Sweet potato and pumpkin ale beer bread

Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss in the coals until soft. Alternatively, nuke the sweet potatoes in the microwave until soft. Once cooled, slice into rounds and roughly tear the sweet potatoes into small chunks. Preheat a greased flat-bottom potjie for at least 10 minutes over medium heat coals. Mix the dry ingredients together and then add the sweet potato chunks. Pour in the beer and mix until you have a semi-smooth batter. Tip the mixture into your preheated potjie pot then pour the melted butter over the top. Pop the lid on and return the pot to the fire. Scrape the coals to one side and place the pot into the braai. There must be no coals directly under the pot. The heat should be around the pot or indirect. Place a couple of coals on the lid and bake for roughly 45 minutes. Alternatively, put the potjie in the oven and bake at 180 °C.At the 45-minute mark, stick a knife into the bread and if it comes out clean then it’s done. If you want a little more colour on the top, stack some more coals on the lid and bake for another 5–10 minutes, or use the oven grill. Crack a little sea salt over the top and serve.

This recipe is an extract from Beer Country’s Beer Food Fire by Karl Tessendorf and Greg Giloway.