Bolo do Caco com Manteiga de Alho

Ingredients

• 500 g strong white bread flour
• 350 g orange-fleshed sweet potato
• 12 g fresh baker's yeast (or 6 g instant dried)
• 10 g fine salt
• 100-150 ml warm water
• 100 g butter, softened
• 3 garlic cloves
• 15 g flat-leaf parsley
• 1 pinch coarse sea salt, for the butter

Before you cook

• Peel the sweet potato and cut it into even 3 cm chunks.
• Peel the garlic cloves and chop the parsley finely.
• Leave the butter out of the fridge until it is soft enough to stir easily.
• Weigh the flour into a large bowl and stir the fine salt through it.

Steps

1. Put the sweet potato into a pan, cover it with water, and bring it to a boil.
2. Simmer the sweet potato for twenty minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance.
3. Drain the sweet potato, mash it completely smooth, and leave it to cool to lukewarm.
4. Crumble the yeast into 100 ml of warm water and stir until it has dissolved.
5. Add the mashed sweet potato and the yeast water to the flour.
6. Knead for ten minutes, adding a splash more warm water only if the dough feels stiff, until it is soft and very slightly tacky.
7. Cover the bowl and leave the dough in a warm place for two hours, until it has doubled.
8. Crush the garlic to a paste with a pinch of coarse sea salt, using a mortar or the flat of a knife.
9. Beat the garlic paste and the chopped parsley into the softened butter, then set it aside at room temperature.
10. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it into eight pieces.
11. Flatten each piece by hand into a round about 12 cm wide and 2 cm thick.
12. Set the rounds on a floured cloth, cover them, and let them rest for thirty minutes.
13. Heat a heavy dry frying pan or flat griddle over medium-low heat.
14. Cook one round at a time for about seven minutes, until the base is browned in dark patches.
15. Flip it over and cook the second side for another seven minutes.
16. Tap the bread underneath; it should sound hollow and feel light for its size.
17. Split each hot bolo do caco horizontally, cutting almost but not quite all the way through.
18. Spread the garlic butter inside so it melts into the crumb, and serve immediately.