Recipes

Cheese Scones

2 cups Mostert’s Mill meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
A dash of cayenne pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 egg
150ml milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Combine the meal, baking powder and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Mix in the cheese. Beat the egg, milk and oil together and stir into the flour mixture. Place spoonfuls of the mixture in a well greased muffin pan, and bake in a failry hot (190°) oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Mostert’s Mill Bread

4 cups of Mostert’s Mill meal (substitute 1 to 2 cups of bread flour for a lighter loaf)
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of Soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey, or
4 tablespoons brown sugar
500ml yoghurt (or buttermilk)

Sift the meal (and flour if included) and return the bran to the bowl. Mix all dry ingredients together. Add the yoghurt, milk and honey/sugar. Place in a medium greased bread pan. Bake at 180° for approximately 75 minutes. The bread is ready when it has a golden-brown crust and a skewer pushed into the center comes out clean. Loosen the bread from the edges of the tin with a knife, and cool on a rack for about an hour before slicing it.

John’s Mostert’s Mill Bread

4 cups of Mostert’s Mill meal (substitute 1 to 2 cups of bread flour for a lighter loaf)
1 sachet instant yeast (10g)
1 tablespoon molasses or honey
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons oil
Optional: a tablespoon each of sunflower, sesame, linseed or poppy seeds

Sift the meal (and flour if included) and return the bran to the bowl. Add yeast and salt, and mix well. Seeds may also be added now. Dissolve the honey/molasses in the water, and stir in the oil. Pour liquid into the meal mixture and stir until all the liquid is absorbed (a sticky dough-like consistency). Place dough into a medium greased bread pan. Place in a warm spot until the dough has doubled – but before it rises over the top of the tin. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180° for about 45 minutes. The bread is ready when it has a golden-brown crust and a skewer pushed into the center comes out clean. Loosen the bread from the edges of the tin with a knife, and cool on a rack for about an hour before slicing it.

Mostert’s Mill Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups Mostert’s Mill meal
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon spices (ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice etc)
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon marmalade (optional)
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon canola or sunflower oil

Sift the meal, baking powder, spices and bicarbonate of soda. Return the bran to the bowl. Soak the raisins, honey, molasses (and marmalade, if included) in warm water. Add to the dry ingredients and mix in the oil – don’t overmix, as the muffins may not rise well. Place in muffin tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180° for about 15 minutes. Loosen the muffins from the pan with a knife and allow to cool slightly on a rack.

Basic Bread

This loaf is time consuming but well worth the effort. Allow about 5 hours to make it

4 cups Mostert’s Mill meal (substitute 1 to 2 cups of bread flour for a lighter loaf)
½ cup of flour for kneading
1 sachet instant yeast (10g)
¼ cup honey, molasses or brown sugar
½ cup dried milk (optional)
2 cups warm water
¼ cups of olive oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk

Dissolve the honey in the water, and sprinkle the yeast over it. Mix in the dried milk, if included. Sift two cups of the meal into the mixture, returning the bran to the bowl. Stir briskly, pulling the batter up to aerate the mixture, until very smooth. Cover the bowl, and place it in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes. During this time the flavor begins to develop and the dough becomes more elastic.

Now slowly add to the bowl the salt, and remaining meal (and flour) a quarter cup at a time. Fold the mixture (to preserve the elasticity) – stir from the side of the bowl towards the center, trying not to cut through the dough. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, add the oil. Continue adding flour until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl, and can easily be taken out as a single piece.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well – or use a food processor with a dough hook, on a very slow setting. The dough is ready when you can stretch a small piece between four fingers to create a thin unbroken membrane.

Place the dough in a ball shape in an oiled bowl, and turn over to cover with oil. Cover and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size (40 to 60 minutes). Gently push down on it several times, then reshape into a ball. Allow to rise until doubled (30 to 50 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 180°. Knead the dough five or six times, then roll into a log shape and square the ends. Place into an oiled bread pan, cover, and allow to rise for another 20 to 25 minutes, until just near the top of the pan. Beat the egg with the milk, and brush the top of the loaf lightly with this mixture.

Place in the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The bread is ready when it has a golden-brown crust and a skewer pushed into the center comes out clean. Loosen the bread from the edges of the tin with a knife, and cool on a rack for about an hour before slicing it.

Overnight Bread

4 cups Mostert’s Mill meal (substitute 1 to 2 cups of bread flour for a lighter loaf)

1 teaspoon salt
1 sachet instant yeast (10g)
2 cups warm water

Sift the meal (and flour if included) and return the bran to the bowl. Add yeast and salt, and mix well. Mix in the water. The dough will be hard to stir and rough, not smooth like a normal bread dough. Cover and let sit overnight (8 to 16 hours).

Without kneading, turn the dough out and form a ball. Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour. After 30 minutes, while the dough rises, preheat the oven to 180°, and place an oven-safe pot (with a lid, eg a dutch oven pot or a flat-bottom potjie, but don’t put the lid in) in the oven to heat up. Once the bread has risen, carefully remove the hot pot, sprinkle a little oil into it, and gently place the dough in. Place the lid on the pot, and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the lid, and bake for another 15 minutes, or until it has a golden-brown crust and a skewer pushed into the center comes out clean. Loosen the bread from the edges of the tin with a knife, and cool on a rack for about an hour before slicing it.

Note: if you do not have a suitable pot, you can place an oven-safe bowl of water in the oven while it heats up. Use a regular bread pan, but be sure to place it in the oven as quickly as possible to retain the steam that will have built up.