Paleo Tiger Nut Bread
Tiger Nut or Chufa
Tiger nut is actually not a nut, but a small tuber. A nutrient dense root vegetable. It is also called chufa after their Spanish name. Do you think it sounds strange? The ancient Egyptians already knew tiger nuts, they were found in some sarcophagi. Tiger nuts arrived to Europe with the entry of the Arabs in the Iberian Peninsula.
They are growing from the end of April until September. Their plant dries during September and October then is ready for being harvested in November and December. The ideal location for producing the highest quality tiger nuts is Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.
I did not know tiger nuts before, because they were not used in Hungary. Still today they are not very popular there. I do not understand why not, because it is a very good substitute for grain flours and nut flours as well.
Tiger Nut Health Benefits
Tiger nuts are super high in resistant starch fiber. Resistant starch passes through the stomach and small intestine without being digested. It also benefits your gut by acting as a prebiotic. They are stimulating the growth of good bacteria in the digestive tract. Tiger nuts are a source of fatty acids and some vitamins and minerals. Chufa contains vitamins C and B6, as well as iron, zinc, potassium, and calcium. It’s one of the best natural magnesium sources. Its slightly sweet and nutty flavor, it allows you to cut back on added sugar.
Green Plantain
The green plantain is the other important ingredient in this bread. It is simply the younger immature stage of the fruit. They have a very firm and starchy textured, neutral. And a bit tasteless flesh due to their very low sugar content. Do not use ripen in this recipe, because it has sweet taste! Tiger nuts are sweet enough in this bread.
Plantains are considered a super food. They have more than twenty times the amount of vitamin A, about three times the vitamin C, double the magnesium, and almost twice the potassium as the common banana.
All the Bread:
Paleo Tiger Nut Bread
Equipment
- 11 cm x 26 cm loaf pan
Ingredients
- 120 gram tiger nut flour
- 100 gram sunflower seeds
- 1 tbsp tapioca flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 big green plantain peeled
- 5 medium eggs
- 80 gram coconut oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- pumpkin seeds sesame seeds, sunflower seeds to the top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 11 cm x 26 cm loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Cut peeled plantains to chunks and put into blender. Add eggs and blend them for 2-3 minutes, until creamy.
- Add tiger nut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) and salt. Blend them for 2-3 minutes.
- Add sunflower seeds and mix by spoon. Don’t blend the seeds!
- Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and sprinkle the top with different seeds.
- Bake it for 50 minutes. Leave it to cool completely on a wire rack. Enjoy!