Campfire bread & ‘Roosterkoek’

How does one bake bread when camping? Well, the simple answer is, “You invite your mother”!

It is true that my mum can bake really good bread and with the help of our ‘vuurvarkie’ (fire piggy) she baked yummy bread on the fire during our three-week camping holiday at Yellow Sands.

And while we’re on the subject of bread, we’re also going to show you how my mum makes ‘roosterkoek’ on the fire (I’ll explain the Afrikaans word ‘roosterkoek’ later in the post).

Put it on the table – Campfire bread:

To be able to bake bread, you don’t need a lot – if you have the basic ingredients (and a ‘vuurvarkie’ when you’re camping), then you can eat freshly baked bread every day. 

Ingredients for Campfire Bread

3 cups (750ml) cake/bread flour

1 packet (10g) instant yeast

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

lukewarm water

Add the cake/bread flour, yeast, baking powder, and salt to a mixing bowl. Mix through gently.

Mix all the dry ingredients

Stir in the lukewarm water. Start with just a little bit and add gradually more water until the dough begins to come together. Knead until it is smooth and elastic.

Bread dough

Now it’s time to set the dough aside and let it rise for about one hour. My mum baked this bread on a cloudy day, so the best option was to cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and then place it in a (clean) black garbage bag. Try to find a warm spot which is protect from any wind.

Bread dough needs to rise

After about an hour, the dough has risen. My mother lightly oiled a small bread pan and transferred the dough into it.

Risen dough transferred to bread pan

Usually, the bread pan will immediately go into the ‘vuurvarkie’, but the temperature was not yet right (160°C/320°F) and we had to put the bread pan back in the garbage bag until the ‘vuurvarkie’ was hot enough.

Bread pan back in the garbage bag and ‘vuurvarkie’ getting hot

The dough rose considerably while we waited for the ‘vuurvarkie’. Berto placed the bread pan in the ‘vuurvarkie’ and then kept the temperature constant with hot coals.

Bread pan goes into the ‘vuurvarkie’

Bake the bread until its brown, about 30 minutes.

Campfire bread

There are few things as delicious as warm freshly baked bread. On my first slice of bread is usually just salted butter, but it’s mandatory that the second slice should have apricot jam and grated cheese on it – that’s the best!

My favourite slice of bread in the whole world

As we each sat on a camping chair and enjoyed the delicious bread, we watched the sunset at Yellow Sands. At that moment, it was the best place in the world.

Sunset at Yellow Sands

‘Roosterkoek’:

Now, let’s quickly show you how to make the most delicious ‘roosterkoek’. While we were visiting Mansfield Private Reserve in January (read here), my mother made our favourite bread, namely ‘roosterkoek’.

What is ‘roosterkoek’?

‘Roosterkoek’ (literally grill cake – say ‘roor-stir-cook’ and try to roll those r’s!) is the traditional bread to accompany a ‘braai’ (BBQ). ‘Roosterkoek’ are simply balls of bread dough cooked on a grid over the coals and are best eaten piping hot and straight off the grid. (Source: Wikipedia)

Put it on the table – ‘Roosterkoek’:

The recipe is basically the same as for bread. For the ‘roosterkoek’ though, my mum just added a little sugar for a slightly sweeter taste.

Ingredients for ‘Roosterkoek’

2 cups (500ml) cake/bread flour

1 packet (10g) instant yeast

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

lukewarm water

As with the bread recipe, add the cake/bread flour, yeast, baking powder, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl. Mix through gently.

Mix all the dry ingredients

Follow the same steps as with the bread by stirring in the lukewarm water. Start with just a little bit and add gradually more water until the dough begins to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Press the dough slightly flat with your fingers.

Flat dough

My mum uses a knife and cuts the dough into 8 roughly equal pieces, after which she shapes it into round balls. It’s placed on a floured baking sheet or tray (or in a flat glass bowl if that’s all you can find at your accommodation).

Balls of dough

Let the dough rise for about half an hour. Cover the tray/baking sheet/dish with clingfilm and something warm (the only warm thing I could find in our cottage was a fluffy blanket – which worked very well).

Somewhere under the blanket is the dough balls

When the coals are ready, place the ‘braai’ grid over and evenly distribute the coals. The coals should not be too hot. Place the rolls directly on the grid and turn frequently.

Dough balls changing into ‘roosterkoek’

The ‘roosterkoek’ is done when they are lightly browned, crispy on the outside and sound hollow when tapped.

‘Roosterkoek’ almost done

Remove the ‘roosterkoek’ from the fire, split open and serve warm with butter (and apricot jam on the other half – this one is for dessert).

Traditional ‘roosterkoek’

And as was the case at Yellow Sands, we took our hot ‘roosterkoek’ outside and while eating them, we watched the sun go down at Mansfield Private Reserve.

Sunset at Mansfield Private Reserve

You see – baking bread isn’t that hard … provided it’s my mum who makes it!