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flaky cassava bread
AIP,  Breads,  Paleo,  Recipes

Flaky Flat Cassava Bread – AIP, Paleo

January 13, 2017 / 24 Comments

All the flours. That’s what I’ve baked with by now, I’m pretty sure while creating AIP pastry like these Flaky Flat Cassava Breads.  

I still would like to be proven wrong though!  I love experimenting in the kitchen with all of these amazing gluten free, grain free baking substances.  Each and every one results in different textures and flavors.

flaky cassava bread
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Like these little flaky flat cassava breads…I was playing around with a tortilla recipe that used to be an old frugal standby via The Hillbilly Housewife (from back in the day when I COULD eat gluten!).  Instead of ye olde white flour and ye olde GMO shortening of…olde…I used Anthony’s Cassava Flour and Spectrum Palm Shortening.  Along came the hand-patted flaky flat bread you see here.

flaky cassava bread

Similar to Malawach, Naan and Paratha bread, these remind me of little flat, savory donuts. Their crisp and flaking, buttery exterior is met with a slightly soft and chewy center.

They even have a likeness to a sopapilla of sorts when topped with cinnamon, honey and the AIP reintro, ghee.  (Err mah gersh…these are so good as a dessert like that!!) 

They are gobble-able all by their lonesome, but also super duper fabulous topped with some pesto, or chicken salad (look here for an AIP mayo recipe!), or even a slice of raw cheese and a pickle if you’ve reintroduced dairy.

flaky cassava bread
flaky cassava bread
flaky cassava bread

This bread requires zero special equipment, and zero rolling out or cutting (MY FAAAAAVORITE!). No chilling, no waiting. (also…FAVE).  Just mix it up, pat it up, fry it up, eat it up. (fave fave fave fave) They puff up, flake up and disappear like magic.

flaky cassava bread
Flaky Cassava Flat Bread - AIP, Paleo
Yields 8
Reminiscent of little flat, savory donuts, these cassava flour breads have a crisp and flaking, buttery exterior met with a slightly soft and chewy center.
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Prep Time
8 min
Cook Time
12 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
8 min
Cook Time
12 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 cup cassava flour
  2. 1/3 tsp Himalayan salt
  3. 1/4 tsp baking soda
  4. 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  5. 6 Tb palm shortening
  6. 1/2 cup water
  7. 1 cup avocado oil, refined olive oil or lard for frying (if successfully reintroduced, use ghee for a buttery flavor)
Instructions
  1. Mix the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
  2. Cut in the shortening with a fork.
  3. Stir in the water with the fork, and once it starts to come together, use your hands to gently knead the dough into a smooth and consistent ball.
  4. Separate the dough into 8 pieces.
  5. Heat a 15" cast iron skillet over medium heat.
  6. Take one piece at a time and flatten with your hands, patting back and forth until you have a ¼” thick patty.
  7. Add ¼ cup preferred cooking fat to the pan, and add in 4 patties at a time.
  8. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown, crispy and flaking.
  9. Be sure to add 1/4 cup more fat to the pan after flipping, and swirl the breads around the coat the bottoms with the fat.
  10. Transfer cooked breads from the pan to a holding plate.
  11. Repeat steps 7-9 for the remaining 4 patties.
Notes
  1. These are best eaten immedately.
  2. To reheat, toast up in a pan on your stovetop or in your toaster oven to re-crisp.
Primal Sam https://primalsam.com/

24 Comments

  • Laura
    January 24, 2017 at 11:27 am Reply

    These are so yummy! I cooked them in ghee, which gave them a really good flavor. My only difficulty was that they sort of fell apart in the pan. Maybe I didn’t have the pan hot enough when I put them in? I don’t think cooking in ghee would have caused that to happen, but I suppose it’s possible. Anyway, I will definitely try it again. They were great with homemade cherry jam. Remind me of southern style biscuits. Thanks for sharing!

    • Samantha Jo Teague
      January 24, 2017 at 7:54 pm Reply

      Hi there Laura 🙂 That’s my favorite fat to cook them in! Ghee gives them such a buttery flavor boost.
      I’m sorry to hear they fell apart. I have heard that different cassava flour brands can possibly cause some inconsistencies in recipes…did you use Anthony’s?
      I would definitely try a higher heat next time so they fry instantly. 🙂 Also, sometimes when I am patting them into rounds they crack a little if I handle them a little too long or make them too thin, too. Hopefully that helps with troubleshooting. 🙂 Let me know if you try again and it works better for you!

  • Laura
    January 25, 2017 at 2:53 pm Reply

    Thanks for your response. I used Otto’s cassava flour. I’ll try Anthony’s next time, and I’ll try getting the pan hotter first. Thanks!

    • Samantha Jo Teague
      February 2, 2017 at 9:14 pm Reply

      Hi Casey. 🙂
      I haven’t tried baking these. My guess would be that they may come out dryer, more like biscuits or pie crust due to being cooked with dry heat vs moist heat.
      If you give it a try, please let me know how they turn out! (Now I’m curious…)

  • Nancy
    February 2, 2017 at 7:47 pm Reply

    I have a question about preparation. It says in step 9 to put in another 1/4 cup of oil after flipping. Is that for the 4 breads that are already in in the pan or for the next 4 that will be added?These were delicious, but very oily as I added the second 1/4 cup of oil. I used Ottos cassava flour with no problem and beef tallow as the fat. I also cut the recipe in 1/4 so there were only 2. I knew otherwise I would have eaten them all!

    • Samantha Jo Teague
      February 2, 2017 at 9:35 pm Reply

      Nancy, I have that problem, too!
      I have to REALLY discipline myself with breads and cookies by cooking just one portion, then refrigerating the uncooked dough, vs cooking the whole batch…because I will eat them all in half a heartbeat.
      I notice that the first cooked side of the breads drink up all the first 1/4 cup of oil before I flip them. I tried cooking them after flipping without adding more oil, and they seemed quite dry and were more of a “burnt” color with dry patches. When I add the second 1/4 cup of oil you mentioned, they get that nice golden color and have the flaky texture repeated on that side. They can sometimes come out more oily that way. I should probably edit the recipe to try 1 Tb at a time vs the whole 1/4 cup just in case. Thank you for your feedback, I value information that can help improve the recipes so much! 🙂

  • Tyler
    December 7, 2017 at 10:56 am Reply

    Hi! I’m looking to try these – they look so delicious! – but I don’t have cassava flour. What other flours do you think would work with the recipe? I currently have arrowroot flour and wheat flour (not gluten-free at the moment), on hand but I am willing to try to cassava.

    • Samantha Jo Teague
      December 7, 2017 at 1:28 pm Reply

      Hi there Tyler! I have seen breads made with arrowroot flour as the main ingredient, and while they are compliant, they tend to be quite gummy and starchy since the fiber has been removed. Cassava flour still has the plant fiber intact, which helps to make breads made with this root-based flour less gummy and more pliable. Arrowroot, in my opinion, is best use as an additional binding flour added to other grain-free flours. I highly recommend snagging a bag of cassava, it makes paleo baking a lot more successful. 🙂

  • Lianna
    July 16, 2022 at 3:21 pm Reply

    I added 2 tbl extra palm shortening + 1 tbl flax meal, then baked †hem at 385 for 15″ – came out great! Not dry at all and definitely had that fried-bread texture

  • Carol
    December 27, 2023 at 12:54 pm Reply

    Sooooo glad to find your recipe! I’ve been searching the internet for a bread without yeast, baking powder, or yoghurt. Was looking for millet bread recipes but they all had one of the above. Then I discovered Cassava flour and read about how good it is for celiac and other such problems. I have a couple of questions. Can I make a double batch? After cooling, can I then package them well and freeze them? I would rather have a supply of them. Thanks so much!

    • Samantha
      December 28, 2023 at 9:47 am Reply

      Hey Carol! I’m so happy this recipe can help you with your dietary needs. 🙂

      You can definitely make a double batch of the raw dough, form it into the disc shapes, and freeze the discs in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen solid, store them stacked in an airtight container. When you are ready for fresh bread, you can thaw a disc slightly and cook it per the instructions.

      You wouldn’t want to pre-cook them, freeze, then reheat, though. This is because the starch in the cassava can become tough and mealy once cooled and reheated. 🙁

      I hope this helps and that you enjoy them if you try them this way!

      Take care,
      Sam

      • Carol Starke
        December 30, 2023 at 10:29 am Reply

        Samantha,
        I’ve been using an organic, non-gmo, sustainable coconut oil for baking and frying for a number of years. Can I substitute it in this recipe for your palm shortening? And secondly, would I need to warm it to bring it to a liquid form? I would certainly purchase the palm shortening (oil?) if I need to in order to have this bread! I am only asking because I thought I might make use of the product I have on hand. Thanks much. Carol

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