My Portuguese Bread Rolls AKA Papo Secos are crusty on the outside with a light and airy interior. Perfect for sandwiches, dipping in a soup or spread with a generous curl of butter.
This is my take on traditional Portuguese Rolls. Easy to make whilst still delivering a delightful crust and a soft and fluffy inside.
I love the Portuguese crusty bread rolls from the local bakery in the Channel Islands. Every visit we have a few family BBQs and these include Portuguese crusty bread rolls.
Back home in Wales I set about recreating them, using the dough from my tried and trusted crusty farmhouse bread. After several tweaks to the shaping and baking I was very pleased with the results. Now we have our own Nando’s Garlic Bread too.
Traditionally, there is a long fermentation period when making Portuguese Rolls but I wanted to simplify the process. My recipe still gives the rolls an extra rise to keep them light and airy but I’ve tweaked their shaping. Once the rolls are shaped, I transfer them directly to a baking sheet.
My easy Portuguese Bread Rolls recipe makes 8 large or 12 standard crusty buns. Your bread is done and dusted in under 4 hours but that includes the dough rising and baking.
The secret to making the best Portuguese Bread Rolls involves flour and steam so you get an extra crispy crust. Dust your risen rolls with flour before baking and include an initial 10 minute blast of steam and heat. Introduce the steam using a cup of hot water in a preheated tin at the bottom of the oven. After this 10 minute blast at the beginning, bake as usual.
You may know by now that I love making bread. For me, the smell of freshly baked bread is something unique and special. And you really can’t beat homemade bread.
Portuguese Crusty Bread Rolls are a recent addition to our regular bread baking at The Kitchen Shed. But they are already much requested by friends and family alongside our Soft Bread Rolls, Tiger Bread and Multigrain Loaf.
What are Papo Secos ?
Papo Secos are Portuguese Bread Rolls. A favourite bread all over Portugal served in restaurants and homes alike.
The way in which their unique shape is formed makes these Portuguese Buns so light and airy. Balls of bread dough are flattened, a crease is made and then the dough is folded. Shaping the dough this way provides plenty of surface area which aerates the dough and delivers a fluffy bread.
Traditionally baked in a bread oven to give the rolls their crispy crust.
What equipment do I need ?
- I use my KitchenAid stand mixer to knead the dough. Simply add the ingredients and mix on a low speed. But don’t worry if you haven’t got a stand mixer. All you need is a bit of elbow grease and you can easily knead by hand.
- A large mixing bowl – I used my Pyrex bowl.
- A large baking tray or baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- A shallow baking tin to place in the bottom of the oven to receive a cup of hot water. This creates the beautiful crispy crust.
What ingredients do I need ?
You only need 6 ingredients to make this recipe.
- Bread Flour – I like to use Marriage’s Very Strong White Bread Flour, which is 100 % Canadian flour. This flour has the advantage of being high in protein and so produces more gluten. As a result, the dough holds together well but is also very elastic – perfect for making Portuguese Crusty Bread Rolls.
- Yeast – I’ve used instant yeast in the recipe, often called fast action or quick yeast. This yeast has the advantage that you can add it directly to your flour.
- Sugar – You need a small amount of white sugar to get the yeast activated. This is just the right amount without adding too much sweetness to the Papo Secos.
- Salt – I like to use sea salt as it contains less sodium than regular salt but any fine salt will work.
- Butter – I used softened unsalted butter
- Water – lukewarm water is best, that is, you should be able to comfortably dip your finger into your water. Cold water will work but it will take longer for the bread to rise.
REMEMBER – too high a temperature will kill your yeast and just like us, yeast works best at around 37°C / 98°F .

How to make Portuguese Bread Rolls | Papo Secos
For full instructions see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Make Your Dough
- I use my trusty KitchenAid stand mixer. All you have to do is add the ingredients and set on a slow speed for 10 minutes. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, check it using the window pane test.

The windowpane test is a consistently reliable way to check your dough is ready. Pinch off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it apart, pulling and rotating the dough into a thin membrane, or window pane, which is translucent when you hold it up to the light.
- Equally, the dough can be hand mixed together in a bowl and then kneaded on a counter top. You will get the same results.
First prove
- Place your dough in a large greased bowl and cover.
- Leave to rest in a warm place for at least one and a half hours or until doubled in size.
Second Prove
- Take the bread dough out of the bowl and give it 3 gentle folds. Taking care not to deflate all the air in the doughPlace the dough back in the bowl, cover and prove again for another 30 minutes.
How To shape Portuguese Rolls
- Transfer the dough to an oiled work surface and stretch out into a log shape. Divide into 8 or 12 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into a smooth ball by rolling in between the cup of your hand and the work surface.
- Place on a baking tray dusted with flour. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
- Dust your work surface with flour and individually flatten each dough ball to form a circle.
- Use the side of your hand or a wooden spoon to press along the centre of each circle to make a deep crease.
- Pull each end of the crease and stretch the dough into an oval shape.
- Fold in half along the crease and twist the ends to a point.
- Place on a baking tray and press the points of each roll.
- Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
Baking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 240°C and place a shallow baking tin in the bottom of the oven. You add hot water to this tin when you put your rolls in to bake.
- Dust risen rolls with flour.
- Place your bread rolls in the oven and then quickly pour a cup of hot water into the baking tin. Gently close the oven door.
- Bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes.
- Turn your oven down to 220°C and continue baking until golden brown.
- Tip your rolls onto a cooling rack and tap the base of the bread to check it is cooked. It should sound hollow.
How to Serve
These crusty bread rolls are perfect for sandwich fillings, your favourite burger, pulled pork or served with a warming soup.
How to make Nando’s Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- Portuguese Bread Rolls cut in half horizontally
- Garlic Butter Topping – half clove garlic – crushed, 50 g salted butter and 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Instructions for Nando’s Garlic Bread
- Preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / 425° °F / 400 °F fan.
- Melt the butter in a small pan on a low heat and add the crushed garlic. Continuing warming for one minute and remove from the heat.
- Add chopped parsley to your cooled butter and garlic and spread the cut faces of the bread rolls.
- Place on a lined baking tray cut faces up and bake for 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown.
How Long Do They Keep ?
Like most homemade bread, fresh is best but Portuguese Bread Rolls will keep for a couple of days.
Can I Freeze Them ?
These crusty bread rolls freeze well. Make sure your rolls are fully cooled and place in a freezer bag before freezing for up to three months.
I recommend baking from frozen for 5 minutes at 200°C. This way you’ll be enjoying crusty bread rolls almost as good as if they were freshly baked.
More Bread Recipes You Might Like….
Crusty Farmhouse Loaf
Naan Bread
Easy Pitta Bread
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Portuguese Bread Rolls | Papo Secos
Equipment
- stand mixer – I use my KitchenAid or knead by hand.
- Mixing Bowl
- large baking tray / sheet lined with parchment paper
- shallow baking tin
Ingredients
- 600 g very strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting
- 2 tsp fine sea salt / kosher salt
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 ½ tsp instant yeast I use Dove’s Farm
- 50 g softened butter 4tbs
- 350 ml tepid water
Instructions
Make Your Dough
- By hand: Mix the flour, softened butter, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Add a little water. Mix thoroughly, adding a little water at a time until you have formed a ball of dough.
- Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Check your dough is ready by using the windowpane test.
- KitchenAid: Add flour, softened butter, salt, sugar and yeast to the mixing bowl, make a well and add the water.
- Mix for 1 to 2 minutes on slow speed number 1.
- Turn up to number 2 speed for a further 8 to 10 minutes.
- Check your dough is ready by using the windowpane test.
First prove
- Place your dough in a large greased bowl and cover.
- Leave to rest in a warm place for at least one and a half hours or until doubled in size.
Second Prove
- Take the bread dough out of the bowl and give it 3 gentle folds. Taking care not to deflate all the air in the dough.
- Place your dough back in the bowl, cover and prove again for another 30 minutes.
Shape Your Dough
- Transfer the dough to an oiled work surface and stretch out into a log shape. Divide into 8 or 12 equal pieces, approx 125g for large rolls or 95g to 100g for standard.
- Pull each piece into a ball, pinching it together to seal. Then roll between the cup of your hand and the work surface to produce a smooth ball.
- Place each dough ball on a baking tray lined with baking parchment or silicone mat and dusted with flour. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
- Dust your work surface with flour and flatten each dough ball in turn so it becomes a circle.
- Use the side of your hand or a wooden spoon to press along the centre of each dough circle. You are looking to make a deep crease.
- Pull each end of the crease to make an oval shape.
- Fold in half along the crease and twist the ends to a point.
- Place on a baking tray and press the twisted points of each roll.
- Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 240°C / 220°C fan / 475 °F / 425 °F fan and place a shallow baking tin in the bottom of the oven.
- Dust risen rolls with flour.
Baking Instructions
- Place your baking tray of bread rolls in the oven and then quickly pour a cup of hot water into the pre-heated baking tin. Gently close the oven door.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 240°C / 220°C fan / 475 °F / 425 °F fan
- Turn your oven down to 220°C / 200°C fan / 425 °F / 400 °F fan and continue baking.
- Large rolls: 15 minutes until golden brown.
- Standard rolls: 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Tip your rolls onto a cooling rack and tap the base of the bread to check it is cooked, it should sound hollow.
Notes
- Makes 8 large or 12 standard rolls. Calories are calculated for one standard size Portuguese Roll.
- Don’t be tempted to add too much water to the baking tin. One cupful is enough to create steam at the beginning of baking which is all you need. Too much steam throughout baking and you can end up with a thick tough crust.
- Like most homemade bread, fresh is best but Portuguese Bread Rolls will keep for a couple of days.
- These crusty bread rolls freeze well. Make sure your rolls are fully cooled and place in a freezer bag before freezing for up to three months.
- To keep the bread rolls crusty after freezing I would recommend baking from frozen for 5 minutes at 200°C / 180°C fan / 400°F / 350 °F fan.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Laura
Friday 5th of May 2023
These turned out amazing! A big hit at my home. A great recipe and well explained. I'll be using it a lot in the future, thanks!
Sarah James
Friday 2nd of June 2023
You're most welcome Laura, it's a pleasure to share my recipe. Great to hear you will be making my Portuguese Rolls again, Sarah.
Wanda
Tuesday 7th of March 2023
Thanks for showing how to form the rolls! I can't wait to make this recipe!
Sarah James
Tuesday 7th of March 2023
You're most welcome Wanda, do let me know how you get on, Sarah.
gunjan
Tuesday 7th of March 2023
Such a perfect texture and so soft. Well explained and absolutely doable recipe. We loved these bread rolls.
Sarah James
Tuesday 7th of March 2023
Thanks Gunjan, that's great to hear. So pleased your love our Portuguese rolls, Sarah.
Toni
Tuesday 7th of March 2023
This was a huge hit at my house!! Everyone loved them! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Sarah James
Tuesday 7th of March 2023
You're most welcome Toni, it's always a pleasure to share my bread recipes, Sarah.
Katherine
Tuesday 7th of March 2023
I adore Portuguese rolls, but haven't attempted to make them myself, until now! Thanks for such a detailed tutorial. Perfection!
Sarah James
Tuesday 7th of March 2023
Hi Katherine, so pleased your first attempt at Portuguese Rolls were a success. I'm glad you found the tutorial helpful, Sarah.