Freshly baked rolls in the Kalahari

Well it's not a secret that we love to travel to South Africa and are especially fond of the Kalahari.

While travelling the Kalahari Transfrontier Park we always look forward to enjoy roosterkoek, small rolls baked on a braai (Afrikaans for "barbecue" or "grill").

Always a highlight while staying at the Nossob Rest Camp, where you were able to order the Roosterkoek at reception and they were then delivered to your chalet (still warm and so yummy!!!)

We always loved to eat them with Cheese and Jam.

But, why not try to bake our own roosterkoek!

So I prepared a dough around noon, to give it enough time to prove.

The hardest thing was to defend the dough against the birds and Squirrels in the camp.

In the evening we build a fire.

I think it's not too hard to wait for the right time, having such a great view and enjoying a G&T for Sundwoner (that photo was taken at Mata Mata, where we baked the roosterkoek once again).

After the flames were gone it was time to place the small rolls, that I had formed in the meantime, on the braai grid.

At first I was still a bit sceptical if we would be able to have freshly baked bread with our salad that evening, but after 15-20 Minutes I was really happy with the result.

For all those who would lke to try it as well ( you dont have to be in South Africa for that, but I am sure the atmosphere improves the taste.....) here is the recipe:

Well a kind of a recipe, as I can not even really tell you the exact quantities, we were on holiday and did not have a scale and measuring cup....
But, it's working noneteless.

I had a 1kg bag of flour and it made about 7-8 roosterkoek for 3 times. 
I used one of the big coffee mugs in the accomodation to measure the luke warm water.

I made a bread dough using 

bread flour (about 300-350g, try to devide the 1kg of flour into three equal parts) 
instant yeast (one sachet)
salt (1 teaspoon)
oil (1 tablespoon)
sugar (1 teaspoon) 
one mug of warm water.

The dough should not be too dry (they get too firm) or too wet (they stick to the grid).

Let the dough prove for a couple of hours, form the rolls (the diameter of a tennis ball and about 2cm thick), thoroughly dust them with flour and place them on the grid. 
Do not grease the grid, but make sure that the rolls are thoroughly dusted with flour.

It took me a few times to find the right hight for the grid. The first time the grid was too high, so I lowered it later to make the nice golden and crisp.

If you are not sure if they are ready take one and cut it open.

They needed between 15 to 20 minutes. Keep turning them regularly the whole time.

When I made them at Mata Mata I nearly burned them, as a Lion was visiting the waterhole while they were on the grid, lol.....

Sweet Raisin Bread with Almonds

For us the perfect sweet bread for Easter...
It is really easy to make and I really love that it's made without candied fruit.



Ingredients

500g flour
1 sachet of yeast
70 g sugar
1 pinch of salt
100g raisins
80g almond slices
60g butter
250 ml milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 tablespoons of oil
some margarine for baking dish

Method

Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, raisins and almonds.
Gently warm the milk and add the butter, let the butter melt.
Now add the milk-butter-mixture and egg to the flour mix.
Thoroughly knead the dough.
Place the dough in a bowl cover with a kitchen towel and store it for 20 minutes in a warm place.
Grease a loaf pan, knead the dough once more vigorously, pour into the mold and make a 0.5 cm deep cut in the middle.
Mix the milk and oil and spread half of it with a brush on the bread.
Let the dough rise again for additional 10 minutes, then put it in the non-preheated oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes.
Brush it again with the milk-oil mixture after 15 minutes of baking time.

The bread is ready when it’s nicely golden brown and crisp.

Cheese and Onion Muffins

This is a recipe that is always a hit....
Easy to prepare and very versatile.
Add some crispy fried bacon or chopped olives, or...
Just use your imagination!

Ingredients for a 12 Muffin tin

190g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 tablespoons onion, chopped
¼ teaspoon garlic, chopped
125 g of cheese, grated
60 ml of oil (corn oil or sunflower oil)
300 g butter milk
50 g cheese, grated, for sprinkling
fat for the form

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C. Grease the muffin tin.

Mix the dry ingredients – means the flour, baking powder, salt, onions, garlic and cheese - mix thoroughly.

Whisk the egg. Add the oil and buttermilk and mix well. Finally add the dry ingredients and gently fold in until they are moist.

Then fill the dough into the wells of the tin and sprinkle each muffin with some grated cheese.

Put in the hot oven and bake on middle rack for about 20-25 minutes.

Homemade Focaccia Bread

Bread is wonderful.
I love to eat it with a soup, a salad or to soak up a delicious sauce of a pot roast.
Finding a great bread is not that easy at all.
That is why I was so delighted to discover an easy to follow recipe for a Focaccia bread in the Basic Baking Cookbook and changed it to my liking.



I love my Focaccia with herbs and Olives.
Some of the Olives I use finely chopped for the dough and some of them whole on top of the bread.





It is not easy to safe the bread for the salad when you experience the smell the time it comes right from the oven.
By the way a salad is not necessarily needed.
A glass of Red, some really good Olive Oil and Fleur du Sel is well enough fo a nice evening....




Ingredients:

500 g Flour
1 tablespoon Salt
6 tablespoons Olive Oil
½ cube (ca. 21 g) of fresh Yeast or dry Yeast (preparation as shown on sachet)
some Rosemary twigs (4-5)
black Olives

Method:

Preheat the oven on 240°C

Mix the flour, salt and oil in a large bowl. Resolve the yeast in 250 ml warm water. Add it to the bowl and mix it well with the other ingredients.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about 1 hour in a warm place without draught.
Now is the right time to knead in the rosemary and chopped olives.

Brush a baking plate with some olive oil,alternatively baking paper. Place the dough on the plate and spread out the dough until it is 1 cm thick.
Prick the dough several times with a fork .
Cover the dough again for another 20 minutes, and let it rise a second time.

The more patient you are the better the bread gets.

Sprinkle the dough with a bit of oil and some coarse sea salt. Press in the olives and bake for about 20 minutes.

You can add anything to the bread just as you wish.
Just keep in mind that the additional ingredients should not be too moist and only mix in the extra goodies after the first 1 hour, not right from the beginning!!!

I already tried it with rosemary, garlic, olives and roasted pine nuts; sundried tomatoes, garlic and thyme, or onions, bacon and roasted pine nuts.