Could cassava flour used for making bread?

Bread has become the second most widely consumed non indigenous food products after rice in Nigeria. Till date, most Nigerians have not been introduced to other types of bread apart from that made from 100% wheat flour. To cut the nation’s expense on wheat importation and find wider utilization for the increasingly cassava flour processing, the federal government mandated the use of composite cassava- wheat flour for baking by adding minimum of 10% cassava flour to wheat for a start.

Cassava flour processing and the main cassava flour processing machine

Cassava flour processing machine introduction:

1. Harvest matured cassava from the farm and load it to the Cassava flour processing shed immediately. If the quantity of cassava harvested can not be carried in the same day for logistic reasons do not detach the cassava from the stem and leaf until the vehicle to carry it is ready. That is to say, fermentation will not occur if the cassava is still attached to the leaf and stem even if it has been uprooted. But care must be taken not to bruise the cassava when uprooting it.

2. Peel and wash the roots: Remove the stalk and woody tips from the roots. Peel the root with a hand-held peeler just like you would potatoes or carrots, then rinse them well. Peeling the root is also recommended since the peels naturally contain a very small amount of cyanide. However, it’s not a high enough amount to usually cause a problem and is nearly always thoroughly removed during manufacturing and heating.

3. Grate the roots: Grate cassava roots into a fine mash, using a hand-held grater or food processor.

4. Press and dry the roots: Pack the grated cassava mash into a clean bag or cheesecloth sack to press its water out. Get the cassava mash as dry as possible, then spread it onto a drying rack. Ideally, you can place the rack in the sun outside, or you can slowly dry the flour in a dehydrator or your oven at a low temperature. If you find that drying outdoors in the sun makes the cassava starch ferment and take on a sour, musty smell and taste, then use your oven instead. If you don’t have access to sunshine (it’s raining or you live in an apartment), this is a good time to dry cassava indoors too.

5. Mill and sift your flour: The dried cassava mash is ready when it produces a crumbly, white-colored flour. Gently mill/mash the flour into a fine texture with a mortar and sift through it to remove any clumps or leftover fibrous materials. Once it’s ready, you can use cassava flour in recipes right away or store it somewhere cool and dry for several months. Ideally use it within about three months to up to six months.