Yucca Bread

I visited Ecuador last year and while I was there, I discovered a few foods that I really wish were found everywhere here in the US. One of those foods is plantain chips...amazing (especially when stuck in a traffic jam in the Amazon). Another is yucca bread. Yucca bread is a cheesy bread served warm and usually with yogurt in Ecuador. Variations of yucca bread can be found in a lot of other countries, and under many different names. The base of yucca bread is yucca flour, which comes from yucca root. Yucca flour is also called Tapioca flour. What this all really means, is that it can be difficult to find yucca flour. I went to many different stores looking for it, and I ended up finding it at Whole Foods, and later at Fry's in the organic/healthy food section. As a bonus, it's gluten free.

This is pretty simple and quick to make. Here's what you need:

1 1/4 cups yucca flour

2 cups "Queso Fresco" cheese (or grated mozzarella cheese)

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

4 tbsp butter, room temperature

1 egg

Start by crumbling the Queso Fresco into small, pea sized or smaller pieces. If you're using grated mozzarella, then skip this step.

Combine the cheese, yucca flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Add in the butter and egg, and continue mixing until a ball starts to form. Form the dough into a ball.

If you're not baking the bread right away, you can store the dough in the fridge for a day. I've accidently let it sit for 2 days, and although it was a bit hard to break up, it baked just fine. If baking right away, preheat the oven to 500°F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter, and then place them on the cookie sheet about 1 inch apart from each other.

Bake for about 7-10 min, and keep an eye on them after 7 minutes. Take them out of the oven when the tops are golden brown, and enjoy them while they're warm! If you have a few left over, reheat them before eating them because they may be a bit hard.  

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Yucca Bread

Adapted from: Laylita's Recipes 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups yucca flour

2 cups Queso Fresco cheese (or grated mozzarella cheese)

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

4 tbsp butter, room temperature

1 egg

Directions:

1.) Crumble Queso Fresco into small pieces.

2.) Combine cheese, yucca flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended.

3.) Add in the butter and egg, and continue mixing until a ball starts to form.

4.) Form the dough into a ball.

5.) Preheat oven to 500°F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

6.) Roll the dough into small balls and place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.

7.) Bake for about 7-10 min, rolls are done when the tops are golden brown.