Overnight Bread aka Umbhako, Pot Bread or Braaibak
As life has gone on and my curiosity about food keeps leading me to new discoveries, I’ve realised there are many kinds of isonka sombhako. The Boer call it braaibak bread, while the English simply call it pot bread. To my delight, I also learned that it can be baked in the oven, each version coming out with its own unique look. For someone like me who loves bread but doesn’t always have the time to wait, this felt like the perfect little hack.
Equipment
- 1 Enamel Roaster
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Digital Scale very important for better results
Ingredients
- 505 g Bread Flour
- 380 g Still Water boiled and cooled water will work too
- 10 g Salt Sea Salt or Dessert Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Sugar Brown
- 5 g Yeast Instant
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil Extra Virgin
Instructions
The Night Before
- In a mixing bowl, add flour, sugar salt and yeast, stir with a whisk to mix.
- Add oil and water, use dough hook or wooden spoon or a fork to rough mix.
- Mix until everything is incorporated and there's no visible dry ingredients. Cover with the bowl cling wrap.
- Let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Pull and fold four times.
- Let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Pull and fold four times.
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap and put in the fridge overnight. Between 12 and 16 hours.
The Next Day
- Preheat the oven to 230℃ (see note 1) and place the baking pot inside the oven, either cast iron or enamel roaster or pyrex glassware, leave to also preheat for 30 minutes. I used an enamel roaster. See: https://shop.andiswaskitchen.com/product/roaster/
- Take out the dough from the fridge.
- Transfer unto a floured work surface.
- Shape into a log and seal, you can also make a round shape.
- Turn seam-side down.
- Place in the preheated pot, and score.
- Baked for 40 minutes with the lid on.
- Then remove the lid, and turn down the oven temperature to 200℃, bake for 10 more minutes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- For the oven: it's very important to understand how your oven works.
- Based on your region, type of flour and weather temperature, your flour might need more or less water.