Pão de Deus
The name means God's bread and is often linked to the Portuguese custom of pão-por-Deus: on 1 November, All Saints' Day, children go from door to door asking for bread "for God's sake". Today it is a Portuguese bakery classic: soft brioche with a crisp, crackled coconut crust. They taste best split with a slice of ham and cheese, as a Lisbon breakfast. The key is a thick, moist coconut paste — too thin and it slides off the buns, too dry and it burns before the dough is baked.
Your own work in that: 15 min.
- Dough 25 min
- Rising 60 min
- Shaping 15 min
- Second rise 30 min
- Coconut paste 10 min
- Baking 20 min
- Cooling 30 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneKnead a brioche dough
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk with a spoon of sugar, add the flour, eggs, remaining sugar, zest and salt and knead 10 minutes, then add the soft butter piece by piece, kneading for another 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, glossy and elastic.
Ingredients: 500 g strong bread flour · 200 ml milk · 2 pcs eggs · 70 g sugar · 20 g fresh yeast · 80 g butter · 1 pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt
Smooth and glossy — butter added piece by piece.Rise an hour
Cover and leave somewhere warm for an hour, until doubled. An enriched dough rises more slowly than plain — give it time, as underproved buns are dense.
Ingredients: 500 g strong bread flour · 200 ml milk · 2 pcs eggs · 70 g sugar · 20 g fresh yeast · 80 g butter · 1 pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt
Shape smooth balls
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces of about 80 g and shape tight, smooth balls, pinching the base. A smooth surface matters — the coconut paste sits better on it and cracks evenly.
Ingredients: 500 g strong bread flour · 200 ml milk · 2 pcs eggs · 70 g sugar · 20 g fresh yeast · 80 g butter · 1 pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt
Second rise on the tray
Space the balls on a lined tray, cover and leave 30 minutes, until visibly risen. Meanwhile make the coconut paste and heat the oven to 180°C.
Ingredients: 500 g strong bread flour · 200 ml milk · 2 pcs eggs · 70 g sugar · 20 g fresh yeast · 80 g butter · 1 pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt
Mix the coconut paste
Mix the coconut with the sugar, eggs and melted butter into a thick, moist paste that holds its shape on a spoon. Leave 5 minutes — the coconut absorbs the egg and the paste thickens.
Ingredients: 150 g desiccated coconut · 120 g sugar · 2 pcs eggs · 30 g butter
Thick and moist, holding its shape on a spoon.Glaze with egg and add the coconut
Brush the buns with beaten egg, then set a spoon of coconut paste on each, pressing lightly. It should cap the top, not run down the sides. The egg beneath acts as glue.
Ingredients: 1 pcs egg for glazing · 2 tbsp icing sugar
A coconut cap on top, not down the sides.Bake to a golden crust
Bake 18–20 minutes at 180°C, until the coconut is golden and cracked. If the coconut browns too fast, cover the buns with foil after 12 minutes — the dough beneath needs its full time.
Ingredients: 500 g strong bread flour · 200 ml milk · 2 pcs eggs · 70 g sugar · 20 g fresh yeast · 80 g butter · 1 pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt
Dust with icing sugar
Cool the buns on a rack and dust with icing sugar only once lukewarm. Serve plain with coffee, or split with a slice of ham and cheese — the Lisbon breakfast.
Ingredients: 1 pcs egg for glazing · 2 tbsp icing sugar
Before you start
Sweet or savoury
The Portuguese eat pão de Deus both sweet, with butter, and with ham and cheese. A sweet coconut bun with a savoury filling is characteristic and worth trying at least once.
Fine coconut, not flakes
Use fine desiccated coconut, not large flakes. Fine coconut binds with the egg into a paste; large flakes do not stick and fall off the bun once baked.
Two days in a box
The buns keep two days in an airtight box. The coconut crust softens with time; revive it with 3 minutes in a 170°C oven. Without the icing sugar they freeze well.
