Bolo do Caco (large batch 25 pounds of flour
Makes about 35 to 40 Bolo do Cacos
Equipment
- 1 large industrial mixer or a 15 gallon tub to mix by hand.
Ingredients
- 25 pounds flour 11.34 kilograms. You could use all purpose or bread, flour I prefer bread, flour if it's available.
- 2 gallons warm 7.5 liters. Use warm water, if making the bread the same day. Or cold water if you are going to allow it to ferment overnight in a cool space.
- 1 quart sweet potato cooked and mashed.
- 20 tbsp yeast (dry active) only use 6 tablespoons of yeast, if fermenting overnight
- 3/4 cup salt salt should be is 1.75% of the weight of the flour.(198 grams per 25 pound bag of flour
Instructions
- Cook the sweet potato until very tender, then mash up the potato. This could be done up to three days ahead of time.
- Mix 2 gallons of warm water with the active dry yeast 1 tablespoon of sugar and the mashed potatoes. Allow this mixture to set for 5 -10 minutes. You should see some bubbles forming from the yeast.
- In a large mixture add the water yeast and mashed potato mixture with the 25 pounds of flour.
- Mix the salt into the flour mixture. For every 25 pounds of flour add 3/4 of a cup of granulated salt.
- With a mixer, kneed the dough for about 10- 15 minutes if using a large mixer. (30 minutes if kneading by hand)
- If the temperature is below 65°F allow the dough to ferment for at least four hours. If the temperature is above 75°F allow the dough to ferment three hours. (* steps 1 through 6 can be done the day before; by using 1/3 of the yeast (6 tablespoons) and allowing the dough to ferment for 8 to 16 hours overnight.
- After the first proofing/fermentation, place the dough on a large flat surface and use a bench scraper/knife to divide the dough in four equal parts.
- Roll each of the four portions into a long tube shape- about 4 inches thick.
- Cut/Divide the dough into 16/17 oz portions. Form the dough into a a ball shape shape. Then press the dough to form each portion into a disk shape. About 5-6 inches in diameter. (about 470 gram portions)
- Place each of the portions/disks on to a well floured 6- 8 inch paper plate.
- Cover the dough and allow to proof of 1-2 hours if the temperature is around 70- 80F (if the temperature is below 65-70F it may need to proof/ferment for 3-4 hours
- Cook over medium heat about five minutes on each side.
Notes
Note: you can cook the bread on each side until it is a golden brown, and then finish the bread in the oven. (when I use this method, I will Koch about 10-15 bolo do cacos, on each side until golden. Then place the bolo do cacos on a large sheet pan; put them in the oven and finish cooking at 400 F for and additional 10 minutes. If you have an instant read the monitor, the bread is done if the internal temperature is between 185 and 195°F
If you don't have a large mixer, you will need a large container about 15 gallons in size to mix and kneed the dough by hand.
My preferred method of doing the first fermentation is to do it the day before you bake the bread. When I do this, I only use 1/3 of the yeast. (about 6 tablespoons for a 25 pound bag) Let the dough proof overnight in a cool place like a refrigerator or outside of the refrigerator if the temperature is going to be between 50 and 60°F)
Fermenting at this cold temperature with a smaller amount of yeast allows you to ferment it for 8 to 16 hours. If the dough was proofed inside the refrigerator, allow it to warm up outside of the refrigerator for at least an hour before proceeding with step seven {dividing the dough}. (This is the preferred method because of slow and long fermentation, hot temperatures between 45 and 60°F. Develop more complex flavors, and this long fermentation helps develop the gluten.
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