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aartappel broodjie, a golden South African potato and cheese loaf, sliced on a timber board in an Australian kitchen with a kettle braai through the window

Aartappel broodjie

The South African savoury loaf of grated raw potato, cheese and a packet of potato bake. One bowl, no yeast, no proving. Mixed in fifteen minutes and baked in a loaf tin while the fire gets going.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8 thick slices
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 450 ml plain flour a touch over 1¾ cups. Self-raising works if you drop the baking powder to 1 tsp
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated about 450 g. Squeeze the water out before they go in the bowl
  • 1 cup tasty cheese, coarsely grated, heaped any everyday cheddar from Coles or Woolworths
  • 1 egg
  • 80 to 100 ml milk start at 80 and add the rest only if dry flour is left
  • 1 packet potato bake mix, about 43 g Knorr Cheese and Bacon from a South African shop, or our homemade mix in the post
  • 4 rashers streaky bacon, chopped optional. The original adds it raw
  • butter, for the tin be generous, the cheese sticks

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 180°C and butter a 21 cm loaf tin thickly on the base and up the sides.
  2. Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes, then squeeze them hard in a clean tea towel until the water stops running.
  3. Stir the flour, baking powder and potato bake mix together in a large bowl.
  4. Add the grated potato, the cheese and the bacon if you are using it, and toss until every strand is coated in flour.
  5. Beat the egg into 80 ml of the milk, pour it in, and work it through with a wooden spoon until no dry flour is left.
  6. Add the last 20 ml of milk only if the dough will not come together. It should be thick and sticky, not pourable.
  7. Press the dough into the tin, level the top, and bake for 40 to 50 minutes until deep golden and firm in the middle.
  8. Rest the loaf in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack. Serve warm with butter.

Notes

Quantities are our working version. The milk is the number to watch, because this is a thick dough you press into the tin rather than a batter you pour. Double everything for a larger loaf in a potjie or camp oven.