South African mosbolletjie bread: A classic dessert loaf

Everybody’s been taking up baking bread but there’s some South African favourites that aren’t mentioned between the banana loafs and sourdough breads, and it’s the South African mosbolletjie bread. This aromatic golden bread is a pull-apart white bread loaf originally made from wine must (the freshly pressed juice of grapes being used to make wine) and flavoured with aniseed which gives the loaf its signature liquorice-like flavour. The “mosbelletjie” name is partly due to the loaf being made from individual balls of dough.

South African mosbolletjie bread suggestions

Not only is this bread great to enjoy with butter or your choice of fruit with cream, but some people dry it out in the oven and make biscuits of of it. The bread is enjoyed with a thick spread of butter but you can also top it with a bit of sweetness with berries and cream or chocolate spread. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, bake it with a light drizzle of caramel sauce and a selection of nuts.

ALSO READ: Homemade caramel sauce [Video]

Dive back into baking and make this South African mosbolletjie bread. It’s a loaf with many different and creative ideas for serving.

Last updated on 23 February 2023

South African mosbolletjie bread recipe

Recipe by Robyn Brittow Course: SnacksCuisine: South AfricanDifficulty: Medium

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 100 ml 100 wine must or grape juice

• 100 ml 100 milk

• 4 cups 4 white bread flour

• 10 g 10 dry active yeast

• 5 ml 5 sugar

• 100 ml 100 tepid water

• 1 tsp 1 salt

• 1 tsp 1 aniseeds

• 80 ml 80 sugar

• 50 g 50 butter

• For the glaze

• 20 g 20 butter

• 45 ml 45 milk

• 30 ml 30 sugar

Method

• Preheat your oven to 180°C.
• Mix the yeast, 5ml of sugar and water to form a sponge and allow yeast to activate.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter and milk just before boiling point, add grape juice and remove from heat and allow to cool until it is at a tepid temperature ( around 36 degrees Celsius).
• Sift flour and salt, add  80 ml of sugar.
• Add the yeast, melted butter mixture to the flour until it forms a soft dough and knead for about 10 minutes until it is soft and all the gluten has been developed.
• Once the dough is smooth and soft, allow to rise in a warm area until double in size.

  • 

• While the dough is rising, grease a standard size bread tin.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough in 21 equal parts, this will make 7 rows of 3 in the tin.
• Roll and shape each piece of dough into rectangles and place 3 by 3 next to each other in the tin. Do not worry if the dough expands and flattens as you put it in.
  

  • 

• Once you have prepared your tin with the dough, allow the dough to rise until double in size once again, in a warm place.
• Once the bread has had its second proof, place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes. It will be a beautiful golden brown.
• During this time make the glaze by adding all ingredients to a saucepan until melted.
• Brush the bread with the glaze as soon it comes out of the oven and serve with salted butter.

Notes

• Tip: This recipe can also be used to make rusks. If you have any leftover pieces from the loaf you can place it in an oven on low heat and allow the bread to dry out until they become rusks – this usually takes about 4 hours.

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