Mosbolletjies is a traditional Cape Dutch sweet-bun or bread traditionally made in the wine producing areas of the Western Cape province of South Africa. The name is Afrikaans in origin and is a combination of mos (Afrikaans for partially fermented grape juice) and bolletjies (Afrikaans for "balls" or "buns"). Mosbolletjies can be dried to make rusks.

Ingredients
1 packet of (7g) instant dry yeast
50ml lukewarm milk
125ml lukewarm water
500g plain flour 
40g sugar
15g aniseed (optional but traditional)
150g grape juice 
110g butter
1tsp salt 
1 tbsp apricot jam
½ tbsp water

Method
Put the yeast into a jug with the warm milk and water/water mix and stir then leave to one side for 5 minutes.

Heat the grape juice and butter together in a small saucepan.

Put the flour and sugar into a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and turn on to mix together.

Pour both liquids into the mixer on a low-medium for 10 minutes in a standing mixer. Add the salt and knead for a further 10 minutes. 

Remove the dough from the bowl and grease the bowl with butter.  Put the dough back in to the bowl and cover with clingfilm and rest for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Grease 2 loaf tins with flavourless oil and grease your hands with oil.

Knock back the dough, pinch off pieces of the dough the size of a golf ball and place in your greased loaf tin.  You want to try to ‘cut’ the dough by ‘pinching’ between your thumb and finger.  This gives you a clean cut and a neat shape.  Sit them in the tin nice and firm to each other. Allow to prove again for 30 minutes in a warm space until again double.  Don’t skip this as this is what makes the mosbolletjies light and soft.

This dough is absolutely gorgeous, really light and tasty and it really rises well.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180c until golden.  When you take the tins out of the oven you need to immediately remove them from the tins as otherwise they will sweat.

Mix the jam with the water and then use this to glaze the top of each bun.

We served them with Amarula butter

- Original recipe by Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen from A Breath of Fresh Air