Makes 1 large bread. Preparation time 35 minutes. Cooking time 2 hours.
You need
1 flat-bottomed potjie (no. 3)
1 kg brown bread flour (about 8 cups)
1 cup bran
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 packet (10 g) instant yeast
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
5 - 5,5 cups lukewarm water
Step 1. Prepare some slow coals and keep a separate fire going so you can top them up. You need to bake the bread within 25 minutes of mixing the ingredients - don't let the dough rise for longer. Only start mixing the ingredients when the coals are 30 minutes away from being ready.
Step 2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour half the lukewarm water into another bowl with the oil and vinegar, and stir well with a wooden spoon. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry. Add the rest of the water bit by bit until you have a slack batter - don't worry if it looks runnier than you're used to. Grease the pot and its lid with butter. Pour the batter into the pot and cover it with a plastic bag. Set aside for 25 minutes in a warm spot to allow the dough to rise.
Step 3. Spread a single layer of coals in a circle slightly larger than the pot and rest the pot on a braai triangle or flat rocks in the middle to allow the heat to circulate. Put a few coals on the lid and bake the bread slowly for 2 hours. Add hot coals every now and then, but take care not to make it too hot
Step 4. Turn the bread out of the pot and tap the bottom. If it sounds hollows, the bread is cooked. Let the bread cool down slightly out of the pot before you slice it.
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