Sweet Potato Flat Bread
SWEET POTATO FLAT BREADS 
(aka Roti, Paratha, Wrap)
This is a flat brad with a difference!
Apart from being the easiest and most delicious flat breads I know, they are also super healthy, provided you do not drench them in oil! The kids will love them and so will every adult at the table!
Don’t be intimidated by the fact that you need to roll something, this dough is beautiful and easy to work with.
Download the Sweet Potato Flat Breads-recipe
Use equal amounts of cake flour and cooked, mashed sweet potato (white or yellow).
250 ml cake flour and 250 ml cooked mashed sweet potato will yield 4 medium sized Flat Breads as below:
Step 1
Cut 250 g (a large) sweet potato (with skin) into chunks and boil in just enough water not to burn. Close the lid tightly in order to steam the chunks, rather than boil them – you need to avoid water logging, but you need them very tender.
Step 2
Drain any remaining water, roughly mash and then measure 250 ml (1 cup) of mash.
Step 3
Mix the following in a medium bowl mix:
250 ml sweet potato mash
250 ml cake flour
1.5 ml salt
2.5 ml ground cumin
Pinch of turmeric (for colour) if using white sweet potatoes
Use your hands to get a soft and slightly sticky dough, or use a mixer with a ‘K’ blade. Don’t worry if the dough is lumpy with pieces of skin and stuff!
Step 4
Divide the dough into 4 or 8 (depending on the size you want). Drop the balls into a bowl or cup with extra flour, then roll out thinly, using extra flour to prevent sticking to the surface.
Step 5
Drop a spoonful of sunflower oil into a heavy bottom or griddle pan and heat until really hot, then wipe out with tissue paper again to prevent oily flat bread. Carefully place the first flat bread into the pan, cook for a minute or two until bubbly brown on the underside, then flip over and cook again. Repeat with the rest. It should not be necessary to oil again.
Step 6
Keep the cooked flat breads covered with a warm wet cloth to prevent them from drying out.
Step 7
Now enjoy these delicious and healthy breads to scoop up a curry, shoved into a delicious dip served with a salsa on the side, or use as a wrap to hold your favourite filling.
Download the Sweet Potato Flat Breads-recipe
(Shortened and slightly modified version from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRj0tPEjcBY&t=447s)
SWEET POTATOES – Nutritional Overview
In South Africa we distinguish between white and yellow sweet potatoes, while overseas countries often also refer to them as yams. Note that ordinary potatoes and sweet potatoes are not related at all!
Sweet Potatoes are considered a ‘superfood’ by many a fundi, due to the great benefits they offer in nutrition. Many health professionals like Dr Gregor highly recommend we eat sweet potatoes as an alternative to normal potatoes. In fact his cookbook ‘How Not To Die’ doesn’t have a single normal potato recipe in it!
- Sweet potatoes provide complex carbohydrates with subsequent low GI (Glycaemic Index), which means keeping blood sugar levels stable by preventing spikes. To an extend this prevents diabetes and heart disease. It also stays in the gut longer and therefore keeps you full for longer.
- The high source of potassium, magnesium, and calcium ensures a good night’s sleep, which makes sweet potatoes an ideal dinner carbohydrate.
- High antioxidants (especially in yellow varieties) are most beneficial in fighting off free radicals that enter our bodies, therefore becoming great protectors against disease.
- High soluble and insoluble fibre ensures gut health, preventing diarrhoea and constipation and diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, as well as maintaining consistent blood sugar
- Yellow sweet potatoes are particularly rich in beta-carotene and anthocyanins, enhancing good vision and protecting against vision loss.
- The high beta-carotene in yellow sweet potatoes is converted to Vitamin A in the body, which is essential for a strong immune system and gut health.
- High in manganese ensures good brain function
