Skip to content

AI-generated image

Share this recipe

Pão na chapa

Griddled buttered roll

Pão na chapa: São Paulo's padaria breakfast of a buttered French roll pressed on a hot griddle

Stand at the counter of any São Paulo padaria at seven in the morning and you will hear the order a hundred times: 'um pão na chapa e um pingado'. A pão francês, the city's crusty little roll, is split, spread generously with salted butter and pressed cut-side down on the griddle until the crumb turns golden, crisp at the edges and soaked with butter, while the crust stays crackly. It comes with a café com leite and nothing else. At home a heavy frying pan and a second pan to press it do the job. The trap is a pan that is too hot, so the butter burns before the bread toasts; use a medium heat. Chef's tip: butter right to the edges and press the roll down firmly with a spatula or small pan, so the whole surface touches the metal and browns evenly.
Total time
8 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
2
One step at a time, big text, timers, read-aloud. Your screen stays on.

Ingredients

Serves2

Shop this recipe on Amazon

Spices & pantry

Fresh ingredients (1)

Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.

Method

0/4 done
  1. Step 1: Heat a heavy frying pan or flat griddle over a medium heat for 2 minutes.

    2 min
  2. Step 2: Split 2 crusty white rolls (pão francês) lengthways, leaving them joined at one side, and spread the cut surfaces thickly with 1 oz salted butter right to the edges.

  3. Step 3: Lay the rolls cut-side down in the pan and press them with a spatula or a small heavy pan. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until deep golden and crisp, pressing now and then.

    4 min
  4. Step 4: Turn and toast the crust for 30 seconds, then serve at once with milky coffee.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
290 kcal
Protein
6 g
Carbs
30 g
Fat
16 g
Fibre
1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does pão na chapa take?
About 8 minutes in total: 2 minutes to prepare and 6 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. It has no meat or fish.
What can I use instead of salted butter?
The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.

Rate this recipe

Sign in to rate and review this recipe.

Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato

Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.

by KrazyBadal 2 views

Doi chiraFlattened rice with curd

Nothing is cooked for doi chira, which is why it has been the breakfast of farmers and fishermen in Barisal for generations: flattened rice is rinsed, softened in thick, slightly sour curd and sweetened with jaggery or sugar, then mashed together with a ripe banana. The texture is soft and creamy with a little chew from the rice flakes, and the taste is cool, sweet and tangy. It is eaten on hot summer mornings, at village fairs and as part of the Pohela Boishakh spread, and it is a favourite of children and of anyone fasting who wants something gentle. The usual misstep is soaking the chira for too long, which turns it to paste; a quick rinse is all it needs before the curd does the rest. Chef's tip: use thick-cut chira, not the thin kind for frying, so the flakes hold their shape.

by KrazyBadal 2 views

BsissaRoasted barley flour with olive oil

A tin of bsissa sits in many Tunisian kitchen cupboards, from Tunis flats to farmhouses in the south: a finely ground flour of roasted barley, roasted chickpeas and spices such as coriander, fennel and aniseed. In the morning a few spoonfuls are worked with olive oil and something sweet into a nutty, crumbly paste, or stirred with water into a thick drink, and it keeps you going until lunch. Travellers and pilgrims once carried it for the road. Roasting your own flour takes 15 minutes and makes a jar that lasts weeks. Sugar and dates keep it vegan; some families use honey. Chef's tip: roast the flours separately over a low heat and stir constantly; the moment they smell like toasted biscuits and turn light tan, tip them out of the pan.

by KrazyBadal 2 views