Picnic Bread (From South Africa)

"This is the perfect road food, fisherman's lunch, school lunch bread, breakfast ... I can't be without this recipe, given to me long ago by a friend. It definitely does not need butter -- just slice and eat. Please note that this does not pretend to be a low-fat recipe! It is meant for long days away from home, when one slice means sustenance."
 
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photo by Zurie photo by Zurie
photo by Zurie
photo by twissis photo by twissis
photo by K9 Owned photo by K9 Owned
photo by French Tart photo by French Tart
photo by French Tart photo by French Tart
Ready In:
1hr 25mins
Ingredients:
11
Serves:
8-12
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ingredients

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directions

  • Set oven on 350 deg F.
  • Grease well 2 fairly small bread tins.
  • Mix all the ingredients except the buttermilk. DO NOT fry the bacon: it goes in raw, chopped: it cooks in the baking process and adds to the flavour.
  • Add JUST enough buttermilk to make a soft, almost sticky dough, as for scones. You may not even need the buttermilk, as the consistency will also depend on the size of the eggs used.
  • Divide batter between the 2 tins.
  • Bake about 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a skewer comes out clean. Turn out and cool on a rack.
  • It's going to be difficult to guess the servings, as the bread is rich and filling. When cool, wrap in foil and keep at room temperature or in fridge overnight (assuming you're going to use it on a trip of for school the next day).
  • It freezes well.

Questions & Replies

  1. HI, I was wondering if bacon in South Africa is a different cut of meat than what Americans refer to as bacon? After viewing your pics it looks like what we would call ham or Canadian bacon. Looking forward to trying your recipe. Thanks, for any info you might have.
     
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Reviews

  1. Wow. These were astonishingly yummy. I had to make a few changes because I didn't plan well to make this recipe. The only major change I made was to use egg beaters (not because I was worried about the cholesterol with all the bacon) since I ran out of eggs. I also cut the salt to 1 tsp, omitted the butter (I forgot it) and the chili sauce. I baked them in muffin cups to help control portion size and they baked in about 30 minutes to a perfect golden brown. My yield was 30 standard sized muffins. Thank you so much for posting this Zurie. We'll be making this often.
     
  2. I wish I could give it 10 stars! This is now my favorite bread. I did everything as directed except I didn't add any pepper. Like others I needed much less buttermilk than called for (I used about 3/4 cup). One word of warning, for the first set of loafs I used glass loaf pans and the results were not good. They stuck to the pans even though they were well greased, and the texture was just off. The next set I made with metal loaf pans and the results were perfect. I will be making many, many more of these. A hundred thanks for the great recipe.
     
  3. I loved this bread, but I agree with other reviewers that the buttermilk doesn't seem to be needed at all. I added in a small splash of it, but really, the dough was quite wet already and didn't even need it. I can see a lot of possibilities for this bread, using a variety of meats and cheeses for different outcomes. I'm guessing that my kiddos would love this made with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese as well. I will keep this recipe around for the kids' school lunches and for quick breakfasts on the go.
     
  4. I had eaten an early light dinner tonight, but thought about these when I looked in my refridge and said "hey, there was a recipe I bought these spring onions especially to make". It didn't take me long to find it! This was/is just SUPER! The only thing I altered was to use 1 lb. country ham...HEY! Ya'll from the South!....The ham was purchased from a "local" grocer, and was just ends and pieces, but it was EXTRA lean. The only regrets I have with that choice, is that this particular package was saltier than the usual, and I forgot to soak in milk before using. The second thing, as I think Syrinx(?) pointed out that it was just a bit "eggy". I can't blame you for that, because I too think my eggs were a bit large. These things are easily remedied, and I certainly would not use them to give this recipe anything less than the 5 stars it deserves. I was really going to wait to rate it until tomorrow....after I'd tried a piece toasted in a skillet, but then I noticed someone else had already done that and the result was perfection. This recipe made five mini-loaves for me...about 5 1/2x 3 1/2...1 1/2 deep. Perfect. I ate an entire loaf as they came out of the oven....great alone and with roasted red peppers on top(jarred), and some fruit on the side. Can't wait til breakfast now! I'll still have 3 to wrap and toss into the freezer! This will be a regular around here!
     
  5. This was wonderful! Very dense and moist. It's a sandwich all by itself. I was doubtful about using raw bacon in the recipe, but it just baked in and sort of disappeared and left a wonderful flavor. Thanks for this keeper. **** I made it again, but this time I browned the bacon. Not crisp, but still limp, just slightly brown. That really changes the taste of the bread. Though it was good after browning the bacon, it is much, much better using the bacon raw. I won't brown it anymore when I make this recipe, which will be often. I love this recipe. Thanks Zurie.
     
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Tweaks

  1. I tried to make a more heart-healthy version substituting turkey bacon as someone suggested, 4 yolks and 12 eggwhites instead of the 8 eggs, omitting butter, and using half the buttermilk...it did not work out well. I don't think that for me and my family, however, that it was simply the lack of fat, but we did not like the bacon inside the bread like that with the combination of cheese and green onions. It sounded neat and others love it...perhaps it is delicious when made with all the eggs and bacon and butter but I will not try it again.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I'm a widow, retired, and I love cooking. I live on the coast in South Africa and I love seafood. You're welcome to my recipes (all kinds, definitely not just seafood!) Just remember that no recipe is ever cast in stone -- adjust to your taste! The photo was taken at a rustic seaside restaurant on our West Coast, approx 1 year ago (2016).
 
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