Today we’re traveling to the sandy, dusty plateaus of of Southern Africa where you’ll find the Veldt – large expanses of wilderness, often filled with scrubby bushes and the occasional scraggly tree. Here, too, you’ll find prowling lions, circling scavenger birds, and hearty veldt bread – which pretty much means bread of the wild.
According to the World Cookbook for Students, this quickbread was created by European settlers as a way to nourish themselves with familiar ingredients in an unfamiliar land. Since it’s leavened with baking powder, there’s no long rise time – just pop in the oven (or over a campfire) and chow down. No muss, no fuss.
Spices like ginger, cinnamon and cloves give this rugged, dense “wheaty” bread a lovely lift. Much like Irish soda bread, Veldt bread tastes best when steaming hot, slathered with butter. So go ahead, set up camp by a Namibian sunset and enjoy a slice.
| Servings |
| 1 loaf |
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Today we’re traveling to the sandy, dusty plateaus of of Southern Africa where you’ll find the Veldt – large expanses of wilderness, often filled with scrubby bushes and the occasional scraggly tree. Here, too, you’ll find prowling lions, circling scavenger birds, and hearty veldt bread – which pretty much means bread of the wild.
According to the World Cookbook for Students, this quickbread was created by European settlers as a way to nourish themselves with familiar ingredients in an unfamiliar land. Since it’s leavened with baking powder, there’s no long rise time – just pop in the oven (or over a campfire) and chow down. No muss, no fuss.
Spices like ginger, cinnamon and cloves give this rugged, dense “wheaty” bread a lovely lift. Much like Irish soda bread, Veldt bread tastes best when steaming hot, slathered with butter. So go ahead, set up camp by a Namibian sunset and enjoy a slice.
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Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tso salt
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 cup butter , melted
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vegetable oil – OR –
- butter , melted
Servings: loaf
Units:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Whisk together all the dry ingredients.
- Next, add in the wet ingredients.
- You’ll end up with a somewhat stiff dough, but it should not be crumbly. Knead for several minutes until smooth.
- Press into an oiled loaf pan and brush with more oil. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Since this is a quick bread, the loaf doesn’t rise a whole lot and maintains a rustic appearance. Embrace imperfection. It tastes divine.
- When you slice the hot bread, prepare yourself for the subtle beauty of the spices to perfume your home. Immediately slather thick slices with soft butter.