Roasted onion & cheese braai bread

It takes almost exactly an hour to turn out this braai bread, aka potbrood. This of course excludes the preparation and two bouts of rising time.

Onions and garlic are roasted separately — the garlic for much less time. This is done in their husks, then you let them cool and squeeze the pulp out to be mixed with the chopped red onions.

You need a kilogramme of bread wheat flour to attain a lovely “bready” texture in this loaf, which is sizeable — I used a deep, heavy cast-iron casserole, which needs to be well greased as the coals will be just on the other side of the base, all the way around. And it must have a lid upon which you can put a few coals.

The yeast is simply a 10g packet of granules, with the requisite sugar and salt (which is added to the flour after the yeast and sugar). Adding moisture is lukewarm water, which can vary between a cup and even close to 2 cups — add a little at a time and stop when the dough is holding together and sufficiently moist and pliable.

Once the flour, yeast, sugar and salt have been mixed with the lukewarm water, the first rise begins, in a warm place and covered with a damp towel.

After 20 minutes, the chopped onion (and garlic) and grated cheese are worked into the dough with clean hands, and the dough goes into the greased cast-iron casserole.

After a second rise of 40 minutes (during which time you can get your coals ready), coals are put snugly around the base, the lid goes on and a few coals go on the lid.

You need to keep it going gently for an hour, then take it away from the heat.

Tony’s roasted onion & cheese braai bread

(Makes 1 large loaf)

Ingredients

1kg white bread wheat flour

10g instant dried yeast

4 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 to 2 cups lukewarm water

2 red onions, roasted and chopped

4 garlic cloves, roasted and pulped

1 cup grated cheese

Oil for brushing the dough

Method

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and sugar and stir with a wooden spoon. Only stir in the salt after this so that it does not neutralise the yeast. 

Add a cup or more of lukewarm water a little at a time, while kneading the dough, until it is all combined. (You’ll be able to tell if it is still too dry.)

Continue folding and kneading until it is a nice plump ball of dough and not too sticky. Work a little more flour in if it’s too sticky; a little more water if too dry.

Leave the ball of dough in the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel, and put it in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Make a fire so that you’ll have coals when needed.

Once the dough has had its first rise, knead the dough again for a minute or two, folding and turning. Flatten it out a little and add the chopped onion and grated cheese. Spread it around with the back of a spoon. Fold and knead again until combined, folding this way and that. Place back in the bowl, cover, and let it have a second rise for 40 minutes, again in a warm place and covered with a damp towel.

Grease a braai pot. Slide the dough in.

Check that you have braai coals. Brush the top of the dough with oil. Place hot coals all around the base of the pot, and a few more on top. Keep replenishing the coals at the base and on the lid for 60 minutes.

Now take the pot away from the coals.

As they say on MasterChef Australia, stop cooking… DM

Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the year award, in 2021 and 2023

Order Tony’s book, foodSTUFF, here.

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This dish is photographed on a plate by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.