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Terracotta bowl of Portuguese sweet bread soup dessert with honey drizzle, cinnamon sugar, and orange zest on a wooden table

Portuguese Sweet Bread Soup Dessert (Açorda de Pão Doce)

A traditional Portuguese dessert made by simmering cubed sweet bread in spiced warm milk, thickened with egg yolks and sweetened with honey and orange zest.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 320
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 300 g Portuguese sweet bread (pão doce), day-old, cut into 3 cm cubes brioche or Hawaiian rolls work as substitutes
  • 600 ml whole milk
  • 3 tbsp honey plus extra to serve
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cinnamon stick optional but recommended
  • 1 tsp orange zest from about half a large orange
  • 2 egg yolks large
  • 15 g unsalted butter adds richness at the finish
  • 1 pinch pinch of fine salt balances the sweetness
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon sugar to serve, mixed from 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon

Method
 

  1. Spread the cubed pão doce on a baking tray and leave at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or overnight, until the surface feels slightly dry to the touch.
  2. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan. Add the cinnamon stick, ground cinnamon, orange zest, and a pinch of salt. Set over medium heat and warm until steam rises and small bubbles form at the edges, about 5 to 6 minutes. Do not boil.
  3. Stir in the honey until fully dissolved. Remove the cinnamon stick.
  4. Add the cubed bread to the warm milk. Stir gently to coat, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bread is soft and has absorbed most of the liquid. The mixture should look loose and porridge-like.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Add a large spoonful of the hot bread mixture to the yolks and whisk quickly to temper them.
  6. Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan in a slow stream, stirring constantly over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until the soup thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.
  7. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted and glossy.
  8. Ladle into shallow bowls. Dust with cinnamon sugar, drizzle with a little extra honey, and serve immediately.

Notes

For a richer, more custard-like result, use three egg yolks instead of two and stir in an extra knob of butter at the finish. The soup will continue to thicken as it sits, so err on the side of slightly loose when pulling it off the heat.