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Breadfruit flour

How to make and use the flour that the processing centre will produce — and that you can make at home.

Serves about 1 lb flour per 3 lb fruit · 1–2 days drying · Baking & flour

Ingredients

• Mature-green breadfruit
• Lime juice or a pinch of salt (for the soaking water)

Method

Making it

1. Peel and core mature-green fruit. Slice as thinly as you can, 2–3 mm.
2. Drop slices into water with a squeeze of lime to stop browning.
3. Blanch 2 minutes in boiling water, drain, and spread in a single layer on trays or clean mesh.
4. Dry in full sun (bring in at night) for 1–2 days, or in a dehydrator or low oven at 60°C for 6–8 hours, until slices snap cleanly.
5. Grind in a blender or mill, sift, and store in an airtight jar. Keeps six months.

Using it

Breadfruit flour has no gluten, so it does not rise on its own. Use it:

• 100% for porridge, fritters, dumplings, pancakes and thickening soups
• up to 30% blended with wheat flour in bread and cakes without changing the recipe
• 50/50 with wheat flour for biscuits, bulla and hard-dough-style bread with an extra egg

Breadfruit porridge

Whisk 1/2 cup breadfruit flour into 1 cup cold water. Bring 2 cups water or milk to the boil with a cinnamon stick and a pinch of nutmeg, whisk in the paste, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring. Sweeten with condensed milk or brown sugar. Serves 3.