Mosbolletjie bread: Tasty South African tradition. Image: Supplied.

Your ultimate guide to baking Mosbolletjie bread

Name: Mosbolletjie Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: 100 ml wine must or grape juice; 100 ml milk; 4 cups white bread flour; 10 grams dry active yeast; 5 ml sugar; 10 ml tepid water; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp aniseeds; 80 ml sugar; 50 grams butter; 20 grams butter; 45 ml milk; 30 ml sugar

“Mosbolletjie brood” is a South African classic and this is your fool-proof guide to baking this delicious golden bread.

by Robyn Brittow

03-06-2020 15:05

in Recipes

Mosbolletjie bread: Tasty South African tradition. Image: Supplied.

This bread is perfect for sharing with friends and family and best enjoyed fresh out the oven with butter and cheese.

What are Mosbolletjies?

This aromatic golden bread is a pull a-part white bread loaf originally made from wine must – (the freshly pressed juice of grapes being used to make wine) and flavoured with aniseed which gives the loaf its signature liquorice-like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.

Please note you can also use normal grape juice from your local grocer.

Mosbolletjie Recipe

4 from 14 votes

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

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

hour

minutes

Ingredients – DOUGH

100 ml wine must or grape juice
100 ml milk
4 cups white bread flour
10 grams dry active yeast
5 ml sugar
10 ml tepid water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp aniseeds
80 ml sugar
50 grams butter
INGREDIENTS – GLAZE
20 grams butter
45 ml milk
30 ml sugar

Method

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Mix the yeast, 5 ml 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.