Pot bread
Makes 1 loaf
Easy
45 minutes, plus 2 hours 40 minutes’ proving time
1 hour
The folding steps when making dough help build the structure of the bread, trapping the air bubbles, which create a beautiful cross-section when the bread is cut. Here, we do one additional folding step before baking. If you don’t have baking paper, a generous sprinkle of maize meal on the baking tray will prevent your bread from sticking. Preheat your oven for at least 30 minutes. This ensures your bread starts cooking as soon as it hits the oven. Placing a cake tin containing a cup of boiling water on the bottom shelf of the oven when you put the dough in to bake will help it rise quicker and higher before the crust forms. Using only one cup of water means the bread will ‘dry bake’ at the end of the cooking time, ensuring a crunchy and crispy crust. And that is how you bake the perfect loaf of bread mic drop.
Ingredients
Method
- 1 1⁄2 cups warm water
- 2 T sugar
- 2 t dry yeast
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 t salt
- 450 g flour
Method
Ingredients
1. Pour the water into a large mixing bowl, then stir in the sugar until it’s dissolved.
2. Whisk in the yeast. Cover with a kitchen towel for 10 minutes or until the mixture looks frothy.
3. Stir in the oil, salt and flour until fully incorporated. The dough should be loose enough to be stirred with a spoon. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
4. Use a wet hand to fold the dough onto itself, pulling from the edges to the centre until a tight ball is formed. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
5. Repeat the folding step, then rest the dough, covered, for 90 minutes or until doubled in size. The dough is now ready to bake.
6. If you’re not using the dough immediately, you can cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in the fridge overnight or for at least 8 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place a large casserole dish, with the lid on, in the oven to preheat.
8. Tip the dough out of the mixing bowl onto a floured surface. Pull the edges into the centre to form a ball, then flip the dough, seam-side down, onto a piece of baking paper. Cover with the upside-down mixing bowl and rest for 30 minutes.
9. Use the baking paper to lower the dough into the preheated casserole and leave the paper in place to prevent the bread from sticking once baked. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for a further 15 minutes until golden brown on top. To test for doneness, carefully pull the bread out of the casserole using oven gloves, flip it over and use your knuckles to lightly tap the underside – the bread should make a hollow, drum-like sound. If it doesn’t, return it to the casserole and bake for another 10 minutes. Tip out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.
Cook's note: Enjoy this pot bread with Onezwa's pear-and-rooibos jam. Find the recipe here.
Production: Amy Ebedes-Murray
Videographer: Romy Wilson
Photographer: Toby Murphy
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