Guyanese Pot Bake

Guyanese Pot bake takes time. It is not the kind of recipe you can just whip up. The dough has to rest. Twice! Then slow cook in a heavy pot. So please attempt this recipe on a chill day when you just want a bit of nostalgia and some bread making craft. I promise you, it will be worth it.

Bread in a Pot

Although this is called pot bake, it truly is like making bread, but in a pot on the stove. Why would anyone want to cook bread on the stovetop? This is a tradition passed on from when Guyanese home cooks and bakers made bread in a dutch oven over a coal pot. During my childhood, people in my community continued to make pot bake by cooking it on the stove top, but the only change was that the coal pot was replaced by a kerosene oil stove.

Why this recipe is important to me.

Pot bake has been part of my family’s traditions for as long as I can remember. My dad was a pork-knocker for most of my childhood. Pork-knockers are independent prospectors who mine for gold and diamond in Guyana’s interiors. He always made pot bake when he returned home. He said that this was the only way to make bread while in “the bush” as Guyana’s interiors are commonly called, and told us stories of his adventures. Sometimes my dad called his pot bake, pot bread and so I use those names interchangeably.

What You Need to Know about Making Pot Bake

• It Takes Time: This recipe is not quick. It takes over 2 hours! So please plan accordingly and don’t rush it. You can also make the dough ahead and refrigerate after the first proof. Then when you are ready to make your pot bake, proof it again.
• You need a heavy pot: I cooked my pot bake in a cast iron dutch oven. You will need a really heavy bottom pot for this recipe and the dutch oven was perfect, because it creates oven like conditions in the pot which allows the bread to cook evenly.My dad used to make his in an old cast iron pressure cooker without the seal and weight (whistle).
• It is Easy: This pot bake recipe is easy to pull together with simple ingredients. It is even easier if you have a stand mixer with a dough hook! There is just a lot of waiting around for the dough to proof. Did I tell you it takes a long time!
• Pot bake is really Versatile: Pot bake is usually enjoyed hot with some butter or sharp cheddar cheese, but it can also be served as a side for stews. Like delicious Guyanese Chicken Stew.

Ingredients for Guyanese Pot Bake

You only need 5 ingredients for this one pot bread recipe (not including the water).

• All Purpose flour: I love how all purpose flour works in this recipe. I also tried it with bread flour and it was a bit dense.
• Instant/Rapid rising yeast: Using instant yeast instead of dry-active yeast, makes this pot bake recipe a little easier to pull together.
• Brown sugar: This activates the yeast and adds a little bit of sweetness to the recipe. I’ve also substituted brown sugar for other non-refined sugar like maple syrup or coconut sugar. If using maple syrup reduce the amount of water by 1/4 cup and dilute the 1/4 cup of maple syrup in the warm water.
• Salt: Just a pinch for balance and taste.
• Fat: You can use butter, non-dairy butter, coconut oil, or shortening.
• Warm water: About 110°F.
• Oil: To grease the pot so that the bake does not stick

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Guyanese Pot Bake

Pot bake dough is made similar to other bake dough, except I will be using yeast in this recipe, while for bakes I use baking powder. This recipe is also very similar to making Guyanese plait bread and is also why I often call it pot bread.

Make the dough

To make the pot bake dough combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Then rub in the fat. You can do this with your finger tips or with a fork.

Then make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the warm water. Then pull the dry ingredients into the water (you can use a whisk for this step) and create a soft batter like consistency.

Next use a spatula to combine the dry and wet ingredients, then turn onto a floured surface and knead to make a dough ball. This next step is requires some elbow power. Knead the dough ball until it is smooth (about 10 minutes by hand) or about 3 minutes in a stand mixer.

Proof the Pot Bake Dough

Next, transfer the dough ball to a greased bowl, cover and let rest for an hour or until it doubles in size.

Once the dough doubles in size, punch down and knead again into a tight ball, ensuring to seal up the bottom.

Then leave on a floured surface, cover and let it rest for another hour. Doesn’t this sound just like making bread? See why I sometimes call this pot bread?

Shape the Pot Bake

After an hour of resting, dust the top of the dough with some flour then press the top of the dough ball to flatten.

Cook the Pot Bake

Then brush the inside of a cast iron dutch oven with oil. Cover the inside completely with the oil. Next add the flattened pot bake and cover. Add to medium medium heat to warm up the pot (about 5 minutes). Then reduce the heat to medium-low or lowest heat if you have a high flame. Cook the pot bake for 30 minutes.

Then flip the pot bake over. Using oven mittens or a kitchen towel, hold both handles of the dutch oven and give it a hard push upwards, like if you are flipping an omelette. If you do it hard enough the pot bake will rise in the pot and turn over. You can also turn the pot on the side so that the pot bake slides out and then flip over.

When the bake is ready, flip out of the pot, rub butter on both sides and place on a cooling rack or cutting board. Cover with a clean dish towel and allow it to rest until it cools down a bit. Then slice it open, slather with butter and enjoy!

Tips for the Best Pot Bread

• Do not cook the bread on high heat. After my pot was on heat for 10 minutes, I touched the side of the pot to feel the temperature of the pot. It was warm to the touch but not hot. This is the right amount of heat for cooking pot bread. If the pot is cold, then it is not warm enough and your dough will not cook all the way through. If the pot is hot to the touch, then the dough will burn.
• Be patient. Although this is a simple dutch oven bread recipe, it has to cook low and slow. It takes about 45 minutes to cook and about 2 hours of resting time in between. It is not the kind of bread you make in a hurry.
• No babysitting is required. You don’t need to check the bread at any time while it is cooking, except at the halfway mark when you flip the bread. So it was easy for me to put it on and walk away as long as my timer was nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions