Pão de Mel — Brazilian Honey Bread with Chocolate

Name: Pão de Mel — Brazilian Honey Bread with Chocolate
Prep time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 30 servings
Cuisine: Brésilienne
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 level tablespoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon ground clove; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 1/2 cups warm milk; 1/2 cup liquid honey; 1 bar (200 g) milk chocolate, for coating; Dulce de leche, brigadeiro or beijinho for the filling

By Marie Lefebvre · Updated October 16, 2026

Pão de mel is that little Brazilian honey bread that fills the kitchen with cinnamon and clove the moment it leaves the oven. Soft, generously filled with dulce de leche and wrapped in a thin milk-chocolate shell, it disappears in one bite. Lovely with coffee, and it keeps for days in an airtight tin.

Prep⏱️ 60 min

Servings👥 30 servings

Difficulty📊 Easy

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🛒 Ingredients

30 servings

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 level tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground clove
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/2 cup liquid honey
1 bar (200 g) milk chocolate, for coating
Dulce de leche, brigadeiro or beijinho for the filling

🛍️ Recommended tools

🎂Moule à gâteauSee on Amazon →🪄Batteur électriqueSee on Amazon →⚖️Balance de cuisineSee on Amazon →

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Directions

1
Preheat the oven to 200 °C and grease pão de mel moulds, or a muffin tin if you don't have any.
2
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, clove and cinnamon together into a large bowl.
3
Add the honey and warm milk, then mix by hand with a wooden spoon — no electric mixer, the batter should stay soft and slightly sticky.
4
Divide the batter between the moulds, filling each one three-quarters full.
5
Bake for about 20 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
6
Let them cool for 5 minutes, unmould, then cool completely on a wire rack.
7
Hollow out a small well in the centre of each cake and fill with dulce de leche, brigadeiro or beijinho.
8
Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave in 30-second bursts or over a bain-marie, stirring until glossy.
9
Dip each pão de mel in the melted chocolate and leave to set on aluminium foil or baking paper.

💡 Chef's Tip

The trick to a soft pão de mel is never using an electric mixer: mixed by hand, the batter keeps its air and stays tender. If your honey has crystallised, warm it for a few seconds with the milk. Fill them the day before serving if you can — the sponge drinks in the dulce de leche and turns wonderfully fudgy.