Cider bread
500 g self-raising flour
340 ml Savanna cider
5 ml salt
15 ml olive oil
The great things about this bread are you don’t need to knead it for hours and you can add anything from fresh herbs or sun-dried tomatoes to olives to spice it up. This recipe makes one small, dense loaf, or five medium-sized rolls, so I normally double it to fi ll my large pot and so there’s enough if I’m cooking for a group.
Put the flour into a mixing bowl. Make a hole in the centre and pour about two thirds of the cider into the well. Start mixing it together, adding enough cider to produce a pliable mixture: the dough mustn’t be too sticky or too dry. Cover dough with a damp cloth, put in a warm place and leave to rise for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, arrange three half bricks around some fresh coals and rest your flat-bottomed potjie pot on top. You’re aiming for low to medium heat, so don’t start a raging fi re.
Pour in five tablespoons of oil and let the pot heat up. Once the dough has risen, shape it into a round wheel and place it inside the pot. Put the lid on, place plenty of coals on top and walk away for about 40 minutes, remembering to add new coals underneath every now and then.
After 40 minutes, blow the ash off the lid and open. The bread should be crispy and brown when ready.
For more recipes and outdoor cooking ideas, read Justin Bonello’s Cooked in Africa: A cooking journey through Southern Africa.
