Bôla de Carnes (Savory Quick Bread)

Bôla de Carnes, is a traditional Portuguese bread, it´s a savory quick bread, that has all sorts of cold meats, leftover meats, or deli meats added to it. I also like to add some cheese to it, just because it can´t hurt !  This is one of my favorite things to make to take on a picnic, or to serve at parties, but it´s also really handy, when you don't know what to make for dinner! This was the case for yesterday, the day got away, as sometimes it does, I knew I had leftovers for Mr.G, but wasn´t quite sure what to make for the kids, when I remembered this. There are many versions for this, and for the most part they are made while using "the force", no recipe, just eyeballing it. When there is a recipe, the common measure used is a "chavena" known to you and I as a coffee cup/mug, and yes it is a legit form of measurement! You can make this in two different ways, the first is as a cake, with all the cold cuts chopped in, and poured into a tube pan. The second way is how I prefer to make it, and that is layered in a 13x9 baking pan, both are delicious.

1 mug full of eggs ( crack eggs into the mug, until full)
1 mug of milk
1 mug of oil ( olive, or any other)
3 mugs of flour
2 tsps of baking powder ( full)
1/2 tsp of salt
3tsps of sugar (optional)

cold cuts of your choice (as much or as little as you like)
cheese of your choice (as much or as little as you like)

Preheat oven 350//180.

Grease and flour a cake  tube pan, or baking pan 13x9


In a bowl mix the first 7 ingredients, mix till you have a lump free batter.

Now, if you want to use a tube pan, add into the batter the chopped meats and cheese, give it a good mix, and pour into the pan.

If you choose the layered version, pour about half of the batter in the baking pan, next layer on the cold cuts and cheese, cover with the remaing batter.

Bake in the oven 30-35 minutes, and until a nice golden brown.



*** some great add ins, are olives, oregano, peppers