Rewena bread Rewena bread Rēwena parāoa (literally, "leavened bread," also spelled rewana) is a traditional Māori sourdough potato bread. Rēwena means both "bread made with potato yeast" and "the process of fermentation that causes bread to rise." The Maori word for potato, 'riwai' (sometimes spelled 'rewa'), is the root word of rēwena. Rēwena bread uses a pre-ferment starter, also called a ‘bug.’ It is created by boiling and mashing potatoes, then adding flour and sugar. Kumara, or sweet potatoes, may also be used. The mixture is then allowed to ferment from one to several days, depending on the ambient temperature and humidity.
Bread and butter pudding can be used instead. Sometimes raspberry, strawberry, blackberry or mixed fruit jam, marmalade, or other sweet preserves will be spread upon the bread, along with the butter. Other modern variations include scattering fresh grapes between the layers of bread, melting apples into the egg-milk mixture, and using unusual types of breads — such as brioche — to make it. Lemon or orange peel will add a characteristic flavour. The earliest bread and butter puddings were called "whitepot" and used either bone marrow or butter. Whitepots could also be made using rice instead of bread, giving rise to the rice pudding