Kumara bread

In a small saucepan, cook the kumara and about half the milk until soft, with the lid on. Once cooked, most of the milk will have evaporated and if not, remove the lid and keep cooking. Transfer the kumara to a large mixing bowl and mash with the remaining milk. Leave to cool a little.

Make a yeast sponge by mixing the water, sugar, 1 tsp flour and the yeast in a cup. Leave to stand for 10-15 minutes until foamy.

Combine the yeast mixture and warm mashed kumara. Mix in the flour (reserving about ½ cup) and salt. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 5-10 minutes until you have a very soft but not too sticky dough. Keep adding reserved flour if it is too sticky to handle, but remember that the more you add, the tougher the bread.

Cover and leave in a warm place to double in size (40 minutes to 1 hour).

Once risen, punch it down. Shape the dough into a round or oval loaf, or a dozen buns – then place on a floured oven tray. Leave to double in size again. This rise may take less time than the first.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush the bread with milk or water.

Bake bread for 20-30 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped.