Tag: bread

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Vetkoek – Magwinya

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Vetkoek – Magwinya
Vetkoek – Magwinya

This is a traditional South African food that is popular as a quick meal and often eaten as is, filled with minced meat or with cheese and syrup. Vetkoek literally means “fat cakes” as it is basically a deep-fried bread. Magwinya is simply shaped differently, smaller than tennis balls and often found in Townships or sold as a on-the-go breakfast at taxi ranks.

10g dried yeast
900g cake flour
10ml salt
10ml sugar
vegetable oil for frying

Pour 250ml of warm water (tepid) into a mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir to dissolve the yeast and set aside.
Add the flour, salt and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Run the mixer on low speed and add the yeast mixture.
Now add some more lukewarm water (about 400ml) until the mixture comes together in a soft dough.
Knead on medium speed for 6 minutes.
Transfer the dough to an oiled mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and set aside for 90 minutes.
Knock back the dough by kneading it by hand for 1 minute.
Pour about 2 litres of vegetable oil into a saucepan over medium-high heat.
If you are making Magwinya, pinch off some dough and shape it into a ball, about the size of a golf ball.
If you are making vetkoek, pinch off twice the amount of dough, roll into a ball and then press it flat between your hands.
Place the shaped dough on an oiled tray until you have shaped all the dough and the oil is warm.
Test the oil with a small piece of dough: if the dough starts bubbling and rises when dropped into the oil, it is hot enough.
Deep-fry the magwinya/vetkoek in the oil, turning them often for about 3 minutes or until they are a deep golden brown.
Scoop out and drain on kitchen paper.
Serve warm with mince/ragou or grated cheddar cheese and golden syrup.

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Chocolate Rolls

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Chocolate Rolls
Chocolate Rolls

These rolls are a cheat’s version of the French pain au chocolat – less work and equal taste. Makes 12 rolls.

325g bread flour
3,7ml salt
150ml milk
40g butter
10g instant yeast
35ml sugar
1 egg
80g chocolate, chopped
Eggwash: 1 egg + 15ml water, whisked together

Spray a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Warm the milk until tepid and pour it into a mixing bowl.
Add the butter, yeast and sugar to the milk and stir until the butter has melted.
Add the egg and whisk together.
Turn the mixer on a low speed and add the liquids. The dough will be VERY sticky!
Turn the mixer to medium speed and knead for 6 minutes. You want a dough that is soft, smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in an oiled mixing bowl and cover with a clean tea towel. Set aside to proof for 90 minutes.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough to a large rectangle.
Sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the length, in the centre.

Now fold the sides over so that you have a dough layer, chocolate layer and another 2 dough layers.
Roll the folded dough with a rolling pin so that the chocolate bits roll into the dough.
Divide and cut the dough into 12 equal pieces.
Cut each piece into 3, keeping the top attached.
Plait the dough and then roll up each plaited piece and place it in a muffin hole.
Cover the muffin tin with a tea towel and allow to proof for 20 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Brush the rolls with the egg wash and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve slightly warm with a cup of coffee.

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Beetroot Focaccia

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Beetroot Focaccia
Beetroot Focaccia

4 – 5 beets
340ml water and beetroot-water, lukewarm
10g dry yeast
10ml sugar
10ml salt
20ml olive oil
500g cake flour
100g feta cheese, crumbed
rosemary sprigs
extra olive oil to drizzle

Peel the beetroot and cut it into chunks. Cover with water and cook until a sharp knife easily pierces the beet chunks.
Remove the beetroot from the cooking liquid, but reserve the liquid.
Mash enough of the soft beetroot so that you have 45ml of pulp. (Keep the rest of the cooked beetroot in the refrigerator and add it to a salad).
Measure 340ml of the beetroot water in a jug. If you don’t have enough, fill it to measurement with tap water.
Warm the water so that it is lukewarm.
Add the yeast, sugar and olive oil to the water and stir to dissolve. Set aside.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low speed.
Add the yeast mixture and the 45ml beetroot pulp and turn the mixer to medium speed. Knead for about 4 minutes.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with a clean tea towel. Set aside to rise for 1 -2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 38cm X 25cm baking tray with non-stick spray.
Transfer the dough to the baking tray and gently start spreading it by pushing down on it with the tips of your fingers. Keep pushing and prodding the dough until it fills the entire tray.
Break the feta and spread over the dough.
Add a few sprigs of rosemary and then drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the dough.
Lightly cover the bread with a plastic bag and allow to rise for about 20 minutes.

Bake the risen bread for 30 minutes.

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Butternut Rolls

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Butternut Rolls
Butternut Rolls

These rolls are deliciously moist and soft and make for a great dinner roll, with a boost of veggies!!

190ml cooked and mashed butternut (about one large butternut)
190ml milk
10g instant yeast
450g bread flour
50g cake flour
45g caster sugar
15ml honey
7,5ml salt
45g butter
about 45ml melted butter

Add the mashed butternut and milk to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Mix together on a low speed for 2 minutes.
Add the yeast, bread flour, cake flour, caster sugar and honey and mix on a low speed until the mixture comes together as a rough dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Cut the butter into small pieces and set aside.
Remove the plastic wrap, add the salt and knead the dough on medium speed for 1 minute.
Add the butter pieces one at a time, with the machine running and knead until the dough is silky smooth. About 6 minutes.
Lightly oil a mixing bowl and place the dough in it. Cover and allow to rise until double in size (about 1 hour).
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray.
Transfer the dough to a working surface and divide into twelve equal pieces.
Roll each piece of dough into a ball and place it into the prepared muffin tin.
Cover the muffin tin with a plastic bag and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
Bake the rolls for 16 minutes.
Melt an additional 45ml of butter in the microwave oven.
Take the rolls from the oven, brush the rolls with the melted butter and place back in the oven for a further 3 minutes.
Take the rolls from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
Serve with butter and honey.


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Naan Bread

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Naan Bread
Naan Bread

Although Naan is a flatbread it is also known for its softness and has a bit more “body” to it than other flatbreads. This recipe includes yoghurt and yeast which makes this a pillowy, soft bread with loads of taste and deliciousness! Makes four large breads or 8 “hand-sized” flatbreads.

500g cake flour
5ml salt
250ml milk
5ml sugar
45ml yoghurt
30g butter, melted
15g instant yeast

Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Pour the milk into a glass jug and warm it slightly in the microwave oven. It should be tepid.
Add the sugar, yoghurt and melted butter to the milk and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Stir in the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes.
Start the mixer on a slow speed and then add the liquid ingredients. Mix for 2 minutes on slow speed until the dough comes together.
Turn the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough for another 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Lightly oil a large mixing bowl and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean tea towel and set aside to proof for an hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to its hottest setting.
Place an empty baking sheet in the oven so that it can heat up.
Knock down the dough and divide it in 4 portions for large breads or 8 equal smaller portions.
Roll the dough into a disc shape with a rolling pin or the traditional tear shape: the important thing is for the dough to be about 5mm thick.
Open the oven door and quickly place 3/4 of the breads onto the preheated baking sheet and immediately close the oven door.
Bake the breads for 3 minutes, open the door and flip them. Cook this side for another 3 minutes. The naan will puff up and look like pita breads but once it cools it will fall back on itself.
Take the cooked breads out of the oven and cover them lightly with a tea towel. Keep going until all the breads are baked.
You may serve the naan as soon as they are cool enough to handle.




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Yoghurt Quick Bread

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Yoghurt Quick Bread
Yoghurt Quick Bread

Easy, healthy and delicious!

250ml wholewheat flour
250ml cake flour
125ml sugar
7,5ml baking powder
2,5ml bicarbonate of soda
2,5ml salt
15ml each of sesame, poppy and sunflower seeds
250ml greek yoghurt
1 egg
62ml vegetable oil

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease a standard 23cm X 13cm loaf pan.
Add the wholewheat flour, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and seeds to a mixing bowl and mix through with a whisk.
Add the yoghurt, egg and vegetable oil to a wide-mouthed jug and whisk together.
Pour the liquid ingredients in to the dry ingredients and stir through with a spatula until all the flour has been incorporated and you are left with a shaggy, wet batter.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and pat it down into the corners.
Bake the loaf for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf, comes out clean.
Take the bread from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning it out.
Allow to cool completely before slicing.

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Polish Rye Bread

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Polish Rye Bread
Polish Rye Bread

This recipe provides a quick method for a rye bread with loads of flavour. The addition of buttermilk gives the typical tangy taste that one associates with a traditional rye and adds to a really good texture. This recipe makes two medium-sized, oblong breads.

500ml rye flour
1 500ml cake flour
10ml salt
15ml instant yeast
250ml water, tepid
5ml sugar
375ml buttermilk, room temperature
62ml butter, melted

Add the flours and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Add the yeast, water, sugar, buttermilk and melted butter to a separate bowl and whisk together to dissolve the sugar and yeast.
Turn the mixer on to a low speed and add the liquids.
Mix/knead for 7 minutes.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double the volume.
Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
Knead the dough down by hand for 2 minutes.
Divide the dough in half and shape two oblong loaves.
Place the shaped dough on the prepared baking sheet, cover with oiled plastic wrap and allow to proof until almost doubled in size.
Brush the bread with egg white or water for a shiny crust. Make 4 diagonal, shallow cuts in the top of the bread.
Bake the breads for 30 minutes.
Cool on wire racks until completely cold.

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Cinnamon Rolls

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls

Few things beat an aromatic cinnamon roll on a cold day and these rolls are no exception! I like to hero the yeasty bread and therefore the sugar glaze is toned done in this recipe. Yields 20 rolls but may easily be halved.

1250ml bread flour
7,5ml salt
75ml butter
450ml milk
45ml sugar
15ml instant yeast

30ml butter
30ml white sugar
30ml brown sugar
10ml cinnamon

Add the flour, salt and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Add the butter and milk to a jug and warm it in the microwave oven. Stir until the butter has melted and the milk is tepid and NOT hot.
Add the sugar and yeast to the milk mixture and stir to dissolve.
Turn the mixer onto low speed and add the milk mixture. Mix/knead for 2 minutes.
Now turn the speed to medium and knead for a further 5 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a plastic bag and a tea towel.
Set aside to proof for 1 hour or until doubled in volume.
Line an overproof baking dish/baking tray of about 25cm X 35cm with baking paper.
Dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough into a large rectangle. About 65cm X 30cm.
Melt the 30ml butter and brush an even layer onto the rolled dough.
Mix together the sugars and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly onto the dough.
Roll into a sausage, in the length.
Cut the sausage of dough into 20 even pieces. I do this by halving the sausage, and again halving the half sections and then simply slicing it into five more-or-less equal pieces.
Arrange the dough spirals in the prepared baking dish, cut side facing up and about 1 – 2 cm between them, or as evenly spaced as you can manage.
Slip the baking dish into a plastic bag and leave to proof for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Bake the rolls for 30 minutes.

For the glaze:
500ml icing sugar
30ml butter
10ml vanilla
60ml milk

Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl.
Melt the butter and add the vanilla and milk to it.
Pour the wet ingredients into the icing sugar while stirring.

Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and immediately drizzle the glaze onto the rolls.
Serve warm or cooled down.

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Breadsticks

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Breadsticks
Breadsticks

Breadsticks are delicious and versatile: serve them as canapés, a dip like hummus or as a side to soup.

80g bread flour
5g instant yeast
2,5ml sugar
150ml tepid water

160g bread flour
15ml olive oil
2,5ml salt
1 egg
chopped herbs and/or grated parmesan cheese

Add the 80g flour, yeast, sugar and water to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Whisk the ingredients by hand until you have a smooth mixture.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean tea towel.
Stand the bowl in a warm place for 30 minutes or until the mixture is foamy.

Add the 160g flour, oil and salt to the foamy-mixture.
Fit the mixer with the dough hook and turn it on to a low speed. Mix for 2 minutes.
Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes).
Cover the mixing bowl with a tea towel and allow to proof for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Dust a work surface with flour and take the dough from the mixing bowl.
Knead it by hand for one minute.
Portion the dough by cutting it into equal sized pieces. About 16 portions would do but it depends on the length of breadstick you want. (Long is better as you may always cut them in half before baking).
Roll each piece of dough into a log.
To make twists: cut the log lengthwise into two and twist the one around the other.
To make braids: cut the log into three, keep the top end together, and braid as you would hair.
Place the breadsticks onto the prepared tray, brush with egg white and sprinkle with herbs and/or grated parmesan.
Bake the bread for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool completely on a cooling rack.
Serve with soup, hummus, a dip or as a canapé.

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Borrelbrood (Pull-Apart Bread)

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Borrelbrood (Pull-Apart Bread)
Borrelbrood (Pull-Apart Bread)

This pull-apart bread is a traditional snack in the Netherlands and is an absolute guilty pleasure. Borrelbrood is the perfect addition to a casual BBQ as a tasty side for the meal.

1 Medium sized bread
100g Cheese spread
100g + 30g Butter
4 Cloves of garlic, minced
Smoked ham, sliced
Mozzarella cheese, sliced

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Make slits into the loaf of bread (without slicing through) about 3cm apart.
Now turn the bread and start making some more slits 3cm apart in the poolside direction to make squares.
Place the loaf on a large square of aluminium foil and place it onto a baking tray.
Add the cheese spread, 100g butter and minced garlic to a small saucepan.
Place on a medium-low heating stir until melted and completely amalgamated.
Spoon the butter-cheese mixture into the slits of the bread.
Lay the ham into every second slit and the mozzarella into the alternating open slits.
Melt the 30g butter and brush the bread to get that nice golden colour.
Cover the bread with the overhang from the aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Open the foil to reveal the top of the bread and proceed to bake it for another 10 minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and serve warm!