Grape must and mosbolletjies*

*A traditional Cape wineland brioche

With the final picking of Muscat d’Alexandrie (Hanepoot) grapes for the season from the garden, I decided to make a must for traditional must buns (mosbolletjies). Mosbolletjies are a type of brioche traditionally made in the Cape winelands. I would also have liked to have made some must grape syrup (moskonfyt) but had to save that thought for another year. Moskonfyt, requires much must as it takes five litres of must to make a reduction of one litre of moskonfyt. The late picking would produce enough must for two bakings of mosbolletjies, but not enough for moskonfyt.

The making of authentic traditional Cape mosbolletjies was envisaged years ago with the planting of a row of Hanepoot grapes, alongside the vegetable garden. Nowadays, food rarely has a seasonal identity. Everything is of course available throughout the year. As in the case of mosbolletjies that are available on shop shelves no matter the season. Few know the pleasures of eating in season, in harmony with nature.

I am certain that most mosbolletjies found on shop shelves have never seen must. Not even of the sort made from seeded raisins, which can be produced out of season. This sort of mosbolletjie is but only so in name.

Traditional mosbolletjies were an authentic Cape wineland seasonal treat. Available only during the grape pressing of the wine-making season (late summer to early autumn). Freshly available must was the perfect moment for the preparation of the mosbolletjie treat. Mosbolletjie rusks were also made at this time, for tomorrow’s pleasure. Such rusks could be enjoyed when one might be overcome by the longing memory of a shiny headed fresh mosbolletjie, whilst the next pressing season remained a blip on the distant horizon.

We have forgotten how everything had its time. How half the pleasure in a delectable seasonal treat lay in the indulgent memory of it. The memory would come to rest on your palate as you longed for the approaching season. The aromas of must, flour and aniseed that would fill the kitchen like long last seen loved ones on a visit.

And as the full-blown pan of buns emerge from the oven, all the joys of yesteryears seasons rush up fresh and warm in an instant. It is as though all your wellbeing is suspended in the joy of a single warm mosbolletjie.

For me, to be able to make mosbolletjies from our own home grown Hanepoot grapes, was a special pleasure. But even greater, is the memory of favourite traditions and the opportunity to relive them.

To make mosbolletjies, I had to start with the making of the must. That is where one begins with the making of mosbolletjies. This meant that I had to learn how to make the must. Recipes for the making of traditional mosbolletjies are plentiful, but the authors clearly assumed that you had a ready source for the must. Yes, in the Cape, sourcing must would not be a challenge in bygone times. Everyone knew someone on a wine farm, with a generous heart who would willingly donate a jug or two of fresh must.

Fresh Hanepoot grape berries, Hanepoot juice, fermenting Hanepoot must, fresh bottled must

So begins our mosbolletjie journey, with a picking of five kilograms of Hanepoot grapes. Wash the grapes and pick off the berries from the bunches into a bucket. Press all the juice from the berries. I used my hands to squash the berries, without damaging the seeds. It sounds easier than it is. One must press and rub in order to extract all the juice. When all the juice has been extracted, loosely cover the bucket with a lid. Place the bucket in a warm place and let rest for two and a half days. The must is ready when the squashed berries float to the surface and a froth begins to form. Don’t let your must ferment for too long. You will lose the sweetness (sugar levels) and the must will begin to turn to wine.

Sifting flour, adding must, flour covering with cracks, the dough

With the must now ready, I only had to find an appropriate recipe to make the mosbolletjies. After studying all the historical recipes at our disposal, we decided on a combination using those from the cookbooks, Om die tafel in ou Stellenbosch, published in 1987, and Old-Time Recipes, published in 1952.

Towerwater Mosbolletjies

Ingredients:

2.5kg Strong cake flour

1t (5ml) Salt

1 Tbs (15ml) Aniseed

3 cups (750ml) Hanepoot must

1 cup (250g) Butter

2 cups (400g) Sugar

2 cups (500ml) Milk

2 Eggs

Method:

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, reserving about half a cup full in the sieve. Sprinkle over the salt and aniseed. Make an indentation in the centre of the flour and pour in the must. Sift the flour reserved in the sieve over the must to form a covering. Set the mixing bowl in a warm place for an hour until some cracks form in the flour covering.

Melt the sugar and butter over a low heat. Allow to cool until warm. Warm the milk and add to the butter mixture.  When cool enough, beat the eggs into the mixture. Add this mixture to the flour and knead well. Brush some melted butter over the dough, cover and set aside to rise overnight. Next morning, break the dough into equal sized buns of about 100g each. About 44 buns should be possible. Pack the buns closely together in pans. Allow to rise to double their size. The length of time will be determined by the warmth. Brush the risen buns with tepid milk. Bake for an hour at 180°C. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make mosbolletjie rusks, separate the buns from each other and cut each into four pieces. Dry the pieces at 100°C for 4-6 hours or overnight in a warming drawer.

Keith managed the making of the dough, buns and the baking. I was therefore the brewer and he, the baker. Together we made authentic traditional mosbolletjies. From the grapes on the vine, to must, dough and ultimately freshly baked mosbolletjies, was indeed an authentic Towerwater experience.

The question remains. Are mosbolletjies made without must really mosbolletjies? Surely, a more appropriate name for mosbolletjies without must, should be aniseed buns. After all, that would be the principle ingredient lending identity to the bun.

Kliek hier vir die Afrikaanse weergawe - Mos en mosbolletjies