Pot bread
If you’re baking the bread in the oven, remove the lid. If you’re baking it on the fire, put the pot on a tripod over moderately hot coals and place a few coals on top of the lid.
Basic bread dough
With this bread recipe you can bake ordinary bread, pot bread, vetkoek, griddle cakes and even ash cakes.
You need (for 2 loaves)
• 1 kg (7 cups) white bread flour (or use half Nutty Wheat and half white bread flour)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 packet (10 g) instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 to 2½ cups lukewarm water
Here’s how
1. Wet & dry. Combine the dry ingredients and add the oil and enough lukewarm water to form a manageable dough.
2. Massage it. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic,
and doesn’t stick to your hands any more.
3. Let it rise. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with clingwrap. Let it stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes or until the dough has doubled in volume.
Pot bread
1. Getting ready. Preheat the oven to 180° C or light the braai fire. Grease a 28 cm flat-bottomed potjie with butter.
2. Rising star. Knead the dough and shape it to fit in the pot. Put the lid on and leave it in a warm place until it’s doubled in volume.
3. Fire it up. If you’re baking the bread in the oven, remove the lid. If you’re baking it on the fire, put the pot on a tripod over moderately hot coals and place a few coals on top of the lid. Bake for 35 to 50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Go! says: Alternatively, dig a hole in the ground and place a few coals at the bottom.
Balance the pot on bricks in the hole and put a few coals on the lid. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes.
Two variations
Bacon and pepper pot bread.
Chop an onion and a sweet pepper and fry in butter until soft. Add it to the dough, shape it to fit in the pot and top it with bacon rashers. Let it rise until it’s doubled in volume. Bake in the oven or over the coals.
Cheese and mielie pot bread.
Add a cupful grated cheddar cheese and a drained tin of whole-kernel corn to the dough. Shape the dough to fit it in the pot and let it rise until it’s doubled in volume. Bake in the oven or over the coals.
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