PAN DE BONIATO

Pan de Boniato (Cuban Sweet Potato Bread)

I was first introduced to this bread at Ms. Omayra’s farm in Soroa, Cuba. It was soooo delicious and she made it without any electricity so I tried to replicate it as best I could. This is my first attempt at figuring out the recipe and I did end up using some electricity. It’s a fire-roasted boniato bread wrapped in banana leaves with coconut, warm spices, and rum. Dense, moist, rich, and somewhere between banana bread and bread pudding if they had a baby…

Yield: One 9-inch round loaf + extra batter for muffins

PREP IT!

• 2 pounds Boniato (white sweet potato) Makes 3 cups roasted and mashed boniato

• 2 tablespoons Butter, salted, melted

• 2 tablespoons Coconut oil, melted I used what I brought back from Cuba

• ¾ cup Brown sugar, dark

• 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon Rum, dark (optional)

• 1 teaspoon Ginger, freshly grated

• 1 small Lime, zested Use the zest only

• 2 large Eggs

• 1 cup Coconut, fresh grated Can substitute with sweetened dried coconut but will result in sweeter, drier bread

• 1 cup Coconut milk, full fat

• ½ cup Evaporated milk

• 1½ cups Flour, all purpose

• 1 teaspoon Baking powder

• 1 teaspoon Salt

• ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ground OR Taste Tutor Brown Spice

• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground I used cinnamon from Ms. Eloisa’s farm in Soroa, Cuba and freshly ground it

  OR Taste Tutor Brown Spice

• Enough Banana leaves to cover top and bottom of baking pan I bought them frozen and let them thaw on the counter

MAKE IT!

1. Wash and dry the boniato (sweet potato). Poke a few holes with a knife or fork and wrap each sweet potato in foil.

2. Roast the boniato over indirect heat using charcoal or wood fire, or roast in the oven until very soft to slowly concentrate the flavor. You’ll know they’re done when a fork pierces through the foil and potato with no resistance. The potatoes roasted for 90 minutes at 350F on the grill.

   Tip: Do not boil unless you absolutely have to. Boiling waters down the flavor. If using the grill, prepare your grill for two-zone cooking by placing the charcoal to one side so you have a hot side (direct heat) and a cool side (indirect heat). If using a gas grill just light one side of the grill on high and the other side on the lowest possible setting.

3. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the banana leaves by passing them briefly over an open flame until flexible. This releases aroma and prevents tearing.

4. Line a 9-inch cast iron pan or 9-inch round cake pan with overlapping banana leaves, leaving enough hanging over the edges to fold over the top later.

5. Once soft, mash the boniato while still warm using a mortar and pestle, food processor, potato masher, or your hands. It doesn’t have to be completely smooth.

6. In a large bowl, make the batter by mixing together melted butter, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, rum, ginger, lime zest, eggs, roasted and mashed boniato, grated coconut, coconut milk, and evaporated milk.

7. Fold in the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon until combined. The texture should be thicker than cake batter but looser than bread dough, almost like a very thick muffin batter.

8. Pour the batter into the banana leaf-lined pan and fold the leaves over the top. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil. There will be leftover batter, so feel free to bake additional muffins.

Grill Method (9-inch round loaf)

1. Prepare your grill AGAIN for two-zone cooking by placing fresh charcoal to one side so you have a hot side (direct heat) and a cool side (indirect heat). If using a gas grill just light one side of the grill on high and the other side on the lowest possible setting.

2. Bake covered over the indirect heat side of the grill at 400F for 1 hour.

3. Move the pan to the direct heat side of the grill, uncover the foil and banana leaves, and continue baking for 1 additional hour at 350F–325F. Temperature decreases as coals dwindle to ashes.

4. Once the smoky flavor has set into the bread, its time to finish it off in the oven. Bake at 350F for an additional 45 minutes - 1 hour.

5. You’ll know the bread is done when the top feels set but still moist and a knife inserted comes out without wet batter. Cool for 45 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pans and slicing. Flip loaf out of pan and peel off the banana leaves. Slice and enjoy.

Tip: Live fire cooking is variable. Humidity, coal strength, cast iron thickness, banana leaf moisture, and sugar content of the boniato can change bake time a lot so keep an eye on it.

Oven Method

1. The bread can also be baked fully in the oven at 325F for 2½–3 hours using the 9 inch round pan option or 95 minutes using the muffin tin option.

2. The bread is done when the top feels set but still moist and a knife inserted comes out without wet batter. Cool for 45 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pans and slicing.

Tips:

Do not overbake. This bread is supposed to be dense and rich like if banana bread and bread pudding had a baby.

Ingredients

This is the original one Ms. Omayra made for us at her farm…