Bolo do Caco is a traditional bread from the Portuguese island of Madeira. The dough is made with your standard bread ingredients – flour, water, salt, and yeast. What makes it so distinctive, however, is the way it’s cooked – on a hot basalt stone, resulting on a flat bread that’s slightly charred on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside.
The most popular way to serve it is lightly toasted with a smear of garlic butter, but it can also be used in sandwiches or enjoyed simply with butter or jam. Keep on reading to learn more about this Portuguese flatbread and how to make it at home!
Bolo do Caco – A Staple of Madeiran Cuisine
Madeira is increasingly popular with tourists attracted by its breathtaking landscape, paradise beaches, and mild climate. While many are acquainted with the island’s namesake wine, there are lots of regional products and concoctions that remain relatively unknown beyond the island’s shores. Poncha, Banana da Madeira, and Bolo de Mel, just to name a few. Bolo do Caco is another example.
A flatbread bread (not a cake as the name suggests) traditionally made on a hot basalt stone called caco, hence Bolo do Caco. This flatbread is widely consumed in the whole region of Madeira, and it’s believed to have Moorish influences.
What Made Bolo do Caco a Madeira Classic?
One of the reasons Bolo do Caco became so popular is the fact that it doesn’t require the use of an oven. It seems that during the Middle Ages, home ovens were prohibited and people had to pay to use communal ones owned by the crown.
Many people resorted to bolo do caco, a more practical and more affordable option that could be cooked on a hot stone. Over time the recipe has evolved, and it now can be cooked on a griddle or cast-iron skillet, although in some parts of Madeira a stone is still used.
Does Bolo do Caco Contain Sweet Potato?
While doing my research for this article I came across a heated debate on whether the dough of bolo do caco should or shouldn’t include sweet potato. To some people, bolo do caco without sweet potato isn’t the real deal, and to others including it sounds absurd. The explanation is that there are two different versions of a flatbread with the same name within the Madeira archipelago technically referred to as the ‘Autonomous Region of Madeira’.
A smaller island off the coast of Madeira called Porto Santo is reportedly the precursor of the bread, made only with flour, salt, yeast, and water. In the bigger Madeira Island, the recipe calls for mashed yellow sweet potato, and sometimes a little sugar. Interestingly, the bolo do caco listed as a Traditional Portuguese Product as per the DGDR (Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development) is the sweet potato free one.
How to Serve Bolo do Caco
Variations aside, bolo do caco is consumed in a similar way throughout Madeira. The most popular version is simply toasted and slathered with generous amounts of a butter made with garlic and parsley. It’s a popular street food in Madeira, where you will find places specialized in bolo do caco with an extensive menu featuring different sandwiches made with the bread. It’s also used as an alternative to papo seco rolls when making the all favourite Bifanas and Prego Sandwiches.
How to Make Authentic Bolo do Caco
Before we dive into the recipe, you should know that I decided to make it the way it’s prepared in Porto Santo, hence no sweet potato is required. You will need strong bread flour, instant dry yeast, salt, and warm water.
The recipe is pretty straightforward, you dissolve the yeast into warm water and let it sit for a couple of minutes. In a separate bowl you then combine flour and salt. Both wet and dry ingredients are combined into a dough, kneaded until smooth and left to rise for 1 to 2 hours. After that time has passed, you then divide your dough into 8-10 balls and let it proof for an extra 30 minutes.
To cook the flatbreads, you can either use a cast iron skillet or a heavy bottom stainless steel skillet. Make sure your skillet is searing hot before cooking your bolos do caco on both sides until they are slightly charred and feel lighter.
How to Make Bolos do Caco – Portuguese Flatbreads
Bolo do Caco – How to Make Flatbread from Madeira Island
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kcalBolo do Caco is a traditional bread from the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Ingredients
500 g Strong Bread Flour
350 ml Warm Water
10 g Salt
6 g Instant Dry Yeast
Extra flour to dust
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine the dry yeast with the warm water. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, add 500g flour and the salt to a large bowl, mix well.
- Pour the yeast liquid into the flour, mix well to form a dough.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface, knead for about 10 to 15 minutes. If the dough feels to sticky add more flour as you knead. You can also use a stand mixer with the hook attachment.
- Place the dough back into the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, place it in a warm corner of your house. Let it rise for about 1h30m or until it doubles in size.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. To shape them, place each piece of dough under the palm of your hand, pressing against a floured surface as you do circular movements. Flatten the balls with the tips of your fingers forming a flat circle of about 10 cm of diameter and 2 cm height. Sprinkle the circles with a dusting of flour, cover back with the cloth, let them proof again for about 30 minutes.
- Pre heat a cast iron or stainless-steel skillet over high heat. Cook the flatbreads on both sides until slightly charred. The bread should feel light when fully cooked. Rest your bolos do caco for a few minutes before serving with a garlic butter or using it on a sandwich. Enjoy!!
Tips
- The water should be warm. Using water that’s to hot will kill the yeast.
- If the dough feels too sticky while kneading it, you can add more flour.
- Non-stick pans should be avoided as they don’t- retain heat very well.
- If the ambient temperature is too low, you can place the dough into the oven with only the light on and add a bowl with boiling water. This will create a warm environment speeding the proofing process.
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments!