This Bolo do Caco recipe makes the soft, slightly sweet flatbread from the island of Madeira: a round, pillowy bread with a golden, lightly charred crust, made with mashed sweet potato and finished with a brush of hot garlic butter. It takes about 35 minutes of actual work, plus a rise of an hour or two, and it needs only a cast-iron skillet, not an oven.
Bolo do Caco Recipe: What Makes It Special
Bolo do caco comes from Madeira, the Portuguese island in the Atlantic. The name refers to the caco, the flat basalt stone slab it was traditionally cooked on, and the bread has been a staple there for generations. It’s eaten warm, split open and soaked with garlic butter, or used as the bun for a steak sandwich known as prego no bolo do caco. Bakers on the island often serve it alongside espetada, the garlicky beef skewers cooked over a fire.
What sets it apart from other flatbreads is the sweet potato. It makes the crumb moist and tender, and it adds a gentle sweetness that plays well against the salty garlic butter. Don’t expect a quick bread, though. It’s a yeast dough, so it needs time to rise.
Three Things to Get Right
1. The sweet potato. Boil peeled chunks in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes until fork-tender, drain very well, then mash while still warm. Let the mash cool until it’s no longer hot, or it will kill the yeast. Use plain boiled potato, not canned sweet potatoes, which carry extra liquid and sugar. Orange-fleshed varieties give the best color and flavor.
2. The feel of the dough. This is a soft, fairly sticky dough, because sweet potato adds moisture. Resist the urge to keep adding flour. Instead, lightly flour your hands and the counter, and knead until it turns smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes by hand or 5 in a stand mixer. If it truly won’t come together, add flour a spoonful at a time.
3. The heat. Medium heat and patience. Too hot, and the outside chars before the middle is cooked. Too cool, and the bread turns pale and dry. You’re looking for a skillet hot enough that a pinch of flour browns slowly, not instantly.
Bolo do Caco Recipe Ingredients
For the dough: 500 g (about 4 cups) all-purpose flour; 250 g (about 1 cup) mashed sweet potato; 10 g (1 tablespoon) active dry yeast; 300 ml (1¼ cups) warm water, about 110°F; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon sugar, to start the yeast.
For the garlic butter: 100 g (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter; 3 to 4 garlic cloves, finely minced; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, optional; a pinch of sea salt.
How to Make Bolo do Caco
- Wake the yeast. Stir the warm water, sugar and yeast together and leave for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
- Mix. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the cooled mashed sweet potato and the yeast mixture, and stir to a shaggy dough.
- Knead and rise. Knead until smooth, 8 to 10 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1½ to 2 hours, until doubled.
- Shape. Punch the dough down and divide it into 6 to 8 pieces. Pat or roll each into a disc about ½ inch thick, and rest them on a floured surface for 20 minutes.
- Cook. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, with no oil. Cook the discs one or two at a time, 5 to 7 minutes per side, flipping once, until golden with a few darker spots and cooked through. Lower the heat if they brown too fast.
- Make the garlic butter. While the bread cooks, melt the butter over low heat with the garlic, parsley and salt for 1 to 2 minutes. Don’t let the garlic brown, or it turns bitter.
- Finish. Brush the hot bread generously with the garlic butter and serve right away.
From Basalt Stone to Home Skillet
You don’t need a basalt stone. A heavy cast-iron skillet or flat griddle holds steady heat and gets you the same browned surface. A pizza stone or steel, preheated well in a hot oven and used on the rack, gets close to the traditional radiant heat, though it’s less convenient. If you’re short on time, baking the discs on a hot sheet pan at 450°F for about 12 to 15 minutes works, and the bread will be a little paler and softer. Whatever you use, make sure the surface is dry and hot before the dough goes on.
Bolo do Caco Recipe Card
Bolo do Caco Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Potato masher or fork
- Wooden spoon or dough hook
- Clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap
- Large cast iron skillet or griddle
- Small saucepan (for garlic butter)
- Pastry brush (optional)
Ingredients
- For the Dough
- 500 g about 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 250 g about 1 cup mashed sweet potato (peeled & boiled)
- 10 g 1 tbsp dry active yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 300 ml 1¼ cups warm water
- 1 tsp sugar to activate yeast
- For Garlic Butter:
- 100 g 7 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 –4 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley optional
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Step 1: Activate the Yeast: In a small bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
- Step 2: Prepare the Dough: In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the mashed sweet potato and the activated yeast mixture. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
- Step 3: Knead and Rest: Knead the dough by hand (or with a mixer) for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Step 4: Shape the Flatbreads: Punch down the dough and divide it into 6–8 equal pieces. Shape each into a disc about ½ inch thick. Let them rest on a floured surface for 20 minutes.
- Step 5: Cook on the Skillet: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat (no oil needed). Cook each disc for 5–7 minutes per side, flipping once, until golden and cooked through. Adjust heat as needed to avoid burning.
- Step 6: Make Garlic Butter: While the bread cooks, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add garlic, parsley, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 1–2 minutes over low heat.
- Step 7: Serve :Brush the hot Bolo do Caco with garlic butter and serve immediately.
Notes
How to Eat It
Warm, with garlic butter, and nothing else, is hard to beat. Beyond that:
- Prego no bolo do caco: split the bread and fill it with thin, quickly seared garlic-marinated steak, a little mustard and lettuce.
- Beside grilled meat or seafood: it’s the classic partner for beef skewers, grilled prawns or octopus. A simple pan-seared fish such as the broiled mahi mahi or Acadian redfish with lemon butter also goes well.
- With a main course: use it to soak up the sauce from something like the chicken medallions with Dijon cream sauce.
- On a board: tear it up with cheese, cured meats and olives.
- Sandwich bread: tuna salad, grilled chicken with piri-piri or roasted vegetables with hummus all work.
When the Bread Doesn’t Behave
It’s dense. The dough didn’t rise enough, or the yeast was old or killed by hot sweet potato. Give it more time in a warm place, and check the yeast date.
The outside burns before the inside cooks. The skillet is too hot, or the discs are too thick. Lower the heat, and keep the discs around ½ inch.
It’s gummy in the middle. Too much moisture, or it was cut too soon. Drain the sweet potato well, and let the bread cool for a few minutes before splitting.
It’s tough. Too much flour was added while kneading. Keep the dough soft and slightly tacky.
Swaps, Storage and Safety
For a vegan version, use olive oil or plant-based butter for the garlic topping, since the dough itself contains no dairy or eggs. For a gluten-free attempt, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum and expect a denser crumb and a shorter rise. For extra flavor, knead a little oregano or rosemary into the dough, or finish the garlic butter with chili flakes or lemon zest.
Store cooled bread in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days at room temperature, or freeze for up to a month. Reheat in a dry skillet or toaster, and brush with fresh garlic butter. Garlic butter keeps in the fridge for about a week. Don’t taste the raw dough, since uncooked flour can carry bacteria. Wash your hands and surfaces after handling it.
The recipe card lists 250 calories per portion, but with the butter on top the real number is probably higher, closer to 400 for one of six breads. It contains wheat and dairy. The dough is a long, slow one, so total time is around 3 hours including the rise, and if you like working with yeast dough, the pizza dough uses a similar method. For a very different, quicker bread, try the coconut-milk Belizean johnny cakes.
Questions About This Bolo do Caco Recipe
Do I need a stone? No. A cast-iron skillet or griddle works well.
Can I use regular potato instead of sweet potato? You can, but you’ll lose the sweetness and color. The bread will be closer to a plain potato bread.
Can I make the dough ahead? Yes. After kneading, refrigerate it overnight in a covered, oiled bowl. Bring it to room temperature, then shape and cook.
Can I use instant yeast? Yes. Use about 25 percent less, and mix it directly into the flour without proofing.
If you’ve eaten this bread in Madeira or have a family version, tell me about it in the comments. Notes from people who know the bread help other readers more than any recipe.