23.1.14

Kaukau (sweet potato) Bread

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One of the staple (read: cheap) crops here is a root called "kaukau." This is very much like an overly starchy sweet potato. Certainly not the worst staple I have come across in my days overseas … much better in my opinion, for instance, than kasava, which pretty much tastes like that glue paste that you weren't supposed to eat in kindergarden. Only a little blander. And stringier. But I digress.

Noting the similarities between kaukau and sweet potatoes, I decided to try an experiment of substitution. And, unlike some of my cooking experiments, this one worked! So for those of you not in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, just substitute sweet potato back into the recipe if you for some strange reason cannot find kaukau.

Original source of recipe: http://thefreerangelife.com/sweet-potato-yeast-rolls/

Ingredients
4T butter
1c mashed (cooked) kaukau
3/4c water
2T honey
3 eggs
1T yeast
4-5c flour
1tsp salt

Note: if using kaukau, I add about 1/4 cup of the cooking water back into the mashed kaukau because it is so much drier and starchier than sweet potatoes. Also, I use the rest of the cooking water as the "water" in the recipe.

Warm water, kaukau, butter, and honey in a saucepan or the microwave until butter is almost melted.
Add eggs, yeast, and 1c of flour and beat into submission, or until smooth.
Add 2 more cups flour, and stir well. Add as much more flour as you need to make a smooth soft dough.
Let rise until doubled.
Divide into 2 or 3 buttered loaf pans, or shape into french loaves, and let rise until very puffy.
Bake at 350F (175C) for 20-30 minutes or until light golden brown.
Let cool in pan for a while, then transfer to cooling rack or mouth.