Bolo do Caco (Caco Bread)

Ingredients

• 750 g sweet potato
• 1 kg all-purpose flour
• 150 ml water
• 3 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 3 teaspoons salt

Method

Cook the sweet potatoes until completely soft — roughly 20 minutes in boiling salted water — then drain and mash whilst still warm. The heat helps break down the cell walls and makes mashing easier; a cold potato fights back. Season the purée with salt.

Bloom the yeast in 150 ml of water for 10 minutes. This hydrates the dry cells and kickstarts fermentation; you'll see it foam slightly. Tip the flour into a large bowl, make a well in the centre, and add both the sweet potato purée and the yeast mixture. Mix by hand until a shaggy mass forms, then knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. The sweet potato adds sugars and moisture that shorten gluten development slightly, so you're looking for a dough that springs back when poked but doesn't tear easily.

cold-fermentation|Cold-ferment this dough for three days in the refrigerator. The slow yeast-fermentation|fermentation at low temperature develops flavour complexity and makes the dough easier to shape; the long timeline also allows the sweet potato's sugars to feed the yeast steadily. After three days, divide the dough into 8–10 equal portions — roughly 150 g each — on a floured surface. Shape each into a ball, then flatten to roughly 2.5 cm thick with your palm. Don't use a rolling pin; you want an uneven surface that will blister and leopard on the pan.

Rest the flattened discs for 30 minutes in a warm, draught-free place. This final proof lets the dough relax and take on a light, airy crumb inside.

Heat a dry cast-iron pan or griddle over medium-high heat until it's properly hot — water droplets should bead and dance. Place each bolo on the pan and cook without moving until the underside develops a thin, golden-brown crust with dark patches, roughly 3–4 minutes. Flip and repeat. The high-heat contact caramelises the sweet potato's sugars and creates the characteristic crispy exterior whilst the interior steams gently and stays tender. Rotate each bolo around the pan's edges to ensure the sides char slightly as well.

Serve warm with salted butter and fresh parsley, or cool to room temperature. The crust softens slightly as it cools, so eat whilst the contrast between crisp and tender is still alive.