Sopas Secas (it translates to Dry Soups) is a traditional Christmas dessert from Northern Portugal, specifically from the Douro, Tamega, and Ave regions. It’s a simple sweet that uses few ingredients and is very easy to make. Despite falling into disuse, this dessert is very comforting and typical. We will explain how to make traditional Sopas secas so that this Christmas, you can try or relive this tasty sweet.
Sopas Secas is a dessert made with bread, more precisely, stale bread. The bread is soaked in syrup made from sugar and port wine. And it goes to the oven to brown, traditionally in a wood oven. Some nostalgically say that the best dry soups were made in a wood-fired oven as in the old days. But, even without a wood oven, they are delicious.
In the past, it was a dessert consumed by the poorest families since it used few ingredients and leftover bread. It is a typical Christmas Eve dessert, eaten after Bacalhau com Todos. Nowadays, despite being less traditional, it continues to be part of the Christmas repertoire of many families—cooked by grandmothers or mothers who propagate the tradition.
This recipe, provided by my mother-in-law, belongs to our family. It follows what her mother used to make Grandma Rosa. We are very grateful for this culinary legacy and have the opportunity to share it with anyone who wants to try this very comforting sweet.
Sopas Secas Ingredients
Sopas Secas Syrup
(by using order)
- 1,5 liters of water;
- Lemon zest (only the yellow part);
- 500 g of brown sugar;
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 125 ml of Port Wine
- 1 pint of salt
Sopas Secas
(by using order)
- 10-15 pieces of bread or one large baguette
- Cinnamon powder
- Brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of honey
- Deep clay bowl or deep pot/plate that can go into the oven
Portions: 8-10;
Cooking time:
- 20 minutes to prepare;
- +/- 30 minutes in the oven;
Sopas Secas recipe
1. Combine all the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan and let it boil for a few minutes until everything is well dissolved.
2. Cut the bread into 1 cm slices. The bread must be old and have a hard consistency; do not use fresh bread; otherwise, it will fall apart more. The amount of bread will depend on the bowl size; the bread must fill the entire bowl and be very compact.
3. Put some of the syrup in a tray or deep dish. Place the slices of bread on top of the syrup to absorb it. Rotate the bread so that each side is well-soaked.
Tip: Let the syrup cool down before adding the bread, or it could burn. Don’t leave the bread in the syrup for too long; otherwise, it will fall apart.
4. Place the bread in an earthenware bowl suitable for the oven. Flatten the bread well so it has a well-stocked layer, and load it a little so it is well flattened.
5. Generously sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top of the bread. Repeat the process, adding layers of bread soaked in the syrup. Between the layers, put sugar and cinnamon until you make a bowl. The bread must be well-flattened and compact.
Tip: Leave a margin of 2 cm from the top of the bowl
6. Pour the remaining syrup over the bread. It should be moist; don’t worry if it looks too runny.
7. Sprinkle the last layer with cinnamon, sugar and/or honey.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180º C until caramelized. The time will depend on your oven, but as soon as you start to see the brown sugar and the crispy bread, turn off the oven; it may take 30 to 40 minutes.
Tip: It is advised to put a base under the bowl. The syrup liquid often overflows and makes the oven dirty.
Sopas Secas should be allowed to cool down a little before serving. When coming out of the oven, this dessert will be a dark brown color, with a burnt appearance, but don’t worry—that’s normal. The bread will be slightly risen/inflamed, but when it cools down, it is normal for it to collapse.
One of the most important aspects of making Sopas Secas is using the right bowl. The traditional ones are the bowls shown in the photo below, but as a rule, it should be a very deep clay bowl (in Portuguese it’s called an “alguidar“). Generally, oven rice is also made in this type of bowl. However, any tray or dish that goes into the oven can be used, though it has to be deep.
This sweet Portuguese dessert should be crunchy on the outside but very moist on the inside. It should melt in the mouth and leave a sweet aroma with a taste of cinnamon and the aftertaste of port wine. You can eat Sopas Secas hot or cold, but we like them warm.
Try making Sopas Secas this Christmas. It’s not complicated, uses only a few easy-to-Obtain ingredients, and there’s not much to go wrong.
While it might not be the best Portuguese dessert you’ve ever had, there’s something very comforting about eating warm, Christmas-flavored sweet bread. It tastes like tradition, comfort, affection, and family—it takes like Christmas.
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