DINNER IN 130 MINUTES
PANTRY-FRIENDLY
1
Step 1
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the oil and enough lukewarm water to make a soft dough.
DINNER IN 130 MINUTES
PANTRY-FRIENDLY
BREAD · LUNCH
Dombolo (Steamed Bread)
Dombolo, or ujeqe: soft South African steamed bread cooked in a bowl inside a pot of simmering water, or as dumplings on a stew. Includes an hour of rising. Makes 1 loaf.
Total time130 min
YieldServes 8
DietVegetarian
Shopping6 ingredients
DifficultyEasy
Cook along
Everything you need, in order.
Check ingredients as you gather them, then work through 6 calm, clearly numbered steps.
0 ingredients checked · step 0 done
Ingredients
Tap each item as it reaches your counter.
0/6
Method
6 steps · about 130 minutes total
2
Step 2
Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and stretchy. Cover and leave in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled.
3
Step 3
Knock the dough back and shape it into a ball. Put it in a greased heatproof bowl that fits inside a large pot, cover the bowl with greased foil and tie it with string.
4
Step 4
Stand the bowl on a folded cloth or an upturned saucer in the pot and pour in boiling water to halfway up the bowl. Cover the pot.
5
Step 5
Simmer for 45 to 50 minutes, topping up with boiling water so the pot never boils dry. The bread is ready when a skewer comes out clean.
6
Step 6
Lift the bowl out carefully, turn the bread out and slice.
Before you serve
Cooking notes & good-to-know answers.
Small details for confident timing, useful swaps, and safer leftovers.
Cooking notes
Keep the water at a gentle simmer and check it every 15 minutes.
For dumplings, shape small balls and steam them on top of a simmering stew with the lid on for 25 to 30 minutes.
Use oven gloves: the bowl and steam are very hot.
Good to know
Stews, chicken curry, oxtail or soup, to mop up the gravy.
Yes. Put the dough in a greased, sealed heatproof jar or on a plate on a trivet above the water, with the lid on.
The dough needs a full rise in a warm place, and the lid must stay on so the steam cooks the bread through.
About this recipe
Dombolo, also called ujeqe, is a soft steamed bread made across South Africa. It cooks in steam rather than an oven, so it only needs a stove and a big pot.
More ideas
Recipes to cook next.
More practical dishes built around familiar ingredients.