Recipes from professional Chef Tallyrand:

• Paraora Parai - a simple Maori bread •

This recipe is for a simple Maori bread. I believe the name literally translates as fried stones, as that is what the Maori considered them to look like

These are most often served while still hot with lashings of butter and golden syrup / treacle. But they are equally good served plain with any of the dishes I have featured this month.

Ingredients

flour	400	gm
baking powder	4	tsp
OR
dried yeast	3	tsp
salt		sq
milk		sq

Method

Baking powder version

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together twice
2. Add enough milk to form a dough
3. Knead for 5 minutes and roll into a cylinder
4. Break / cut into even size pieces and roll to an oval shape

Yeast version

1. Sift the flour and salt together twice
2. Warm milk to blood temperature and sprinkle in the yeast
3. Allow to sit in a warm place until fermented
4. Add to the flour and combine to form a slack, sticky dough
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured bench and knead for 10 - 15 minutes until a soft, elastic dough is achieved
6. Break / cut into even size pieces and roll to an oval shape

To cook

1. Deep fry at 180°C for 10 minutes until a light golden brown
2. Drain and serve while still hot
   

Chef's Tip:

Traditionally this Maori bread was made with 'rewena', a leavening (rising) agent made by fermenting potato but is now most often made with baking powder or yeast.

Enjoy and bon appetit . . . . .

Published 01 March 2004