Ingredients

Method

• 360 g flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 40 g butter
• 1 x 10 g dried yeast sachet
• 2 T sugar
• 250 ml milk, warmed
• 3 T butter, melted
• Bacon jam, for serving
For the bacon jam:
• 1 T canola oil
• 400 g smoked streaky bacon, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 65 ml water
• 200 g treacle sugar
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1 t smoked paprika
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 85 ml white vinegar

Method

Ingredients

1. Sift the flour and salt together, then rub in the butter. Add the yeast and sugar to the milk, stir to combine, then add to the flour.

2. Use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients, then turn out onto a clean working surface and knead for 10 minutes.

3. Place the dough in a bowl lightly oiled with olive oil and cover with a clean tea towel. Place in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

4. Knock down the risen dough and place on a clean, floured surface. Roll out the dough into a square, 1 cm in thickness.

5. Using a sharp knife, cut out 5 cm strips of dough. Wrap the strips of dough around a stick long enough to safely hold over a fire.

6. Hold the sticks above the fire, making sure the bread doesn’t burn. Allow the bread to brown slightly before rotating the stick to cook it further. Once the bread is cooked through and golden, brush with melted butter and serve with the bacon jam.

7. To make the bacon jam, heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Sauté the bacon, but do not allow it to crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan. Cook the onions in the same pan in which the bacon was cooked until soft and translucent, then pour in the water and scrape the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the sugar, thyme, smoked paprika and pepper and stir. Return the bacon to the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently without bubbling. Cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to make sure the jam does not stick to the pan. Add the vinegar and continue cooking until reduced and sticky.

Cook’s note: When warming the milk, heat it to just above body temperature. If it’s too hot it will kill the yeast and stop the bread from rising. Make sure the stick you use is clean and nontoxic. It should contain some moisture so that it doesn’t catch alight easily. Try using wooden skewers that have been soaked in water.