“Choose Mature Breadfruit for the Best Flavor and Texture! Mature breadfruit, ideal for achieving a potato-like consistency, is perfect for a variety of dishes including salads, stews, curries, fries, and more. It can be eaten plain or with a sauce and is excellent for making breadfruit salad. A firm, mature breadfruit will soften and ripen within 1–3 days at room temperature, making it suitable for desserts. To prolong the ripeness of a mature fruit, refrigerate it. The skin may brown, but the flesh remains firm. Alternatively, store the fruit submerged in cool water with a weight on top to keep it fully underwater.
Ripe Breadfruit: A Delight for Desserts Ripe breadfruit is soft and fragrant, ideal for sweet dishes like cakes, pies, cookies, and energy bars. Use ripe breadfruit immediately or store in the refrigerator for a few days. It can also be frozen for later use.
Avoid Immature “Green” Breadfruit Immature breadfruit, which is bright green and undersized, lacks the desirable flavor and texture of mature fruit and remains rubbery and watery even when cooked. It won’t mature or ripen once picked, and consuming it may lead to disliking breadfruit altogether. Always opt for mature breadfruit.
Handling Breadfruit Sap Breadfruit contains a white sap that can stick to knives and cookware. To reduce sap, cut off the stem after harvesting and let the fruit sit stem end down. Mature fruit, proper handling, and refrigeration also minimize sap issues. Before cooking, soak breadfruit for 1–2 minutes in cold water, then wash and dry to remove sap or debris. If sap oozes while cutting, place cardboard over the cutting board for cleanliness. Prevent sap from sticking to utensils by using non-stick spray or cooking oil. Remove sap from kitchen equipment with oil, a scrub brush, and hot soapy water.