This is yet another new recipe originating with my newfound love for Otto’s Cassava Flour. The chemistry of this flour is unlike any grain-free flour substitute I’ve ever used and it has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for Paleo adaptations of my old favorites–even crazy unheard of things like AIP dinner rolls! Yes, these are nut-free, dairy-free, grain-free, gluten-free, egg-free, seed-free, refined sugar-free and they can be made coconut-free too!
Otto’s Cassava Flour is made using the entire cassava root (which is the same thing as yucca, yuca, manioc and tapioca root) minus the peel. Their processing method is to peel, wash, slice, press, bake and then mill. This ensures the potentially toxic cyanide in cassava is totally neutralized. This whole food flour is 80% starch and 7% fiber, which makes it an excellent all purpose flour. Cassava has a low Glycemic Index (46) and a moderate glycemic load (12), and because of its absorptive properties, recipes can typically get away with fairly low flour to liquid ratio, which is great news from a blood sugar regulation perspective.
Cassava was originally reported to be a gluten cross-reactor by Cyrex Labs (unpublished, proprietary data), however published research has shown that it is not (see this article or this recent Facebook post). Although it can be a relatively common food intolerance, it is considered an autoimmune protocol-friendly food.
Cassava flour is not the same things as tapioca flour or tapioca starch, which, while made from the same starchy root, is produced quite differently and is not a whole food. I have heard from other bloggers that other brands of cassava flour do not behave the same in baking, so I definitely recommend making this recipe with Otto’s Cassava Flour.
Both Barefoot Provisions and One Stop Paleo Shop carry Otto’s Cassava Flour and are each offering a 10% off coupon code in the Autoimmune Wellness Bundle, on sale until Monday only.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Yields: 6 rolls
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup chopped green plantain (about 1 medium) [see my video on plantains here]
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup coconut milk (or substitute with 1/4 cup water and an additional tablespoon evoo)
- 1 cup Otto’s cassava flour
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Combine plantain, olive oil, salt and coconut milk in a blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes, until a completely smooth puree.
- Invert puree into a mixing bowl. Add cassava our and work into the puree until a sticky rm dough forms.
- Divide dough into six and roll each part into a ball (about 2” in diameter). Place on a baking sheet. If desired, cut an ‘X’ with a sharp knife about 1/4 “ deep at the top of each dough ball.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
Note: This recipe doubles really well. These rolls are best enjoyed still warm (or cooled to room temperature) on the same day they are baked (like all baked goods make with plantain, they tend to dry out after a day or two). Store any leftovers in an resealable bag in the fridge or freezer and gently warm to room temperature or “warm roll temperature” before serving.
TPV Podcast, Episode 171, Making Paleo a Habit
I really hate using plantains in recipes as they are so time consuming. ?. Would plantain flour be an option to substitute in these type of recipes? I avoid making them otherwise.
Sarah has a tutorial somewhere on peeling plantains. It’s very fast. Cut into 4 pieces, make a slit lengthwise into and through the peel, then pry off the peel. It is very easy.
Use a spoon to peel a plantain, it will save your life.
Is there anything that would work in place of plantains? I’m allergic to plantains/bananas/coconut. Thanks!
Liz, I’ve been making these AIP dinner rolls for over a year and there’s no plantains http://thecuriouscoconut.com/blog/autoimmune-Paleo-dinner-rolls
These are so good!!!! Made them into 5 rolls, increased the cooking time by a few minutes. Topped with LOTS of kerrygold! I love simple, yummy, aip recipes that don’t require lots of work. This is a keeper for sure!
Please please please offer the aip bundle again for Christmas!!! I missed it recently!!!
I love these dinner rolls! Actually TOO much–I have to make sure my family is home when I make them because I can eat the whole batch at once. (I’m not worried about my weight, but I’m pretty sure eating them all is kinda counterproductive to the AIP.)
I am allergic to bananas so my ND said i should avoid plantains, as well. Unfortunately, that means i can’t do these rolls and several of the delicious looking recipes in your new book. Can you suggest a good substitute for the plantains or am i just out of luck?
Leave them out. Look at Curious Coconut’s cassava Biscuit recipe. Its very similar to this recipe. Its not a biscuit that results, its a bun. Like these.
I can’t find green plantains only yellow. Do You think I could use them?
The dough may be stickier and taste sweeter, but it should work okay. You can also use super green bananas, but make sure the weight is the same as it would be for the plantains. -Kiersten
Thank you for the resources, much appreciated.
I could use feedback on what went wrong.
The rolls were rock hard and under cooked middle, yet still a good taste, super chewey.
Does the planatain mixture in blender come out sticky? It seemed very thick, hard to get out of the blender.
I did use cashew milk in place of coconut.
Any feedback greatly appreciated, would like to try again.
Thank you
Cashew milk and coconut milk have different fat contents which could have altered the results. Also, make sure you have the correct measurement of plantains. -Kiersten
Someone help please. I need a good plantain substitute. I’m allergic and so many aip recipes call for them.
The AIP bundle shows its available until November 30th but it doesn’t appear to work. Anyone else having that problem?
The AIP bundle was available last year. It is no longer available for purchase. -Kiersten
I thought you can’t have butter on the AIP diet?
Butter is initially eliminated on AIP, but is often a relatively early reintroduction. This recipe uses olive oil as the fat instead of olive oil for that reason. -Kiersten
I use tallow or lard. YUM
While searching for Cassava flour online, I came across the manufacturer of a cassava flour and read that they were getting a patent for their process, because it was so much better than others. I emailed them to ask where I could buy their flour and they said Otto’s!
i would love to try making these but cannot source plantains in my city 🙁 would it be possible to reconstitute green banana flour and use that in this recipe? i do have a bag of that on hand. kind regards -M
I can’t say for sure if that would work, having never tried it. But I have heard of people using green bananas in place of plantains so it’s possible green banana flour would work as well. -Kiersten
hey ,thanks for getting back to me 🙂 i’m going to give it a go, or at least try with green bananas. these look too good to miss!
Do you use canned coconut milk or refrigerated in this recipe!
Canned coconut milk. Refrigerated coconut milk typically contains a lot of additives.
Thanks so much, that what I use..,just didnt want to ruin the recipe. Of course my plantains turned yellow, but I will still make them. Snowed in…,
These are so yummy. I have known for a long time that grains don’t agree with my digestion system, so I started using nut flours and discovered that they caused me to have inflammation in my joints more specifically my hips. So having carby things to eat that don’t use grain or nuts is such a treat. Thanks
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
What can an alternative to Ottos be until I can get some, for flour??
There isn’t really a one for one substitute for cassava flour unfortunately. If you tolerate almond flour there are decent roll recipes on the internet that use almond flour. -Kiersten
Could thsee be spread out to use as hamburger buns?
I think that would probably work! -Kiersten
Casava flour is madly expensive and not easily available in Vancouver.. but Yuca is cheap and they sell it at my corner vegetable shop.. I grew up in Peru so I use it for puree and fry it.. but could i substitute boiled yuca for the flour and add less other liquids..?
I think it could work. Sarah uses that method for her Paleo Biscuits recipe. I don’t know what exact measurements you’ll need though. -Kiersten
Do these rolls freeze well?
They should freeze fine, but they may be a tad drier after defrosting. -Kiersten
You made my day with these, so good after nearly two months without bread- I almost felt like I was cheating on my diet! I used two green bananas instead of plantains and it turned out pretty well.
I’m so glad you liked them! And thanks for sharing that tweak. People often ask about substitutions for plantains.
I cooked these rolls this morning. At the end of the required cooking time … they were still raw inside. I cooked them another ten minutes. There is nothing wrong with my oven. I baked them another ten minutes. They are almost done — and hard as hocky pucks.
Why not put some kind of leavening in these rolls? With leavening they would bake better and not be as hard as hocky pucks.
Same experience here. Add 1/2t baking soda and try it. Im trying it next time. And Im flattening them mostly, too.
And then Im trying no wet plantain/green banana purée as in other recipes.
2 more versions to try!
Yes, I wan these rolls! Just ordered on Oliver Weston site–not sure if it went through. Can you confirm? THANKS!
Yes, I wanT these rolls! Just ordered on Oliver Weston site–not sure if it went through. Can you confirm? THANKS!
I would love, love, love for all plantain recipes to provide weights too. It’s so much more accurate. Thanks!
Amen