Tuesday, March 29, 2011

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.  



Text Only:

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.

23 comments:

  1. Hi, Amanda. It's been a while since you posted this, but I just returned from a brief trip to Ecuador, and, like you, I fell in love with pan de yuca, so was looking for a recipe. Yours worked beautifully, thank you so much! The only changes I made were to add a couple of tablespoons of water to get the dough to come together, and to shift to the broiler for a minute or two at the end of baking to brown the crusts a bit. These are so chewy and satisfying, I just love them.

    (By the way, I just read your profile: I just got my MINI Cooper S convertible a few weeks ago and fully understand what you mean about driving as a release. Motor on!)

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  2. Hi, thanks for the comment! It made my day to see that someone actually got to use this recipe, and make it their own! :) Now I need to go make these amazing little rolls again! Yum!

    Happy motoring, Misaacka!

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  3. Thank You so much for this recipe. We had some Yuca Bread while in Costa Rica and my daughter really wanted to make some for her International night at school. This recipe is delish!!! And was a big hit.

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  4. I can't have cheese. Can the cheese be left out with somewhat similar results? Or is there a substitute?

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  5. Can you eat soy cheese? I am going to try these with that substitute.

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  6. Unfortunately I have allergies to: gluten, dairy, soy, rice, egg. I figure I can get around the egg with a flax or chia egg. But, the cheese is a large volume ingredient. I can't figure out what could be a suitable substitute.

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    1. Teri.. I make these all the time and I have gluten and dairy allergies. Instead of using real cheese I use Daiya mozzarella style shreds. It's dairy and soy free. I use Smart Balance for the butter since its dairy free. Not sure if soy free though. Hope this helps!

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  7. This version of yucca bread is my favorite. However, once it cools completely, it becomes very dry. Is there a way I can give it more moisture? Or just eat it all immediately? :)

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    1. I haven't made this yet (excited to!!), but a trick I use with GF cookies or muffins that seem to dry out is to put them in the container/zip lock bag while still a little warm. It traps some steam in and keeps everything soft. Granted you lose a little crispness but I think it's a good tradeoff. Maybe it would work here?

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    2. Thanks for replying! I found that by adding 1T of water at a time, it makes a HUGE difference in the moisture that the bread retains. Also, it makes sense that this bread won't behave the same in the North American winter as it would in Brazil--it's going to be drier. So, with tiny modification, it's just superb. Thanks for your reply!

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  8. Use baking powder that has no aluminum in it, great brand I'd Bob's Red Mill.

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  9. When i was in Brazil i ate these every chance i had. They call it pao de queijo. It's also very good with mix of Parmesan.

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  10. Skeptical about this receipe? Don't be, they turned out great!!!

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  11. Skeptical about this receipe? Don't be, they turned out great!!!

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  12. I was diagnosed with Celiac in September 2015 and these are the closest to real rolls I have had, AMAZING!!! I was skeptical and cut the recipe in half.

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  13. I find the Tapioca flour/starch at the Asian market and it is really inexpensive there! (Depending on brands anywhere from .69-$1 per pound! I love these rolls.

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  14. I just made these. They were a HUGE hit with my Gluten Free children! Thank you for posting!

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  15. Just made these for my gluten free aunt ( I think I will just eat them myself) soooo good. I used to buy a packet mix from my local supermarket in the UK but like all good things they have stopped stocking it. I did try another recipe from the Internet but they turned out a bit flat and chewy. So a big thank you for this recipe.

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  16. Can these be made with almond flour? {lower carb option}
    I would also like to add I made these but added fresh garlic and Italian seasoning and my kids and i dipped them in pizza sauce. I am floored how amazing these were. I texture was perfect and the flavor was amazing.

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  17. Hi, Amanda,

    I am writing on behalf of my sister at www.sweetsunsweetened.com. She had a lot of success with your yucca bread recipe, and we would like to share it in a roundup post. We will post one picture, linked to your site, as well as a link crediting your site with this recipe. If you agree, we will add you to our list for future posts. Does this sound all right?

    Thank you!

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  18. Yucca flour is cassava flour, not tapioca flour. Update your ingredients list ;)

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  19. My family loves this recipe and asks me to make it all the time. We were out of tapioca starch and yucca flour so I substituted potato starch. It was good, tasted more like traditional bread; good substitute for people used to eating traditional bread

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