Pau Hana Years, a new day for older Americans, a time for living, your host, Bob Barker.

Bob Barker: Hi, and welcome to the program for and by the senior citizens of Hawaiʻi.

Today, Pau Hana Years is on the Valley Isle.

Here in Hawaiʻi, where the cultures of foreign lands have merged, many of the arts and customs of the forefathers, which were brought to the islands are slowly disappearing or being forgotten, as new generations arise under the influence of today's cosmopolitan society.

One of these is a method of making and baking Portuguese bread.

We're visiting the home of Mr. And Mrs. Joseph Marciel.

Where Isabel Marciel is about to start the operation which furnishes her family with its total supply of bread.

Which of the Portuguese bread are you going to bake today Isabel?

How many different kinds of Portuguese breads are there?

Isabel Marciel: That I know of is one, BB: One Portuguese...sweetbread's one, huh?

IM: Portuguese bread is different entirely different from the sweet bread, from the white bread.

BB: So this is the white bread.

Sweet bread and the white bread and you're doing the white bread today.

What are the ingredients?

Flour?

You're sifting the flour now.

Is this a special kind of flour just regular flour?

IM: This is just regular flour.

BB: And what other ingredients go in what, what else do you mix in?

IM: Sugar, salt, the yeast.

BB: Do you use any shortening?

IM: Yes the shortening's right there in this spot.

BB: What kind of, do you use Hawaiian salt?

IM: Hawaiian salt.

BB: I see the coarse grain salt.

IM: The coarse salt.

BB: Why do you use the Hawaiian salt does it make it better?

IM: Better flavor.

BB: Better flavor IM: In fact, all my foods.

BB: Oh, you use Hawaiian salt a lot, huh?

IM: Yes, when I buy... BB: When you buy salt, you buy Hawaiian salt?

IM: I buy a 50 pound bag of salt.

BB: Oh you, 50 pounds!

IM: Lasts me a year, is a year.

There goes the salt.

2 cups of sugar but this is BB: The big cup IM: Mm hmm.

BB: How much, how much flour do you use here?

IM: I use I think was five sifters I put right now.

BB: Five sifters.

IM: The last that I put over there.

BB: And this is the yeast?

Now this is regular yeast.

Didn't back in the old days they used to use a starter that went, that you carried over from one baking to another?

IM: That’s right.

BB: What was that starter, what was that made of?

IM: They make they can have they have to have a start of a, from one day to the other, so the next when they're going to make the yeast they add Irish potatoes' peel, grated.

BB: Grated Irish potatoes IM: And then add sugar.

Very little sugar, because if you put too much sugar it won't rise.

BB: How many yeast did you put in there?

IM: I put nine.

BB: Nine packages yeast IM: That's three of... BB: Now after you have all the dry ingredients you start putting in the liquids, huh?

IM: That's right.

BB: And that's milk you just put in?

IM: Milk and this is the shortening.

BB: Shortening.

IM: I melt my shortening first before I use it in my bread.

BB: Is that different than some other people who, they don't melt?

IM: Well I don't know how other people this is my way of doing it.

BB: It’s your way of doing it, mm hm.

Now you mix with a hand, huh?

No, no spoons or anything like that.

IM: No.

I mixed with my hand because if I'm gonna put it in the mixer before that I mix it, I'm going to have flour all over the kitchen.

So I moisten it first.

BB: Do you measure the amount of milk and water you put in?

Or do you just go by the way it feels or looks?

IM: I, yeah?

This is three quart container.

I used two cups of instant carnation milk.

BB: Oh I see.

IM: We don't have cow's milk, so.

BB: Oh you use the use the canned milk and... IM: No not the canned milk, the dry... BB: Oh the dry carnation.

I see.

Mm hm.

How long you been baking bread?

IM: Since I was 13 years old BB: 13?

You started a little early, didn't you?

IM: That's right.

Yeah.

BB: How many in your family?

How many children in your, brothers and sisters?

IM: Well, at that time we had six of my brothers and sisters was only two.

BB: How’d you happen to start from young so early, bake bread?

IM: Cuz I, I had a sister that was very sick.

And my mother had to be with her at the hospital so I was the only, the oldest one of the girls so I had to take it.

BB: Oh, you were the oldest girl.

Where your brothers older than you?

IM: Oh much more.

They were all except one that wasn't older than what I was.

BB: But they didn't work in the kitchen?

IM: Oh no.

BB: No.

How did you learn?

Did somebody?

Did you watch your mother or did she teach you?

IM: I couldn't learn very much with her because she was at the hospital with my sister.

I had to, today bread comes nice, and next time God knows?

BB: Oh, I see, experiment.

IM: And that's how I learned, the hard way.

BB: and do you bake all, do you bake all the time?

You bake bread all the time now.

Do ever buy bread from the store?

IM: Very seldom, when I run short of bread.

I'm not too fond of that bread, that's why.

BB: You don't care for that bread in the store, huh?

How many loaves of bread do you bake at one time?

IM: Well sometimes 12, sometimes 14.

And it, just happens how much of, that I mix but I usually, use, easily can put 14 loaves of bread in my oven.

BB: 14 in the oven.

And the batch you're mixing today will be just about that same amount?

IM: That's right.

BB: Now you, when you bake 14 loaves of bread, how do you keep it from going stale before you use it up?

IM: No stale bread, we put it in the freezer.

BB: Oh the freezer.

IM: When I want bread I get it from the freezer.

BB: You take it out of the freezer a loaf at a time.

IM: So please put this in BB: That’s all right.

Yes.

Now that’s... IM: This one goes into there.

BB: The mixing bowl and goes right into the mixer with the help of Mr. Marciel.

IM: This is done.

BB: Well that's all done.

You can tell by the way it feels?

IM: You see the way the bread... BB: Ah, stretchy.

IM: It's all elastic, what you call it.

BB: So that means it’s ready to transfer to the other pan?

IM: To the pan, that's right.

IM: You see how fast this is rising?

BB: Yes that’s rising.

Now do you just put the other in on top of that?

IM: Yes that’s right.

BB: Even though this has been out of the mix for a long time?

IM: That’s alright.

BB: So then you have one big batch?

IM: I have to let this close so I can put in the... BB: You want to move the table closer?

IM: So that I can put the bowls.

BB: When your kids you eat the fudge, the frosting from mother's cake... IM: That's right and small children they love to eat dough, I never did give to eat dough.

BB: Now this is called kneading the bread isn’t IM: That's right.

BB: And what does it?

What does kneading do that mixing doesn’t do?

Anything?

Or is it just another way of mixing?

IM: Because I think if you’re going to mix in the bowl you're going to mix it gradually with your hand, see?

This you use your two hands you pound into bread.

BB: There’s a lot of weight there too, isn't it?

BB: Now you cover it up to keep the temperature the same or something like that?

IM: You have to have the whatchu may call it?

The bread covered so that it rises faster.

Or as the dough gets cold it's gonna take you a long time for the bread comes out.

BB: Oh you don't want it to get cold, mm hm.

BB: So the bread has risen once and you pound it down again and then let it rise again, is that it?

IM: That's right.

BB: And back goes the cover to keep it warm.

BB: Do you grease the pans with the shortening?

Same shortening you use in the bread, huh?

IM: That's right.

BB: Is it tradition that you use round, round pans for Portuguese bread?

IM: That's right.

BB: And you never make Portuguese bread in the rectangular pans or square pans?

IM: No I always do, I always put my bread in pan, these round pans.

IM: This is just what the dough not to stick to the pans.

BB: Mm hm.

BB: And there it is, oh, up high.

BB: And what are you making now?

IM: I'm making the rolls.

BB: Oh you’re gonna make some rolls out of this dough too?

IM: Good, dis gonna be the first one is going to be baked that's the first thing you're going to eat, get the butter ready.

BB: Yeah, hot butter.

Hot rolls with butter, mm.

BB: How many how many pans of rolls will you make?

IM: Well all depends if I want to make more loaves I add more put more pans I usually do all this one time.

BB: Yeah.

Ever make sweet bread in a roll form like a roll?

Like a roll?

Do you ever do that?

IM: I do, make the sweet breads and make them just like these are all in rolls.

IM: One piece, grab a piece and eat it.

BB: And this is, this is your granddaughter?

IM: Granddaughter, yeah.

BB: And what's her name?

IM: Michelle.

BB: Oh she likes the dough, oh she likes it.

IM: Say that's my granny's bread.

BB: Michelle that's fun, Michelle that's fun to play in huh?

IM: Oh what, she wants more.

Look at that and she loves it.

Some of the kids do with lipstick Michelle.

BB: You’re gonna get full.

You're gonna get full.

IM: And tell to Mr. Barker, this tastes good.

Hmm, tastes good?

Okay, there bebeh, how cute!

IM: Michelle, nobody but you have the privilege, yeah?

BB: I bet she'd had fun kneading the bread.

IM: Well the time we'll take, someday.

BB: You’re gonna get real full.

IM: Well I think you didn't eat food so you eatin’ dough.

I think you're gonna have enough you know.

BB: Now you spread flour on cloth, why is that?

IM: Well, I'm going to start rolling the bread.

BB: Oh you roll it when you make the loaf, huh?

IM: You see this is much more than those small rolls?

BB: Yes, yes.

IM: Well that's another kneading process then, isn't it?

BB: Isabel, have you lived in Maui all your life?

IM: All my life.

BB: You were born here, huh?

IM: That's what they call the Hawaiʻi-born.

BB: Your parents come from Portugal?

IM: All Madeira, from Portugal.

IM: The guava wood is one of the best for baking bread, you know, in this oven, because they have good heat.

This one is just pick up among whatchu call it the (inaudible) trees.

BB: Guava wood sure.

Now you, you're building the fire right in the oven and then what, how do you, you take the, you heat the oven and then take the ashes out is that the way you do it?

IM: That's right.

BB: And put the bread right in the... IM: Right on that.

BB: Where the fire was.

IM: Yeah that's right.

You take up all of the ashes and coals that you gonna have here, you take it all out.

BB: How long will the bread stay in the oven then to bake?

IM: Will be baked?

BB: Yeah.

IM: One hour.

BB: One hour.

BB: There it goes.

Snap, crackle, and pop.

And after the fire has been burning for about an hour and the oven is all heated and you take all the ashes out, huh?

IM: And look at all the ashes.

BB: Yes.

And that oven is hot.

IM: Hot and how don’t get in there now.

BB: And what is that you’re doing now, Isabel?

IM: Mopping the rest of the ashes.

BB: Oh getting the floor of the oven cleaned out.

Is that water?

Just water, huh?

IM: This water is just not to make the ashes not fly around.

BB: The oven’s all ready and now time for the bread to go in.

IM: Going right in.

BB: You put flour on the paddle so it will slide off, huh?

BB: There’s a certain trick to getting that off the paddle I imagine isn't there?

IM: Yeah, that is, that's the truth.

BB: Your husband Joe was telling me that many people never learn that part of it.

IM: To take the bread?

BB: To take the bread off the paddle in the oven.

BB:Is that pretty even heat all through the oven so you don't have to worry about what position to place them in?

IM: All you got to do is put your hand in here.

BB: You can tell.

IM: Your hand, can stand the heat the bread will stand the heat.

BB: There they are, 14 loaves of Portuguese white bread.

And already those in the back that were put in first they're beginning to brown.

BB: Now we close the oven door and an hour from now, should have some nice hot loaves of bread.

Is it just as hard to get it out as it was to put it in?

IM: I don't think so, that's up to you now.

BB: Oh no, comes right out, comes right out.

Look at this gorgeous loaf of bread I baked.

Isn't that beautiful?

IM: Beautiful and how.

BB: And they're all uniform, same color on no matter what part of the oven they were in.

BB: Isabel the oven you talked about that you learned, when you learn to bake bread at age 13, that was an oven, an oven that your, where you lived, your parents’ home?

IM: Yeah, that is right.

BB: Same kind of oven as this?

IM: Well the other one is a little smaller than this one.

But it's the same.

BB: And there was an outdoor, in the shed like this?

IM: In the shed.

BB: Now explain to me the purpose of the sheds.

Some of them are outdoor ovens arenʻt they?

What is the advantage of having it in the shed?

IM: Well you just found out for yourself the way the wind... BB: Oh it protects the oven from the wind because the wind will affect the baking?

IM: Not the baking, the heating.

BB: The heating.

Oh yes.

IM: See how beautiful, he's doing everything.

BB: You’ll make a baker out him yet, Isabel.

I learned all your tricks today.

IM: Good, I hope you stuck with one.

BB: There we have a full load of it Isabel now, where do you go with it?

IM: You want me to hold one?

BB: No that’s alright.

IM: I'm going to take that to the wash house.

BB: You take the bread to the wash house?

IM: That's right because that's where I have my freezer.

BB: Oh, you put the bread in the freezer.

And then take it out a loaf at a time as you need it, is that it?

IM: That's right.

BB: And so you put it out here on the table and Isabel to cool before you put it in the freezer; is that what you're doing now?

IM: Yes.

BB: And we have 3, 6, 9… IM: This is getting to the bread... BB: 13 loaves plus the small one which came out first.

IM: The small one, I have in the kitchen.

BB: You put it in the kitchen.

And this bread now will last you how long do you think?

IM: Two weeks, three weeks.

BB: A couple of weeks couple, three weeks.

It's just beautiful Isabel and thank you so much for showing us how you bake your Portuguese bread.

IM: You're very welcome.

BB: We appreciate your hospitality.

IM: Thank you.

BB: And that's Pau Hana Years for today.

A visit with Isabel Marciel of Makawao, Maui.

Until our next program, this is Bob Barker leaving you with this thought: To know and understand one's identity, it is important to be familiar with the culture and heritage from which we spring.

Try to remember when life was so tender that dreams were kept beside your pillow.

Deep in December it's nice to remember the fire of September that made us mellow.

Try to remember, and if you remember...