*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 more 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
