Vetkoek
This is a traditional Afrikaans recipe.
They are delicious when cut open, buttered, and then filled with either
cooked mince (=savory), or spread with syrup (=sweet).
Ingredients
1 cup cake flour
3ml salt
5ml Baking powder
1 egg
milk
oil (for
deep frying)
Method Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Beat the egg
lightly in a cup and add to the dry ingredients. Add sufficient milk and beat
till a smooth batter. Heat the oil in a pan, and drop large spoonfuls of the
batter into the hot oil (be careful). Fry, turning them over now and then,
until golden brown. Cut open, butter, and fill. (Experiment with any other
filling!)
While
visiting friends in the Cape a while ago, their Malay housekeeper
made vetkoek. As a variation, she opened a can of sardines, drained off
the oil and mixed the sardines into the batter, this really gave it an
unique taste!!
Vetkoek
Ingredients
750 ml cake flour
5 ml salt
25 ml sugar
10 ml instant yeast
250 ml lukewarm water
oil for deep-frying
FILLING
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, scraped and cut into julienne strips
1 stalk celery, sliced into rings
425 g pilchards in tomato, flaked
lemon juice and rind
2 ml mixed herbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sift together the cake flour and salt. Sprinkle with the sugar and instant
yeast and mix lightly. Add the water and mix to form a smooth, runny
dough. Cover with greased plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise
until doubled in volume. Meanwhile prepare the filling: Sauté the onion,
carrot and celery in a little oil until soft, add the pilchards and season
with the lemon juice and rind. Add the mixed herbs, salt and black pepper
to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes. Drop spoonfuls of the dough into heated
oil and fry until golden brown and cooked through. Cut a slit in each
vetkoek while still hot and stuff with the pilchard filling. Serve
immediately with a salad. Makes 24 vetkoek.
Instant vetkoek
Ingredients
3 kg white bread flour
30 ml salt
30 ml instant yeast
2 litre lukewarm water (you may need more or less)
30 ml oil
30 ml white grape vinegar
30 ml sugar
oil for deep-frying
Combine the bread flour, salt and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl.
Mix the water, 30 ml oil, vinegar and sugar together and add to the dry
ingredients. Mix and knead well for at least 10 minutes until the dough is
smooth and elastic, but still fairly slack. Remove the required amount of
dough from the bowl and freeze the rest in a container with a
tight-fitting lid. Cover the remaining dough with a sheet of greased
plastic and leave in a warm place to rise until double in bulk. Shape the
dough into fairly small vetkoeke (they increase in size when fried) and
fry in deep oil until brown on the outside and cooked inside. (Ensure that
the oil is the right temperature – if it's too hot the vetkoek will be
brown on the outside but still raw inside.) Serve with a sweet or savoury
as a main meal or snack.
Rusks (Beskuit) - dunk in your coffee.....
INGREDIENTS
2 cups unbleached white flour
2 cups whole wheat bread flour (coarsely ground if possible)
1/3 cup sugar
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup melted butter
2 eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp pure almond extract
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the
dry ingredients.
2. Combine all the wet ingredients, pour them into the dry ingredients,
and stir until you have a soft dough, similar to biscuit dough.
3. Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and roll or pat it to about
a ½ inch thickness.
4. Cut the dough into rectangles about 2 by 4 inches. Bake the rusks about
2 inches apart on buttered baking sheet for about 25 minutes until the
tops are crisping and browning a little.
5. Now, eat a few "soft" rusks warm from the oven. Loosely pile
the rusks on a baking sheet and keep them in a 200 degree oven all day or
all night (about 12 hours) to dry.
6. The finished rusks should be very dry and hard. Cool and store in an
airtight container. Rusks will keep for weeks.
Mealie Pap and Train Smash - side dish for a bbq
INGREDIENTS
500ml water
3ml salt
700ml maize meal
METHOD
1. Bring the water to the boil. Slowly add the maize meal until it forms a
pyramid in the middle of the saucepan .
2. Put on the lid and allow to simmer until a "skin" has formed
around the maize meal.
3. Stir with a fork till fine and crumbly. Put the lid back on and simmer
over LOW heat until done.
4. Stir occasionally to break the lumps, about 30 - 40 minutes.
Train Smash:
Sautè 3 chopped onions and 2 - 3 chopped fresh tomatoes till tender and
add the following:
250ml tomato sauce
80ml vinegar
80ml Worcestershire sauce
30ml sugar
125ml (half a cup) water
2,5ml (half a teaspoon) dry mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste
5. Cook for about 2 minutes and thicken with cornflour mixed to a soft
paste with cold water
Hertzog Cookies
(Makes 60)
500 g self raising flour
50 ml (4 tbs) sugar
25 ml (2 tbs) margarine
3 egg yolks milk or water
5 ml vanilla essence
1 ml (¼ tsp) salt
Filling:
Apricot jam
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
250 ml (1 cup) sugar
500 ml (2 cups) desiccated coconut
1. Cream the margarine and sugar in a bowl until light and creamy.
2. Stir in the egg yolks and vanilla essence, blending well.
3. Sift the flour and salt into the mixture, blending well, then stir in a little milk or water to form a fairly stiff dough.
4. Roll the dough out to 5 mm thick on a floured surface and cut into rounds with a pastry cutter. Line greased patty tins with the rounds of pastry.
5. Make the filling. Gradually add the sugar to the beaten egg whites, beating well to blend.
6. Fold in the coconut and mix well.
7. Place a little apricot jam in the centre of the rounds in the patties and spoon some of the coconut mixture over the jam.
8. Bake in the oven at 200°C (400°F) until the pastry is lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Cook slightly in the patty tin, then cool completely on a wire rack.
Souskluitjies (Dumplings)
120 g cake flour
10 ml baking powder
2 ml salt
15 g butter
1 egg
125 ml milk
butter and cinnamon sugar to serve
Sift the dry ingredients together and mix in the butter with vinegar’s until it resembles breadcrumbs. Mix egg and milk and add to above. Boil water (must be about 3 cm deep) with a pinch of salt in a casserole with a lid. Use a teaspoon dipped in boiling water to put spoonfuls of the dough into the boiling water. Cover with tight fitting lid and cook slowly for 10 minutes (Don’t peek, as this will cause the dumplings to "fall down" and become rubbery) Remove from heat, pour into a serving bowl and put dots of butter on top. Sprinkle a lot of cinnamon sugar over and serve with vanilla custard.
Buttermilk Rusks
1 kg self raising flour
5 ml baking powder
10 ml salt
2 large eggs
200 ml white sugar
500 ml buttermilk
190 g butter, melted
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Beat the eggs, sugar and buttermilk together. Cut this mixture into the dry ingredients with a knife. Knead the dough lightly gradually adding the butter while kneading. This will take about 7 minutes. Pack balls of dough tightly into greased loaf pans. The balls should reach about 2/3rds the height of the pans. bake at 180C for 30 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and break into individual rusks. Lower the oven temperature to 100C and dry the rusks for about 4 hour, turning them every 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in airtight containers. Will keep for at least 3 months, but believe me, they won't last that long!
Ugali
Ugali is a stiff, steamed porridge usually made from maize meal and is a staple part of the diet of 90 per cent of the population of African countries. Since Ugali is inexpensive, poorer people can afford to combine it with mchicha (a variety of spinach or silver beet) sauce and be sure of one good meal a day. Ugali can be served hot or, after it has cooled, it can be fried, giving it a different texture.
Ugali is eaten all over eastern and southern Africa and is known by different names in different regions.
Mealie-meal in southern Africa; Sadza in Zimbabwe; and Banku in West Africa. Ugali may occasionally be made from gari (coarse cassava powder), millet or sorghum flour.
We call it putu porridge and enjoy it with chakalaka as a side dish with our braais or
bbq's
1 L (1¾ cups) water or water and milk combined
60 g (2 oz) butter
Salt to taste (optional)
500 mg (1 lb) corn (maize), millet, gari (coarse cassava powder) or sorghum flour
(we use maize meal)
Bring three-quarters of the water to the boil in a heavy-based saucepan which has a long handle for easier handling. Add the butter and salt. Put half the flour into a bowl, and add the remaining quarter of water. Using a wooden spoon, stir together to form a smooth, thick paste. Set aside. When the water in the saucepan has boiled, pour in the thick paste and stir quickly and firmly for about a minute. Bring the mixture to the boil. Gradually add the remaining flour and mix, stirring all the time, until it thickens sufficiently to form a stiff dough. Caution - this stage requires a lot of wrist power and firm stirring.
The consistency can be varied according to taste by adding more or less flour and/or water, When cooked, the Ugali should not stick to the side of the pan. Serve hot with meat stew and/or vegetables. Ugali can be shaped into balls with an ice-cream scoop and served surrounded by the meat and vegetables.
Serves 4
Traditional Spicy Biscuits
A firm favorite of mine from since I can remember, try them, you will thank me!
500 g cake flour
15 ml baking powder
5 ml salt
2 ml ground ginger
2 ml ground cinnamon
2 ml ground mixed spice
250 g margarine
250 g white sugar
2 large eggs
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon and mixed spice into a mixing bowl. Cream the margarine and sugar then add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Fold in the flour mixture and mix well. Roll out the dough on slightly floured surface (about 5 mm thick) and cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter. Place rounds on greased baking sheets and bake at 180C for
approx 10 minutes. ( Makes about 100.)
Snoek Paté
300 g smoked snoek
250 ml cream cheese
125 ml sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch of ginger
10 ml tomato sauce
good pinch sugar
freshly ground black pepper
Remove skin and bones from the snoek. Flake the fish. Mix everything in food processor until blended. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Goes well on crackers.
Jam Squares
Requested by Jeannie Stevenson
275 gm (500 ml) cake flour
15 ml baking powder
1 ml salt
125 g butter or margarine at room temperature
25 ml cooking oil
80 g (100 ml) sugar
1 extra large egg
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
Cream butter oil, sugar and egg together. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix to a dough.
Roll two thirds of the dough thinly into a greased pie dish. Spread apricot jam over the dough.
Grate the remaining dough roughly over the top.
Bake till top dough starts to brown on the middle rack of the oven at 180C (350F) .
Remove from oven, cut in squares and cool.
Date Loaf (Dadelbrood) with caramel syrup
Dough
5 ml bicaronate of soda
150g (250ml) finely chopped dates
250 ml boiling water
200g (250ml) sugar
60g (75ml) butter or margarine at room temperature
1 egg
200g (375ml) measured unsifted, cake flour
5 ml baking powder
pinch of salt
30g (75ml) chopped nuts
5 ml vanilla essence
Caramel syrup
100g (125ml) soft brown sugar
125ml fresh cream
40g (50ml) butter or margarine
Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over the dates. Add the boiling water and mix. Let mixture cool.
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) . Grease a breadpan (23x13x7cm) and line it with waxpaper and grease the paper as well.
Cream the sugar and butter. Add egg and beat till well mixed. Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together over the egg mixture. Add the nuts and vanilla essence and mix. Add the date mixture and mix. Spoon the dough into the pan and flatten.
Bake for an hour on the middle oven rack.
Heat the brown sugar, cream and butter together over low heat till boiling point. Simmer for 15 minutes without lid.
Place bread on cooling rack, remove wax paper and pour hot caramel syrup over. Cool before serving.
Traditional South African Pancakes
240 g cake flour
2 ml baking powder
2 ml salt
2 large eggs
600 ml milk
60 ml cream
30 ml melted butter or sunflower oil
15 ml brandy
sunflower oil
Combine the cake flour , baking powder and salt. Beat the eggs and milk until foamy, then gradually beat in the flour mixture. Beat in the cream, then the melted butter or oil and the brandy. Heat a small frying pan and grease it lightly with oil. Pour in a thin layer of the pancake batter, tilting the pan to distribute it evenly. Fry the pancake on one side for about 1 minute then turn the pancake with a spatula (or flip it!!, looks more impressive) and fry it for another minute. Turn the pancake out onto a plate and keep warm while making the remaining pancakes. Sprinkle each pancake with cinnamon sugar.
Roll up the pancakes and serve. We also like to cut up a banana and use it as pancake filling before rolling up, or your favourite jam!!
Cinnamon Dumplings (Souskluitjies)
This traditional dish was introduced by the Dutch settlers and has been around for decades. Especially nice on a cold winter's evening...
120 g cake flour
5 ml baking powder
1 ml salt
60 ml butter
2 large eggs
15 ml white sugar
500 ml water
pinch of salt
butter
Cinnamon sugar
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Rub in the butter. Beat the eggs and sugar together until light and mix with the flour mixture to make a thick batter. Bring the water and salt to the boil in a large shallow saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Dip a teaspoon in the boiling water to heat it, then scoop up a spoonful of batter and drop it into the boiling water. Repeat this, dipping the spoon into the water each time, until all the batter has been used. Do not cook too many dumplings at once, they should not touch one another. Cover the saucepan and simmer the dumplings over low heat for about 10-15 minutes. The secret of obtaining light dumplings is to ensure that they are not completely covered when steaming. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoonand place them in a warmed dish. Dot them with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Serve immedately.
For a variation serve the dumplings with a spicy cinnamon and butter sauce. Add 15 ml butter and a little cinnamon sugar to the water in which the dumplings were cooked and simmer till the butter has melted. Pour over the hot dumplings and serve.
Banana Bread
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
1 Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add butter, eggs, nuts, and mashed banana. Beat until well blended.
3 Pour batter into prepared pan and bake about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Must Buns (Mosbolletjies)
Raisin Yeast
500g large raisins (with pips)
1.5 litres water
5 ml instant dry yeast
30 ml white sugar
500 g bread flour
Buns
500 g butter or margarine
125 ml boiled milk
4.5 kg cake flour
750 g white sugar
5 ml salt
30 ml aniseed
30 ml sugar dissolved in 250 ml water
To make the yeast crush the raisins and add to the water in a saucepan. Boil for 15 minutes. Cool until lukewarm. Add the yeast and sugar and stir to dissolve. Pour into a glass or earthenware bowl and leave, covered, in a warm place for 24 hours or until the raisins rise to the surface. Strain, then mix in the bread flour until smooth. Leave in a warm place for 4 hours or until foamy and well fermented.
To make the buns, melt the butter or margarine over low heat and add the boiled milk. Mix into the yeast mixture. Add the cake flour, sugar and salt and enough warm water to make a stiff dough. Stir in the aniseed.. Knead the dough for at least 20 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface. Cover the dough and leave to rise in a warm place overnight, or until doubled in volume. Shape into buns. Pack them closely together in greased loaf pans. Allow the buns to rise until doubled in volume then brush them with the sugar and water mixture. Bake at 200ºC for approximately 1 hour. Leave the buns in the pans for about 5 minutes then turn them out and leave to cool. Serve with butter.
Crushed Wheat Vetkoek
(Stampkoring Vetkoek)
The best translation I could get for "stampkoring" was crushed wheat or pearl wheat, if anyone can improve on this or correct me, I would appreciate it.
240g cake flour
10ml baking powder
5ml salt
2 eggs
125ml milk
15ml melted butter
500ml cooked crushed wheat (pearl wheat)
Sift together dry ingredients. Beat eggs well and add to dry ingredients. Stir in rest of the ingredients till well mixed. Form into flattish cakes (about 12cm long) and deep fry in hot fat or oil till light brown. Serve with butter and honey or syrup. Great as a bbq side dish.
Asbrood (Ash Bread)
360 g brown bread flour
120 g white bread flour
10 g instant yeast
2 ml salt
50 ml butter
500 ml buttermilk
Blend the dry ingredients together and using your finger tips, rub in the
butter until well blended. Add the buttermilk and mix well. Place the dough
on a large sheet of aluminium foil. Shape into an oval, about 3 cm thick.
Wrap loosely in the foil and place on moderately hot coals. Cover with more
coals. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the bread is done. Take care not
to burn the bread. Makes one medium loaf.
Basic Braai (BBQ) bread
500 g cake flour
5 ml salt
5 ml sugar
10 g instant yeast
25 g margarine
1. Mix together flour, salt and sugar. Add yeast and mix. Rub margarine into
the flour mixture with your fingertips.
2. Add just enough lukewarm water (about 315 ml) to form a soft dough.
3. Knead dough for about five minutes, until smooth and elastic. Choose one
of the variations, using this basic dough.
ROOSTERKOEK WITH FILLING
1. Mix together two chopped onions and 200 g grated cheese.
2. Roll out dough into a rectangle. Sprinkle onion and cheese over half of
the dough.
3. Fold over the other half and cut into 10 x 10 cm squares. Press sides
firmly to seal edges and brush surface with beaten egg.
4. Allow to rise for about 15 minutes, until doubled in size. Place on a
braai grid and braai over medium coals until baked, turning frequently, or
bake at 200 ºC for 15 minutes.
POT BREAD
1. Increase margarine quantity to 30 g and add 10 ml extra lukewarm water.
2. Place dough on a lightly floured surface, cover with greased plastic wrap
and leave to rest for five minutes. Shape into a round bread.
3. Place in greased pot and allow to rise until doubled in size (30 to 45
minutes).
4. Brush with lightly beaten egg and bake at 200 ºC for 40 to 50 minutes.
Biltong pot bread
50 ml melted margarine
500 ml lukewarm water
1 kg cake flour
300 g finely carved beef biltong
10 g instant yeast
10 ml salt
Mix the melted margarine and lukewarm water. Combine all the dry ingredients
and biltong. Add the margarine mixture and knead until the dough is smooth
and elastic. Leave for about 10 minutes. Punch down and place the dough in a
greased, flat-bottomed cast-iron pot. Leave in a warm place to rise until
double in bulk. Place the pot on a grill over medium coals and place a few
coals on top of the lid of the pot. Bake for about 1 hour or until the bread
is done. Serve with the rump steak and konfyt.
Corn bread
250 ml polenta (yellow corn meal)
10 ml baking powder
2 ml salt
410 g cream-style sweetcorn
1 chilli, chopped (optional)
125 ml buttermilk
65 ml oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
250 ml grated mature Cheddar cheese
40 ml sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 180 ºC. Mix together polenta, baking powder and salt in a
mixing bowl. Add sweetcorn, chilli, buttermilk, oil, eggs and half the
cheese. Mix well. Pour into a greased 20 cm square baking tin. Sprinkle with
remaining cheese and sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until
set and golden. (If bread begins to brown too soon, cover with aluminium
foil.) Cut the corn bread into squares and serve warm or at room
temperature. Serves 6.
Flat pot bread
DOUGH
800 ml white bread flour
7 ml instant yeast
2 ml salt
15 ml olive oil
50 ml fresh mixed herbs such as thyme, oreganum, rosemary and parsley
1 small onion, chopped and sautéed in oil until soft (optional)
350 ml lukewarm water
olive oil
15 ml coarse salt
Mix flour, yeast and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a hollow in the middle and
add the olive oil, half the herbs and onion. Mix to form a soft, slightly
sticky dough. Knead for about 10 minutes until dough is smooth and not
sticky. (Small air bubbles will appear on the surface when the dough is
pressed between your hands.) Place dough in a lightly greased mixing bowl,
cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place until
double the volume (about 1 hour). Punch down lightly, but don't knead all
the air out. Shape into an oval or ball and leave to rise again for about 7
minutes. Spray a shallow cooking pot with non-stick cooking spray or lightly
grease with butter. Place dough in pot, cover and leave to rise until
doubled in volume. Press remaining herbs onto dough surface, brush with a
little olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Preheat oven to 200 ºC, or
bread can be baked over the coals (place the pot over a coal-filled hole in
the sand, and cover the lid with coals). Bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked
through, and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Serve with extra olive oil and
mussel stew, or with braaied meat and roasted vegetables.
Instant vetkoek
3 kg white bread flour
30 ml salt
30 ml instant yeast
2 l lukewarm water (you may need more or less)
30 ml oil
30 ml white grape vinegar
30 ml sugar
oil for deep-frying
Combine the bread flour, salt and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl. Mix
the water, 30 ml oil, vinegar and sugar together and add to the dry
ingredients. Mix and knead well for at least 10 minutes until the dough is
smooth and elastic, but still fairly slack. Remove the required amount of
dough from the bowl and freeze the rest in a container with a tight-fitting
lid. Cover the remaining dough with a sheet of greased plastic and leave in
a warm place to rise until double in bulk. Shape the dough into fairly small
vetkoeke (they increase in size when fried) and fry in deep oil until brown
on the outside and cooked inside. (Ensure that the oil is the right
temperature - if it's too hot the vetkoek will be brown on the outside but
still raw inside.) Serve with a sweet or savoury as a main meal or snack.
Steamed
mealie bread
10 mealies, kernels cut from the cob (I guess that would be 10 ears of corn
in the States)
60 ml cake flour
15 ml baking powder
3 eggs, beaten
30 ml butter
generous pinch of salt
1. Mince or process mealie kernels. (If you're using very young mealies, add
a thick slice of bread, when processing.)
2. Stir flour into processed mealies, add baking powder, beaten eggs, butter
and salt. This mixture's consistency should resemble that of cake batter.
3. Spoon mixture into a well-greased container, cover with greased tin foil
and secure tightly with string.
4. Steam for 2 hours and 30 minutes or until cooked. Boiling water must be
replenished every 30 minutes or so. Serve steaming hot with lots of butter!
Ash-baked bread
1 kg white bread flour
7 ml sugar
2 ml salt
10 g instant yeast
500 ml lukewarm water
15 ml melted butter or margarine
Combine the flour, sugar and salt and sprinkle the instant yeast on top. Add
just enough lukewarm water to form a stiff dough. Knead the dough until it
is elastic and no longer sticks to your hands. Brush the dough with melted
butter or margarine and cover. Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled
in bulk. Knead down and shape into medium-sized balls. Place the balls in
the hot ashes - not among coals - and cover with ash. Bake for about half an
hour. When baked knock them together to remove most of the ash.
Farmhouse bread
960 g white bread flour
15 ml salt
10 ml instant yeast
15 ml vinegar
30 ml oil
600 ml lukewarm water (approximately)
Spray a deep 12 x 31 cm loaf tin with non-stick spray or butter lightly. Mix
the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add the yeast. Beat the
vinegar, oil and water together and add. Mix to form a soft dough and knead
well until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Place the dough in the
prepared loaf tin and leave to rise until double in volume. Meanwhile heat
the oven to 190 °C. Bake the bread for one hour until cooked (the bread will
sound hollow when tapped underneath). Turn out and leave to cool. Serve with
mussel soup (see recipe) and farm butter. Makes a large loaf.
Basic braai bread
500 g cake flour
5 ml salt
5 ml sugar
10 g instant yeast
25 g margarine
1. Mix together flour, salt and sugar. Add yeast and mix. Rub margarine into
the flour mixture with your fingertips. 2. Add just enough lukewarm water
(about 315 ml) to form a soft dough. 3. Knead dough for about five minutes,
until smooth and elastic. Choose one of the variations, using this basic
dough.
ROOSTERKOEK WITH FILLING 1.
Mix together two chopped onions and 200 g grated cheese. 2. Roll out dough
into a rectangle. Sprinkle onion and cheese over half of the dough. 3. Fold
over the other half and cut into 10 x 10 cm squares. Press sides firmly to
seal edges and brush surface with beaten egg. 4. Allow to rise for about 15
minutes, until doubled in size. Place on a braai grid and braai over medium
coals until baked, turning frequently, or bake at 200 ºC for 15 minutes.
POT BREAD 1. Increase
margarine quantity to 30 g and add 10 ml extra lukewarm water. 2. Place
dough on a lightly floured surface, cover with greased plastic wrap and
leave to rest for five minutes. Shape into a round bread. 3. Place in
greased pot and allow to rise until doubled in size (30 to 45 minutes). 4.
Brush with lightly beaten egg and bake at 200 ºC for 40 to 50 minutes.
Bread sticks (grissini)
840 g white bread flour
10 ml salt
10 ml sugar
10 g instant dry yeast
65 ml margarine
650 ml lukewarm water
milk or beaten egg for brushing
coarse salt
sesame or poppy seeds
Preheat oven to 220 ºC. Grease a
baking tray. Sift together flour and salt. Add sugar and dry yeast, and mix
well. Rub margarine into dry ingredients and gradually add lukewarm water.
Mix to a soft dough. Add more water if needed. Turn out onto a lightly
floured surface and knead dough for about 10 minutes, until smooth and
elastic. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise for 20
minutes. Knock dough down and divide into sticks about 12 cm long. Place on
a greased baking tray. Brush with milk or beaten egg and sprinkle with
coarse salt, sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Cover and leave to rise in a warm
place, until double in size. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown
and crisp.
Brown ginger loaf
500 ml brown bread flour
4 ml salt
4 ml bicarbonate of soda
4 ml ginger
4 ml ground cinnamon
125 ml butter
125 ml castor sugar
1 extra-large egg
125 ml golden syrup, slightly heated
125 ml boiling water
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (350 ? F). Spray a 22 x 11 x 7 cm loaf tin with
non-stick spray. Sift the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and
cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. Cream the butter and add small
quantities of the sugar at a time while beating continuously. Add the egg
and golden syrup and beat well. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with
the boiling water. Mix well. Turn into the prepared loaf tin and bake for
35-40 minutes or until the loaf is done. Cool slightly and turn out onto a
wire rack to cool. Slice and serve with butter. Makes a medium-sized loaf.
Shortbread
225 g cornflour
225 g flour
110 g castorsugar
250 g soft butter
Sift Maizena and flour together, add the castorsugar
Rub butter into the dry ingredients and knead until a stiff dough is formed.
Press dough into either a 23 cm diameter quiche tin or a 20 cm X 29 cm
baking tray
Mark the slices lightly and prick with a fork.
Bake at 160 C for one hour
Allow the shortbread to coolin the baking pan before turning out. Drench the
shortbread with additional castor sugar.
GINGER BISCUITS
10 cups flour (1,3 kg)
50 ml ground ginger
25 ml bicarb
25 ml cream of tartar
4 ½ cups sugar
225g margarine
225g lard
250 ml syrup
6 XL eggs
Sift the dry ingredients, rub in marge and lard, add syrup and then eggs
and mix to form a dough. Knead. Roll into balls and press with a fork.
Bake at 200 degrees C for 6 to 7 minutes.
Aniseed rusks
Ingredients
1 kg cake flour
7 g salt
250 g butter
30 ml whole anise seeds
20 g instant yeast
300 g sugar
1 egg
850 ml water
Method:
1. Sift flour and salt together. Rub butter into flour until it resembles
breadcrumbs. Mix in the anise seeds, yeast and sugar. 2. Stir the egg into
the water and mix into the flour mixture. Stir to combine. Knead until
elastic. 3. Cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place until
double in size. Don't knock back. 4. Shape into balls and place in a deep
bread tin sprayed with nonstick baking spray. Leave to rise until even
with the edge of the tin. 5. Place rusks in the oven, preheated to 200 °C,
immediately reduce temperature to 180 °C, and bake for 45 minutes. 6.
Remove from tin. Leave rusks to cool completely before breaking them apart
(do not cut with a knife). 7. Dry out in the oven at 100 °C.
Buttermilk rusks
Ingredients
1 kg cake flour
8 g bicarbonate of soda
8 g cream of tartar
8 g baking powder
10 g salt
200 g sugar
250 g butter or margarine
450 ml buttermilk
Method:
1. Spray two 30 x 36 x 7 cm baking trays with nonstick baking spray. 2.
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Cut in the butter or margarine. Rub
in until it resembles breadcrumbs. 3. Mix in buttermilk to form a firm
dough. 4. Break off small pieces of dough and shape them into balls. 5.
Place close together in sprayed baking trays. 6. Brush the side of each
row with melted butter before putting in the next row so that the rusks
can be broken apart easily later. 7. Bake in a preheated oven at 240 °C
for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 190 °C and bake for a further 35-50
minutes, then brush with diluted milk. 8. Turn out on to a cooling rack
and break in three so that rusks will cool more quickly. 9. When cool,
break into neat portions and allow to dry out in the oven set at 100 °C.
All bran rusks
Ingredients
500 g margarine
600 g sugar
3 extra-large eggs
1 kg self-raising flour
5 ml salt
15 ml baking powder
300 ml milk
180 g bran flakes
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (350 ºF). Grease two 23 x 13 x 7 cm loaf tins
with margarine. Cream the margarine and sugar together. Add the eggs one
by one, beating well after each addition. Sift all the dry ingredients,
except for bran flakes, together and add to the margarine mixture,
alternating with the milk. Finally add the bran flakes and mix well. Turn
the mixture into the prepared loaf tins. Bake for about 45 minutes or
until a testing skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of
the rusk mixture. Cool, slice into fingers and dry at 100 ºC (200 ºF).
Brown bread rusks
Ingredients
1 loaf brown bread (day old)
300 ml water
160 g soft brown sugar
125 g butter or margarine
15 ml aniseed
2 ml salt
Method:
Cut the bread into 2,5 cm slices. Cut each slice into 5 equal lengths.
Bring the water, brown sugar, butter or margarine, aniseed and salt to the
boil. Pour a little of this syrup into a deep plate. Roll the bread
lengths in the syrup one by one until completely covered. Stir the syrup
occasionally. Put the bread lengths carefully on a wire rack. Dry for an
hour at 100 ºC and after that overnight at 60 ºC until bone dry. Keep in
an airtight container.
Breakfast rusks
Ingredients
230 g margarine
400 g sugar
3 extra-large eggs
50 ml peanut butter
5 ml vanilla essence
10 ml bicarbonate of soda
250 ml milk
240 g cake flour
10 ml baking powder
pinch of salt
160 g coconut
160 g oats
120 g breakfast cereal flakes
50 g peanuts, finely chopped
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (350 ºF). Grease one 37 x 13 x 10 cm loaf tin
with margarine. Cream the margarine and sugar together. Add the eggs one
by one, beating well after each addition. Add the peanut butter and
vanilla essence and mix well. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the milk
and add Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the
remaining ingredients, mix and add to the margarine mixture. Blend. (Add a
little more milk if the dough is too dry.) Turn the mixture into the
prepared tin and bake for about one hour or until a testing skewer comes
out clean when inserted into the centre of the rusk mixture. Cool, slice
into fingers and dry at 100 ºC (200 ºF). Makes about 40 rusks.
Health rusks
Ingredients
1 kg wholewheat flour
125 g sunflower seeds
20 g aniseed
5 ml salt
500 g margarine
500 g brown sugar
250 g molasses
20 ml bicarbonate of soda
1 l buttermilk
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (350 ºF). Spray three 23 x 13 x 7 cm loaf tins
with non-stick spray. Mix the wholewheat flour, sunflower seeds, aniseed
and salt in a large mixing bowl. Melt the margarine and add the brown
sugar. Stir well. Add the molasses and mix well. Dissolve the bicarbonate
of soda in the buttermilk and mix well. Add to the margarine mixture and
mix. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly to
distribute the liquid evenly. Turn into the prepared loaf tins, spreading
the mixture evenly. Bake for about 1 hour or till done: a testing skewer
will come out clean when the bread is done. Cool slightly and turn out
onto a wire rack. Cool completely and cut into fingers. Place on baking
sheets and dry at 100 ºC (200 ºF). Makes about 70 rusks
Kalahari rusks
Ingredients
1 litre milk
500 ml sugar
500 g margarine or butter
3 extra large eggs
2.50 kg self-raising flour
salt
5 ml cream of tartar
Method:
Preheat oven to 140 °C and grease 3 loaf tins with butter or non-stick
spray.
Heat the milk and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to the boil and pour the boiling mixture over the margarine or
butter.
Mix well and leave to cool.
Beat in the eggs one by one.
Add the self-raising flour, salt and cream of tartar.
Knead together to form a dough.
Shape into balls and arrange in the prepared tins.
Bake for 1 hour or until done and a testing skewer inserted comes out
clean.
Turn out, cut into fingers and bake at 80 °C until completely dry.
Store in an airtight container
Fibre-rich rusks
Ingredients
500 g butter or margarine, melted
500 ml buttermilk
2 eggs, whisked
1 kg ordinary or bran-enriched self-raising flour
15 ml baking powder
375 ml soft brown sugar
375 ml muesli
250 ml oats
250 ml coconut
125 ml sunflower seeds
pinch salt
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC and spray two oven pans with non-stick spray.
Cool the melted butter slightly before beating in the buttermilk and eggs.
Combine all the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture. Stir to mix
and turn the mixture into the oven pans, spreading evenly (the batter
fills 1 1/2 oven pans). Mark into fingers. Bake for about 30-45 minutes or
until golden brown and done. Loosen the edges, turn out onto a wire rack
and cool. Cut or break the rusks into smaller pieces and dry out at 180
ºC. Store in airtight containers. Makes about 90 pieces.
