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“Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.” ~ Nelson Mandela
World Bread Day, initiated by the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners, is an international observance celebrated every year on October 16, and dedicated to a staple food that has been of importance around the world since the dawn of agriculture.
Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods and research shows that people used starch extract from the roots of plants to cook a primitive form of flatbread as early as 30 000 years ago. Grains became the mainstay of making bread with the dawn of Neolithic age and the ancient Egyptians are believed to have been the first to use yeast to leaven the dough.
It is a staple food in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe and is usually made from wheat, but can be also made from other cereals, including rye, barley, oats, maize, rice, millet and sorghum. In many cuisines, there are traditional bread recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Here are six South African-style bread recipes from the chefs at Capsicum Culinary Studio, South Africa’s largest culinary school with six campuses across the country.
Steamed Bread
Ingredients
3 cups of flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
3 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
Method
Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add the warm water and bring together, kneading until the dough combines and does not stick to your hands. Grease a clean bowl with butter, add the dough, cover with a dish towel and place in a warm place for an hour. Fill a large pot halfway with boiling water and place over medium heat. Grease a bowl with butter and add the dough. Place the bowl with the dough inside the pot (making sure no water gets in), cover with lid, and allow to steam for an hour or until cooked. Remove bread and cool before slicing and serving.
Beer Bread
Ingredients
330g all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2-3 teaspoons salt
340ml beer (lager)
110g cold butter
Method
Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease a loaf pan. In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk together. Pour in the beer and stir all ingredients until just combined and there are no dry parts. Pour the thick batter into the loaf pan and bang lightly on the counter top to smooth out. Cut the butter into slices (roughly a tablespoon size) and place evenly on top of the raw batter. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown on top. Stick a skewer in the centre of the bread and if it comes out clean you know it is done.
Mealie Bread
Ingredients
330g creamed sweetcorn
120ml milk
2 eggs, beaten lightly
30g salted butter, melted
180g all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornmeal
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Butter a 21cm x 11cm x 6 cm loaf tin. Place half the sweetcorn and the milk into a blender and blend until the corn is pureed. Add the remaining corn and blend quickly leaving kernels coarsely chopped. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and add the beaten eggs and melted butter. In a separate bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and paprika and mix until well combined. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Stick a skewer in the centre of the bread and if it comes out clean it is done Cool in the loaf tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to continue cooling. Serve warm with butter.
Breakfast Bread
Ingredients
275g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
8 spring onions, chopped
350g cheddar cheese, grated
125g back bacon, diced
4 eggs
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbs vegetable oil
60ml buttermilk
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Grease a large loaf tin. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. (You don’t need to pre-cook the bacon as it cooks in the bread and provides moisture and flavour.) Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the bread. Cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. A perfect loaf to slice and pack for padkos and picnics.
Mosbolletjie Bread
Ingredients – Dough
100ml grape juice
100ml milk
4 cups white bread flour
10g dry active yeast
10ml tepid water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp aniseeds
85g sugar
50 grams butter
Ingredients – Glaze
20g butter
45ml milk
30g sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 180ºC. In a bowl, mix the yeast, 5g of the sugar and water and set aside until frothy. In a saucepan, melt the butter and milk just before boiling point then add the grape juice, remove from heat and cool until tepid. In a separate bowl sift the flour, aniseeds, salt and remaining 80g of sugar. Add the yeast mixture and stir until it forms a soft dough. Remove from bowl, place on a floured surface and knead until soft (10 mins). Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and place in a warm area until it has doubled in size. While the dough is rising, grease a standard size bread tin. Once the dough has doubled in size, divide into 21 equal parts to make 7 rows of 3 in the tin. Roll and shape each piece of dough into a rectangle and place 3 by 3 next to each other in the tin. Allow the dough in the tin to rise until double in size once again then place in the oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Make the glaze by adding all ingredients to a saucepan until melted. Brush the bread with the glaze as soon it comes out of the oven.
Roosterbrood
Ingredients
1kg wholemeal flour
1 heaped tsp sugar
2 tbs cooking oil
10g dried yeast
½ cup warm water
Pinch of salt
Method
Add sugar and yeast to the warm water and leave for 15 mins until frothy. In a separate bowl add the flour, oil and salt then add the yeast/water mixture. Mix well then remove from bowl and knead well on a floured surface. Place in a clean, oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size. Remove, knock down and knead again. Divide into golf-ball size balls, flatten and leave to rise again. Place carefully on a braai grid over slow coals (once meat has been cooked). Turn regularly until cooked.