by Ryan Doyle, of University of Vermont

Mmapula! The funniest woman in the world, making dough balls.

After being in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park area for one month, we have moved to the Okavango Delta.  Our first two-week stay was in Khwai, a place known for the wildlife, and it didn’t disappoint.  We had hyenas in camp, elephants grazing by our tents, and leopards on our transects.  The highlight you might not expect, however, is most definitely the amazing food we have here on our three-month stint in the bush.  Every day is a new culinary experience, despite how limited it may seem to cook in the bush, without access to grocery stores for weeks at a time.

In Khwai, we had the pleasure of assisting the local Khwai Trust escort guides in wildlife monitoring.  We would wake up early and get back to camp for lunchtime.  Here we met Mmapula: hilarious Khwai resident, escort guide, and mother of six…

And she spoiled us, not just with the beauty of the views she shared with us, but also with something that makes my mouth water and my day better:

Bread.

Mmapula made us bread almost every day, and now we are in love.  My absolute favorite part of the day is bread time.

Personally, I find the homemade bread much better than any store-bought bread we can find.

Our favorite dishes vary, but no one denies that bread is the best addition to any meal out there. This bread is dense and wholesome, served best with honey and cinnamon or as a side to soup or stew.

Cinnamon and sugar on warm bread

From Mmapula we learned so much, from how to dance and the lyrics of her favorite songs, to the secret bread tricks that one can only know by watching a master at work. So here’s how to make the best homemade bush bread!

Ingredients:

5 cups flour

½ packet yeast

3 spoons sugar

½ spoon salt

½ spoon baking powder

1 large cup warm water

2 handfuls oil

 

Instructions:

Oil cast iron bread pot

Mix ingredients

Raise 10-15 minutes in sun

Oil hands

Round dough into balls

Perfectly round dough balls made by Mmapula!

Cook 15-20 minutes surrounded by fresh coals on either side

Coals on either side of the bread pans ensures the perfect temperature

Add some oil with a small cloth to give the bread some extra oomf!

 

Dukes, another one of our escort guides, putting some oil on the finished product

Now, enjoy!

Gretta enjoying the treat!

There’s something that you just can’t replicate about Mmapula’s bread. She has a sort of magic touch where the bread is bigger, fluffier, and softer than when we do it by ourselves!

I personally love making bread.  I find the process meditative and simple, just like the rest of living in the bush.  Whenever I need a break from work or I’m feeling in the mood for a comfort food, I make Mmapula’s bread.