe was perfect! They were as good as the bakery ones… or rather better because they were fresh! My tip for cooking them on a griddle was to use a small cast iron pan to keep them at the proper “flatness”.

These are delicious! I use a little less sugar (personal preference). I like to bake them in the oven. I put my cast iron pizza pan on the bottom rack, preheat to 325, and bake for about 5-6 min. per side. The outside gets nice and brown this way, and because I can cook several at a time, it’s much faster than the stove.

Too sweet.

Not only was this recipe fairly easy (at least with a kitchen aid doing the work), but the bolo’s came out perfectly. These were a favourite treat growing up when my mother brought them home from the shop and now they are going to be a favourite of my daughters (and husband) when I make them at home. I read through the reviews and my experience was so different from many of the others. Although we all seemed to love the results, it seems that some put way more effort in than I did. I placed all the ingredients at once into my Kitchen aid and let it go for about ten minutes. Then I let it rise in my oven with the oven light on for an hour or two. This resulted in a nice, elastic dough that I kneaded lightly and cut in to 16 parts. With a rolling pin I rolled (only three rolls in total) the dough balls into flat circles. I let them rise again on a well oiled parchment paper and gave them an extra coating on top to make sure they didn’t stick. When they were ready to cook, I heated a cast iron griddle on med-low heat and gently placed each patty on to the pan and cooked for 2 minutes a side. They were perfect. Honestly, if I spent more than hour of actual labour on these I would be surprised.

UNBELIEVABLE!! My first time making bolos levedos and a total hit with everyone

Thanks so much for this recipe. I live in CO but miss the Bolo’s from the Portuguese bakeries in the NE. I used 1 T. of yeast and made sure it was fermenting well. I also added 1 c. raisins and zest from one lemon to match the flavor from my fav. bakery. I baked them in the oven (325 10-15 min) because I didn’t have time for the skillet. If I had cooked them in the skillet I think they would have been perfect, as it was, they were still some darn fine Bolo Levedos! Yay! I proofed in the oven and used bread flour and they came out light and the perfect texture.

I used to get these years ago at a little cafe in Burlington, Ontario, where I’m from. I am so glad I found this recipe because now I can have them any time I want. I kneaded the dough in my stand mixer for 10 minutes, then let it rise in a warm oven. I did first pan fry them in butter to get that dark golden brown crust, then I baked them in the oven for 10 minutes just to make sure the center was baked through. omg, beyond delicious!!!!!

Like some of the reviewers, the dough took a long time to rise, so I now use 1 Tbs plus 1/2 tsp of yeast, about one and a half packages of dry yeast. This seems to work fine for me and, no, it is not too much yeast, nor does the dough smell yeasty. I also used 1 tsp of salt instead of 1/2 tsp called for in the recipe. I found that it accentuated the sweetness, without the calories. This is truly the best recipe ever for bolos lêvedos. If you use a kneading machine, 10 minutes is enough. Make sure you save about 1/2 cup of flour from recipe to add in the end so that the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It makes it easier on the machine. I used King Arthur’s flour for bread making, and it works. There is no comparison between these bolos lêvedos and the store-bought ones. I have been making this recipe every week. I freeze the bolos in zipperlock bags and thaw one at a time. Thanks Titia Deolinda! P.S. if you are watching what you eat, and if you make 16 bolos (not hard at all) out of this recipe, each bolo is 5 Weight Watchers points. Good size bolo too…

Yummy…My kids love these! The taste was right on, but I did find that they were a bit heavy compared to the ones made in Sao Miguel. (Although, this could have been because the dough didn’t rise enough after kneading, I should have gave them more time to proof). I do recommend cooking them in a heavy pan until golden and then finishing them off in the oven to ensure the sides and center are cooked through. Thanks for the recipe!

I absoluely love portuguese muffins. The problem is that I live in Virginia, and I am unable to find them anywhere in my area. I was so excited to find this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly except that I baked the muffins versus frying them in a 350 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes or until done. Although they don’t come out golden brown as the picture above shows, they are delicious!

The first couple of tries didn’t work for me, but I think it’s because the yeast didn’t ferment. The third try was the charm. I added some flour and sugar to the yeast and let it ferment for an hour. The trick seems to be in the yeast, so make sure you get that part perfect! The more it rises the more delicious it will turn out. This recipe is time consuming, but worth it.

i have no words for how good these are! okay, well…maybe i have a few. 😉 my mom’s fam is from massachusetts and throughout the years i’ve always looked forward to being able to eat my portuguese muffins whenever we visit–but these truly surpass anything i’ve bought in new england. only things i changed: i used a packet of instant yeast instead–it was all i had–and just added it to the flour and sugar before mixing in the wet ingredients. i also added about a tabls. of vanilla extract and 1-2 teaspoons pure lemon extract to make them taste more like the bakery ones. only problem i’ve experienced is my yeast taking forever to rise–quite ironic since it’s quick rise. so i asked a good baker and she said to microwave the dough in a bowl with plastic wrap covering it for 30 seconds on 4 power, and repeat 15 minutes later, and that totally did the trick! anyway, these are awesome, and yummy, and freeze and defrost well too! 🙂

I found these extremely time consuming. They turned out just okay and my dad found them quite heavy compared to the ones he had growing up. I’ll try altering the recipe to see if I can make them slightly lighter. The taste was fine, but I could only eat one or two before I was STUFFED.

so yummy……..my kids really enjoyed too…and they are usually really picky. i used to buy them from the bakery, but no more………these taste even better!!

My family loves bolos and they can be quite expensive. I made 16 from this recipe. I heated my cast iron skillet on low for about ten minutes. I cook 4 at a time and I make sure they touch the side of the pan, and then I twist them every few minutes to cook the sides. They do take a while to cook but worth it. I also had to add more flour. I also sometimes add lemon zest or cinnamon and raisins.

These were really good – I cooked some in my cast iron skillet, and some in the oven at 325. The oven ones came out better – the ones in the skillet ended up with gummy sides. Maybe if they had been thinner, that wouldn’t have happened. These are great for sandwiches, butter & jam, anything. I could even see them being hamburger buns if you cut down on the sugar and increased the salt by about 1/4 t.

This recipe is fantastic.I did add about 1/2 Cup flour more for it was too sticky.I also used my mixer to knead the dough for about 10 minutes and it came out perfect.When they were ready to cook i used my large electric griddle and was able to cook 6 at a time.I used low heat at about 250 to 300 degrees.My family loved them.

I made this last year and there isn’t anything better than a fresh bolo for breakfast and this truely is a great recipe.