I just returned from a fabulous trip from Chicago. I chuckle, because it appears that most of my business trips, morph into friendships that may possibly last a lifetime. This trip was no different, I sat up later than normal chatting with my new friends into the wee hours. I loved hearing about their family , their traditions and their love for Chicago Style Pizza. I adore traditions and couldn’t help but think about my family and all our Portuguese traditions. This time of year, it seems appropriate to share one of my favorite Easter treats. I loved watching my grandmother and my mother make Portuguese Easter Bread or Folar de Pascoa every year.
If you are Portuguese, you know that you must have Portuguese Easter Bread or Folar de Pascoa around the family table. Folar is a sweet Portuguese Bread with a boiled egg in the middle. It’s interesting because I often wonder why this delicacy is made before Easter. To me, it would make so much more sense to make after the Holiday when you are trying to figure out what to do with all those leftover eggs. After all that is how I first came up with my deviled egg bar that I feature every Easter. But no, that is NOT how the Portuguese do it… so I must follow tradition.
I love this bread when it comes out of the oven and may love it even more when the bread is toasted at a later date. I am not sure what everyone does with the hard boiled egg in the middle. This has never been explained to me by my ancestors. I realize that this just adds to the problem of having more boiled eggs… but it just wouldn’t be Easter without having a Folar de Pascoa. Honestly, part of the fun is spending the day in the kitchen with Vo-Vo creating memories that will last a lifetime.
This Week’s #SundaySupper is hosted by one of our fabulous #SundaySupper Contributors, Carla from Chocolate Moosey. I adore Carla’s recipes and her photography is absolutely amazing! You can check out her blog here. 
Easter Sunday Supper Recipes:
- How To Color Easter Eggs Naturally from Shockingly Delicious
Breakfast, Breads, and Buns
- Bunny Rabbit Bread from In The Kitchen With Audrey and Maurene
- Easter Brunch Creme Brulee Baked Oatmeal from In The Kitchen With KP
- Fresh Blueberries Hot Cross Buns from My Cute Bride
- Jamaican Easter Spice Bun from The Lovely Pantry
- Paska – Ukranian Easter Bread from Cupcakes and Kale Chips
- Portuguese Easter Bread | Folar de Pascoa from Family Foodie
- Resurrection Rolls from Neighbor Food
Appetizers and Sides
- Asparagus, Brie & Ham Crostini from Daily Dish Recipes
- French Gratin Potatoes (Dauphinoise) from Simply Gourmet
- Lemon Glazed Carrots from Curious Cuisiniere
- Not So Deviled Eggs from Country Girl in the Village
- Orange Raisin Couscous from Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Potato and Leek Gratin from Webicurean
- Spinach Spaetzle (Spinat Spaetzle) from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
Main Dishes
- Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary from Small Wallet Big Appetite
- Slow Cooker Honey Glazed Ham from The Meltaways
- Sicilian “Enchiladas” from The Cooking Actress
Dessert
- Alebele – Goan Coconut filled Pancake from Masala Herb
- Bunny-Approved Baked Easter Doughnuts from The Weekend Gourmet
- Carrot Cake Cheesecake from Chocolate Moosey
- Carrots in Dirt from The Urban Mrs
- Coconut and M&M’s Cookie from Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Coconut Cake with Coconut Buttercream from Juanita’s Cocina
- Coconut Cupcakes from Magnolia Days
- Cream Cheese Candies from Cravings of a Lunatic
- Easter Egg Cookies from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Easter Simnel Cake from Happy Baking Days
- Exotic Walnut Cookies from What Smells So Good?
- Honey Panna Cotta with Grand Marnier Mixed Berries from Gourmet Drizzles
- Japanese Easter Petit Fours and Flowers from Ninja Baking
- Nutella Easter Egg Candy from The Messy Baker
- Old-Fashioned Peanut Rolled Eggs from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Painted Sugar Cookies from Ruffles and Truffles
- Strawberry Bundt Cake from Basic N Delicious
Passover Sunday Supper Recipes:
- Homemade Matzo from The Foodie Army Wife
- Mock Gefilte Fish from Fast Food to Fresh Food
Dessert
- Apple and Cranberry Charoset from The Little Ferraro Kitchen
- Flourless Chocolate Torte from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Moroccan Haroset from MarocMama
- Pavlova with Red Berries, Lime and Hibiscus from YinMom YangMom
Wine Pairing Recommendations for #SundaySupper Religious Feasts from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday, March 24 to talk all about Easter and Passover recipes! We’ll tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and food photos.
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 envelopes dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 eggs beaten
- 5 to 6 cups flour
- 6 hard boiled eggs
- Combine 1 cup of warm milk, sugar, butter and salt in a large bowl. Stir until most of the butter is melted.
- Add beaten eggs.
- Sprinkle yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar into the remaining milk.
- Stir to dissolve.
- Let stand to rise until bubbly and doubled in volume. Approximately 2 to 3 hours.
- Add yeast into the butter mixture.
- Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.
- Place on a well-floured surface.
- Knead 8 to 10 minutes until well mixed and smooth.
- Place dough in a large buttered bowl and cover.
- Let rise in a warm place, approximately 2 hours or until double in volume.
- Punch dough down,and place onto a lightly floured surface.
- Divide into 3 parts and make braid.
- Place a hard boiled egg in the middle of each round and criss cross the braid on top.
- Place on a greased cookie sheet and cover.
- Brush bread with beaten egg.
- Bake in 350 degree oven about 25 minutes.
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers
March 24, 2013 at 1:34 amOh my gosh your Portuguese Easter Bread | Folar de Pascoa, sounds amazing! You are so creative with you recipes, I just love them!!
FamilyFoodie
March 24, 2013 at 9:51 amThank you Jennifer. You are so sweet…. I’m not sure if I’m creative or if Portuguese Traditions just seem a little odd… hahaha
The Ninja Baker
March 24, 2013 at 5:05 amHistory of food, of traditions are so interesting to me…Thank you so much for sharing this Portuguese Easter Bread recipe and story, Isabel…I trust the hardboiled eggs are peeled =)
FamilyFoodie
March 24, 2013 at 9:52 amBelieve it or not…. the hard boiled eggs are not peeled… you peel them after you eat the bread. Great reminder that I should probably add that detail to the recipe.
Renee
March 24, 2013 at 7:22 amWhat a great bread to have for Easter. It’s interesting how we do the traditions and cook the food and sometimes don’t know why certain things are done (like putting the egg in the middle).
FamilyFoodie
March 24, 2013 at 4:03 pmI am on a mission to find out about that egg… hahaha
Lane @ Supper for a Steal
March 24, 2013 at 8:50 amThis is so interesting with the egg in the middle. Um I want to come to your deviled egg bar, sounds so fun!
FamilyFoodie
March 24, 2013 at 10:30 pmYou must come over for our deviled egg bar… maybe I will set up a Mimosa Bar for us too!
Katie
March 24, 2013 at 9:30 amThe egg in the middle sounds so intriguing!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
March 24, 2013 at 9:48 amEeee this looks fabulous! Love it!
Wendy (The Weekend Gourmet)
March 24, 2013 at 10:06 amThis bread looks so good…I love sweet bread! I also love hearing about holiday traditions from other cultures. I am sort of a mutt, so we didn’t grow up with any cultural traditions…unless you count Country Southern :)! I married into some fun customs, though.
Shannon @VillageGirlBlog
March 24, 2013 at 10:12 amI love your family recipe! I love family traditions. I am Italian and we also have an Easter Bread with an egg in the middle. My grandmother told me this was a symbol of rebirth and the origins of life. I am not sure if that translates the same in Portuguese but it could be along the same lines. Thank you for sharing with us.
Jen @JuanitasCocina
March 24, 2013 at 10:16 amI’ve decided I want to be Portugese.
Cindy
March 24, 2013 at 10:49 amI’ve seen bread like this wit eggs braided into it on the outside. That taste sounds awesome!
Sherron@SimplyGourmet
March 24, 2013 at 10:58 amWhat a gorgeous bread recipe. I love the interesting information that is always shared in your post, history is a favorite subject of mine and especially food history. Well done friend!
Liz
March 24, 2013 at 11:28 amI love how special Easter breads are part of so many of our family traditions. My mom always had iced rolls for us after Easter Vigil services 🙂 Wonderful loaf with lasting memories…that will continue with your children and their children…
Bea
March 24, 2013 at 11:41 amIt is so nice to hear that you had a great time in Chicago. I sometimes miss it…
Such a fantastic tradition – I love traditions and the Portuguese Easter Bread sounds and looks fabulous. So, what do you do with the egg in the middle? Do you eat it?
Happy Sunday!
Sarah Reid, RHNC (@jo_jo_ba)
March 24, 2013 at 12:39 pmSuch a neat bread! Never seen one like that before
kathia Rodriguez
March 24, 2013 at 1:28 pmThis is a fantastic tradition and looks and sounds so delicious.
Diana @GourmetDrizzles
March 24, 2013 at 1:35 pmThese are the recipes that warm my heart, and make me smile the most! What a beautiful story- and I had no idea on the egg! Thank you for sharing, and I love how you continue to pass on your love of food, family and community to everyone that crosses your path- even in business meetings 😉
Anne @ Webicurean
March 24, 2013 at 2:04 pmThe bread looks delicious! I was just reading about Easter foods the other day, and there are also Italian and Corsican Easter breads made with hard boiled eggs–apparently the eggs symbolize rebirth, but no mention of why they’re baked into the bread (other cultures simply use them for decoration)
Laura | Small Wallet, Big Appetite
March 24, 2013 at 2:59 pmReading so much about Portuguese food and history makes me all the more excited to plan our first trip there. I love living in Europe 🙂 This bread sounds like such a wonderful tradition
Carla
March 24, 2013 at 4:24 pmI never did understand the hard boil eggs and bread haha looks beautiful!
Jennie @themessybakerblog
March 24, 2013 at 4:38 pmIsabel, this is one beautiful loaf of bread. I love family traditions!
Lyn @LovelyPantry
March 24, 2013 at 5:12 pmThis bread is just lovely. I love traditional breads like this 🙂
Katy
March 24, 2013 at 5:45 pmWhat a fun, seasonal bread! I must have a go at making this!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen
March 24, 2013 at 6:04 pmHere we have an easter crown with hard boiled eggs on top and pastry cream. But you´re right about being a better choice of recipe for after the holidays. That portuguese bread is wonderful Isabel!
FamilyFoodie
March 25, 2013 at 7:06 pmI bet the pastry cream makes it even tastier!
Alex
March 24, 2013 at 8:38 pmI love folar. It’s funny because I didn’t enjoy it much while I lived with my parents, but when I moved out I started loving it. Part of the process of gathering memories of home, I guess. 🙂
FamilyFoodie
March 25, 2013 at 7:05 pmAlex~you are so right… I was the same way as a child and now there are so many more recipes that I cherish.
Martin D. Redmond
March 24, 2013 at 10:06 pmHa! Anything recipe with “yeast” in it frightens me, but your bread looks fantastic!
M Luisa
March 25, 2013 at 6:05 amSounds great and looks so tasty!!
Lori @ RecipeGirl
March 25, 2013 at 10:13 amMy Mom’s side of the family is Portuguese, but I’ve never tried a Portuguese Easter Bread! Looks like a fun one to make!
FamilyFoodie
March 25, 2013 at 12:21 pmLori~ I had no idea your were Portuguese… we will have to share some recipes!
Paulo Correia
March 26, 2016 at 8:27 pmThe eggbread immediately around the egg is *the best*! My favorite part of the folar! My mom makes her eggbread with rum, and *that* smells incredible when baking!