Herman says: I wouldn’t be able to write a book without remembering something about my Hartenbos holidays. That’s probably because Hartenbos has been such a big part of my life, and whether I want to admit it or not, those holidays that I hated so much actually had a huge impact on how I see life through food now. Caramel bread is one of those things that we made in the caravan park. It was my job to make that bread. Nothing extravagant, but the bread felt to me every time like I was putting together something very fancy that deserved an English name. I don’t know why I believed this as a child, but once something had an English name, it was almost as if one should speak softer and concentrate more intensely when eating it! I always made this caramel bread of my mother’s with care. The little ball was nicely rolled and very perfectly packed into the black pot. I wanted to take my time with it because the longer I took, the longer I could spend time in my mother’s caravan kitchen, and the kitchen is where I feel at my best. Enjoy this bread and make it with your children. It holds a lifetime of beauty in every little ball.
Makes: 1 loaf
INGREDIENTS
- 375ml lukewarm milk
- 10g bag of instant yeast
- 2 eggs
- 15ml honey
- 10g salt
- 65g sugar
- 115g butter, melted
- 800g cake flour
For the filling
- 115g butter
- 60ml honey
- 100g white sugar
- 7g (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- 100g brown sugar
- 250ml of cream
METHOD
- Mix milk, yeast, eggs, honey, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl until the yeast has dissolved.
- Add the melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon. Keep mixing and gradually add flour until a stiff, kneadable dough forms.
- Turn the dough out on a board and knead for 5–8 minutes until you get a smooth texture.
- Grease a clean bowl with a little oil and place the dough ball in the bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume- 40–60 minutes.
- While the dough is rising, put the butter, honey, white sugar and cinnamon in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and set aside.
- Spray a cast iron 2L pan with non-stick oil spray. Break off pieces of dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball in brown sugar and pack sugar balls tightly against each other in the pan. Pour the cream over.
- Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and let rise again until it doubles in volume- about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C. Pour the honey sauce over the bread and place it in the hot oven. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until golden brown and cooked. Serve lukewarm.
