Masa Sovada

Portuguese sweet bread was a traditional Vineyard treat in my mother-in-law’s family for generations. Now you find it in ordinary grocery stores, but not as yummy as this version. Thickly sliced, toasted, then spread with real butter is a little bit of heaven. Mace, which is the outer covering of a nutmeg, is the ingredient that gives it a distinctive taste. Mace is also used in old-fashioned plain doughnuts.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk (heated)
1 package dry yeast dissolved in
1/4 cup hot water
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon powdered mace
5- 5 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve butter, sugar, and salt in 1 cup hot milk. Cool to luke-warm. Combine with dissolved yeast. Add 5 cups of the flour. Cover and set aside this sponge overnight. In the morning, cut down. Shape into two round loaves. Grease 8" cake pans and place loaves in. Let rise another hour. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cool 5 minutes, then turn out on a rack and cover with a towel while cooling.