Campervan Cooking – Baking Hamburger Buns(Roesterkoek) on a Cadac Safari Chef

I love the internet. It is an endless resource of useful information that is available just when you need it. That’s how I discovered this wonderful recipe for roesterkoek. We decided to do hamburgers while visiting the Underberg(real beef country) and I thought that homemade buns would be a great way go, so I Googled Roesterkoek and the first link was to a site dedicated to South African cuisine(if there is such a thing) started by Jeanne Horak-Druiff, an ex-pat living in London and passionate about food. Visit www.cooksister.com for more of her delicious recipes.

This recipe is so easy to make and the best part is it keeps in the fridge for ages(I’m sure you can even freeze it) so make a larger quantity and just store it until you need it. If you do refrigerate, remember that the dough needs to be brought up to room temperature and you will still need to knead for a few minutes and leave to rise for at least 15 minutes.

Ingredients

300g (2 cups) plain flour
10ml (2 t) instant yeast
5ml (1t) salt
15ml (3t) sugar
30ml (2T) vegie oil
150-200ml (1 cup) warm water

 Method

Start by decanting a bit of the warm water(not hot or you’ll kill the yeast) into a separate container and add the yeast and sugar. This will allow the yeast and sugar time to dissolve and will begin to foam when ready. Place the flour into a suitable mixing bowl, add the salt and veggie oil. Mix well then start adding the water gradually, mixing as you go. When you have a crumbly flour consistency, add the yeast and sugar mixture. Keep adding more water until you have a dough like consistency which is firm. If you add too much water, you’ll end up with a porridge like mixture and you’ll need to add more flour to get it back to a dough. At this stage, you need to get you hands into the bowl and start kneading to activate the yeast. Knead for about 5 minutes, continuously folding the dough into itself.  Place the dough into a floured bowl, cover with a damp dishcloth and leave in a warm place for about an hour to rise. Take the dogs for a long walk. If you are going to bake the roesterkoek over an open fire, start the fire now so that the coals have a chance to cool down. Make sure that you clean the grid thoroughly.

Once the dough has doubled in size, split it into four equal parts and roll into balls. Replace into the bowl and allow to rise for a further five minutes. Light the Cadac Safari Chef and replace dome, allowing it to warm up(if you are baking on a oven, preheat to 180 degrees. If you are baking on a open fire, you should be able to hold your hands over the coals for 10 seconds). Place some vegetable oil onto a piece of paper towel and coat the grid to prevent the buns sticking. When the dough balls have doubled in size, flatten them slightly and place onto the grid(into the oven) and replace the dome lid of the Cadac Safari Cheff. Bake for about 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on heat setting(about 20 minutes in an oven or 20 minutes on an open fire. Turn the buns on the Cadac Safari Chef or fire after half the baking time. Test by sliding a knife into the buns. If the blade comes out clean, your hamburger buns are done. Enjoy. Click here for our yummy home made hamburger recipe.

Please leave a comment and let us know if you enjoyed watching this as much as we did making the buns.