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BLANK » Recipe Index » Caribbean Dishes

Roast breadfruit (tutorial)

September 13, 2015 by Charla 18 Comments

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Roast breadfruit - Learn how to prepare this healthy savoury starch enriched crop in the oven using the double roasted cooking method.

roast Breadfruit

roast-breadfruit

I'm so excited because this is my first time showcasing a breadfruit recipe on my website. If you're from the islands, polynesia or certain parts of Asia then breadfruit isn't an exclusive commodity for you.

With that said, with so many contemporary diets i.e paleo which consume a lot of Carbohydrate enriched foods that originate from the tropics I wouldn't be surprised if many people had already heard of this wonderful fruit.

What is breadfruit?

Firstly, if you've never heard of breadfruit you're probably wondering, what on earth is it? The name alone sounds insane I mean Bread and fruit, is it a sweet fruit or some type of exotic bread?

I'm looking at things from the outsiders perception right now and I know if I were clueless I'd be thinking along those lines.

Well Breadfruit grows on trees, it's starched enriched (clean starch) and an emerald green colour in its infancy stage with the tendency to take on a darkened hue as it ripens.

Although breadfruit can be eaten at all stages of development in the Caribbean we tend to eat it matured - when it's soft to the touch with a subtle hint of sweetness.

roast Breadfruit

What does breadfruit taste like?

Breadfruit has its own unique taste which is difficult to describe. I would say it's like a soft potato with a crispy exterior depending on if it's boiled, roasted/fried.

How do you cook breadfruit?

It's a very versatile crop - boil, fry, roast, mash, pickle, you name it and someone has tried it. In my household we would usually roast and then fry it, sometimes MY grandmother would boil it along with ground provisions (dasheen, yam, potatoes, dumplings - Cassava, Cornmeal etc..).

If you haven't had a chance to try this amazing Breadfruit Pie. It's a favourite of mine along with some Oven Baked Plantain

 To this day I enjoy eating breadfruit (roast breadfruit) along with Breadfruit Fries, though it's not always easy to obtain where I live, thankfully I managed to purchase half a breadfruit to roast at home recently.

In the Caribbean, you'll find the entire breadfruit being roasted on a open fire, that's just how it's done on the islands.

However, living in the diaspora, things are a little different, for instance on this occasion I foil wrapped the breadfruit (wrapping is only required when roasting half) with a little coconut oil and placed the whole thing directly in the centre of the oven.

When roasting a whole breadfruit I would follow the traditions of removing the stalk then mark an X at the bottom.

Some people living abroad try to replicate what they did back home by roasting the breadfruit openly on the stove but for safety reasons I will not be endorsing that method.

Roasting breadfruit instead of frying it - the healthier way!

As previously mentioned I achieved the pictured results by doing the double roasting technique which tasted divine, it yielded a soft yet crunchy taste - great for a side dish or to form part of a meal.

Being health conscious I knew frying breadfruit in a large amount of oil wasn't right nor good for one's health.

Today I do things a little differently I roast the breadfruit (wrap only if roasting half), let it cool, slice the entire thing then coat in oil and roast again in the oven.

This may seem bizarre to some but the results are essentially the same as the roast and fry method, only cutting out ⅔ of the oil that's used - kiss goodbye to deep fat frying.

Don't compromise your heart any longer, get the same results using a very small amount of oil - your cholesterol and blood sugar levels will be thanking you for choosing to cook this way.

Where can I purchase breadfruit if I don't live in the Caribbean?

Breadfruit can be purchased from most market or supermarkets in an area where there is a lot of Caribbean people. Also, Asian groceries tend to sell breadfruit.

Breadfruit is very expensive so if it's your first time buying it, then ask the vendor to slice ⅓ quarter or ½ a breadfruit until you work your way up to a whole one.

Notes and tips

  • Roast breadfruit is a slow releasing complex carbohydrate
  • Serve as an appetiser or side dish
  • Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers
  • Paleo, vegan and gluten free recipe

Serving suggestions

  • Crispy Oven Baked Prawn Fritters
  • Jamaican Pepper Shrimp
  • Caribbean Style Caramelized Onions
  • Jamaican Crispy Oven Baked Sprats
  • Jamaican Curry Gungo Peas
  • Curried Butter Beans

**Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

Roast breadfruit

Simple tutorial on how to make roast breadfruit in the oven - paleo, gluten free and vegan.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Caribbean
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 117kcal
Author: Charla

Ingredients

  • Half a breadfruit can use whole
  • coconut oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven on 180 degrees celsius/356f or gas mark 4
  • Wash and dry the breadfruit.
  • Rub the entire breadfruit with coconut oil before wrapping it with foil. If you are roasting a whole breadfruit simply omit this step, remove the stalk and score an X with a knife at the bottom.
  • Place the breadfruit accordingly in the middle of the oven to roast. The cooking time will vary depending on the size. Half a breadfruit should take roughly an hour and a whole one should take 1 hr 30 minutes.
  • Once cooked it should be soft and easy to pierce/prick with a knife.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool then cut in half (if cooking a whole breadfruit). If not, move onto scooping out the heart and discard (the part where the stalk was).
  • Peel and cut the flesh into slices.
  • Line a baking tray with parchment paper then use a pastry brush to coat each slice with coconut oil.
  • Lay each slice on the parchment paper before placing back in the oven to roast for a further 15 minutes or until golden brown - don't forget to turn over half way through.
  • Serve accordingly

Nutrition

Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 556mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ThatGirlCooksHealthy or tag #ThatGirlCooksHealthy!

More Caribbean Dishes

  • 2 glasses of mauby with ice
    Homemade Mauby Drink (Caribbean Bark Beverage)
  • 2 snapper with yuca and oranges garnished
    Baked Snapper (Mojo Style)
  • 2 sea bream on a platter
    Sea Bream Recipe (Air Fried)
  • 2 cups and a bowl of souse
    Chicken Foot Souse

About Charla

I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

Comments

  1. QUERINO DE FREITAS says

    May 06, 2024 at 11:12 am

    WHEN I LIVED IN TRINIDAD, WE HAD POUNED BREADFRUIT WITH STEWED CHICKEN OR BEEF, SALT FISH STEWWITH PLENTY OF ONIONS GARLIC AND WHOLE PEPPERS,,I CAN STILL TASTE IT...WE HAD A BIG MOTER & PESTLE WHICH WAS CARVED FROM HARD WOOD......AND THAT DID THE JOB...THANKS ....QUERINO

    Reply
    • Charla says

      May 08, 2024 at 5:42 am

      Thanks for sharing, that sounds really nice.

      Reply
  2. Mia Oppel says

    December 30, 2019 at 3:37 am

    5 stars
    Thanks for posting this recipe! It came out great. I wish I could post a picture on this page. Insta @miaoppel if you want to see. We got inspired to try cooking recruit because I'm gluten sensitive and while vacationing in Hawaii we found out breadfruit was used in a local gf pizza crust. We found some breadfruit ("ulu" in Hawaiian) at the farmers market and used your recipe to make. Delicious! Will be snacks for the rest of our vacation here.

    Reply
    • Charla says

      December 30, 2019 at 1:39 pm

      Hi Mia, that's great news! I'm so glad that you were able to cook some breadfruit (Ulu) in beautiful Hawai'i. I've been to Oahu a few times myself and saw breadfruit and taro (another root vegetable that is gluten free) in abundance while I was on vacation too.

      Reply
  3. Ellina says

    November 11, 2019 at 10:33 am

    Hi, Charla, I want to thank you for this tutorial. Yesterday, my daughter and I bought a breadfruit for the first time ever and now I am trying to figure out how best prepare it.
    I have questions.
    1. 180 degrees is in Celcius,I imagine. Correct? I am in NJ, and will have to convert if so.
    2. The tutorial does not mention any spices, not even salt. Do I need/should add any at the time of second roasting?
    Thank you for your replies, look forward to hearing from you.
    Ellina

    Reply
    • Charla says

      November 11, 2019 at 10:45 am

      Hi Ellina.

      I have just updated the recipe card into Fahrenheit. Typically breadfruit is roasted without any spices, you can sprinkle some salt on the breadfruit slices before you proceed to double roast the slices along with the oil but that's not something I do. It's quite a starchy vegetable like potato is the best way to describe it.

      I hope that make sense, feel free to follow up with more questions if you need further assistance.

      Reply
      • Ellina says

        November 13, 2019 at 11:46 am

        Great, thank you. We are trying to roast it tonight! I will let you know how it works. Thanks, Charla!!!

        Reply
        • Charla says

          November 13, 2019 at 9:05 pm

          You are welcome and enjoy!

          Reply
  4. Sheila says

    September 30, 2017 at 3:37 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Charla, congrats on cooking / eating healthy and for sharing your recipes! Apart from one 'explosion' in the oven, because i had only removed the stalk, but didn't cut into the bf enough to release build up of steam even tho i cut x in the other end. (Waste not, want not ... It was still delish ?)
    Bf has become a tasty staple on my paleo diet - thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      September 30, 2017 at 9:39 pm

      Hi Sheila, Sorry to hear about the explosion. Glad you were able to still salvage enough to enjoy the benefits.

      Reply
  5. Ceil says

    February 25, 2017 at 5:01 am

    Oh Charla,

    It was a busy week and I'm now just getting around to roasting the breadfruit, but
    it's gotten very soft. 🙁

    Will be in touch again when I've tried your recipe.

    Keep well!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      February 25, 2017 at 9:45 pm

      Ok, no problem Ceil.

      Reply
      • Ceil says

        February 26, 2017 at 12:10 pm

        5 stars
        Hi there, Charla!

        Yesterday, I returned to that International Supermarket and was pleased
        to see some more mini breadfruits. So, I bought one and as soon as I got
        home, cooked it! It was quite delish, but took longer than the 15 mins you
        recommended for the second roasting. Regardless, I'm a very happy camper.
        I think I'll treat myself to a mini one whenever I see it in stock. By the way,
        these were imported from India. Thanks again for sharing this recipe. 🙂

        With gratitude,
        Ceil

        Reply
        • Charla says

          March 05, 2017 at 9:21 am

          Hi Ceil. Glad you managed to get hold of some breadfruit. I have noted the additional cooking times, that may vary depending on the type of stove that is used.

          Reply
          • Ceil says

            March 10, 2017 at 11:24 am

            Hi Charla,

            Good point...I mentioned to several colleagues that baking here takes much longer than it would back in the west and they all shared that they too have this issue with their ovens. Thanks again for all the yummy recipes. Keep well and have a wonderful weekend. I'll stop by your awesome website again around Easter.

          • Charla says

            March 11, 2017 at 9:22 pm

            You're most welcome Ceil and looking forward to more feedback over the Easter period.

  6. Ceil says

    February 19, 2017 at 3:55 pm

    Greetings, Charla!

    I was pleasantly surprised to see breadfruit in a newly opened supermarket yesterday.
    So, I grabbed one. Thanks bunches for these instructions. I will give it a try and let you
    know how it turned out.

    Have a wonderful day.

    Reply
    • Charla says

      February 20, 2017 at 8:17 am

      Hi Ceil. I'm happy and yet surprised that you are able to source breadfruit in the UAE. I wish I was able to get some on my trip there but hey maybe next time. Let me know how it turns out as always.

      Reply
5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

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a picture of Charla

Hey, I'm Charla!

I'm an avid Caribbean foodie. Welcome to the haven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

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