Roosterkoek

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I had my first taste of real roosterkoek at the popular Die Strandloper on the West Coast, where I saw these amazing golden brown orbs forming in front of my eyes. Everything works better with pork fat, hence my addition of pork fat dip. Roosterkoek and pork fat is a great party trick.

Ingredients

1 kg all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
1 heaped T salt
5 T olive oil
10 g dry active yeast
2½ cups lukewarm water
For the pork fat dip:
300 g pork fat (ask your butcher for back fat)
1 litre water
30 g fresh thyme
6 cloves garlic, crushed

Cooking Instructions

1. To make the roosterkoek, mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Knead until a smooth dough forms. Allow to prove for 2 hours, then knock down and prove for a further 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.

2. Shape into pieces your desired size, then flatten as you would pizza dough. Grill over a bed of charcoal. This will take about 6 minutes; you want to achieve a golden brown colour on each side.

3. To make the pork fat dip, chop the fat coarsely, then place in a saucepan with the water and bring to the boil with the lid off. Boil until the water evaporates and the pork fat begins to render, about 35–40 minutes. Once the water has evaporated, reduce the heat to medium and render until crispy. Be careful not to burn the fat.

4. Strain the oil and reserve the crispy pork bits to add to other dishes. Add the fresh thyme and garlic to the warm oil and allow to infuse overnight. Serve with the roosterkoek.

Cook's note: Roosterkoek and pork fat is a great party trick

Find more bread recipes here.

Photographs: Toby Murphy
Production: Abigail Donnelly