Dan Lepard had an interesting version of a slider bun, the rage for mini burgers. I adapted it for my obsession for a soft bread roll common in Latin markets, but with a twist, using plantain flour. Plantains, a staple in Latin America, are fried, boiled, and mashed. In truth, the ways to use them are endless. They have a certain comfort feel and texture.
In Peter Gordon's book "Sugar Club," there is a rendition using shredded plantain which caught my eye. Ever since I've made unsucessful versions of it with levain. When I tried with plantain flour, often it tasted raw and unpleasant. Cooked in Dan Lepards method, the sweet starch of plantain makes for a pleasant savory plantain flavor. So I spiked the flour with garlic, cumin and substituted achiote oil in place of butter. This gave a familiar delicious flavor combination of the Latino spice profile. In Dan's recipe he called for instant yeast. I had none, so used ADY (active dry yeast) with an inclusion of my liquid levain for a boost.
Cooked plantain flour with milk, achiote oil to substitute butter.
Dough risen with an inclusion of powdered garlic, cumin and pimenton, change the flavor profile for a latin profile.
Small slider size rolls with cumin seed..a larger 175 gram roll and a banana shaped batard, maybe for a jamon sanduche?
Finished, shiny, aroma of spice, sweet palantain cooked and heady cumin. Just add a fresh cheese campesino and some ham or pulled pork!
Can you provide the recipe you used? Thank you.
Typogirl…it’s just a substitute of basically Lepards recipe…
I have been looking all over the internet for recipes and tutorials on how to bake bread and make pasta using plantain flour. I would appreciate it so much if you would provide specifics on how you did this, I’m a little confused on what your substitutions.
These look amazing. I need a grain free bread. So you made these rolls without using any wheat flour, correct? Did you use the custard powder per Dan Lepard’s recipe? Since I cannot have the corn flour can one use eggs to achieve the same results? If you could please be very detailed about what you did to create these that would be appreciated.
Tori…there is wheat in it…as plantain flour is the background flavor…or you’d have no strength for a loaf…sorry not GF!