Serves: 1 loaf

This bun found its way into South African cuisine courtesy of the French Huguenots who settled in Franschhoek in the Cape. Just as they contributed so significantly to the development of viticulture in the region, they also brought their cooking and baking traditions with them. Mosbolletjies were made during the wine-making season when unfermented grape juice (stum) was readily available.

Afrikaans for ‘stum’ or ‘must’ is ‘mos’, and ‘bolletjies’ is the Afrikaans word for ‘little balls or buns’. As a bread lover, I simply had to include a mossbolletjie recipe, but I’ve replaced grape juice with rooibos tea. .

Recipe adapted from A Taste of South Africa with the Kosher Butcher’s Wife, Penguin Random House

To get more recipes, click here to sign up for our free JC food newsletter.

Ingredients

Name: Mossbolletjie-style rooibos babke
Yield: 1 loaf
Ingredients: 550g plain cake flour 2 tsp salt 100g white sugar 10g rapid rising dried yeast 500ml rooibos tea, made from 1 tea bag 125g butter or margarine 250ml warm water 250ml milk or soya milk, room temperature 150 - 170g apricot jam 100g brown sugar mixed with 1 tbsp ground cinnamon 2 eggs 190g raisins or sultanas, or a mixture of both (optional)

550g plain cake flour

2 tsp salt

100g white sugar

10g rapid rising dried yeast

500ml rooibos tea, made from 1 tea bag

125g butter or margarine

250ml warm water

250ml milk or soya milk, room temperature

150 - 170g apricot jam

100g brown sugar mixed with 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

2 eggs

190g raisins or sultanas, or a mixture of both (optional)