Makes: 2-3 loaves
Preparation time: 1 ¹/₂ hours, plus fermenting and rising time
Baking time: 1 hour
Oven temperature: 200°C

• 125g raisins with pips
• 5g fresh yeast (or 2,5ml active dried yeast)
• 1,250kg cake flour
• 125g (135ml) butter
• 190g (225ml) sugar
• 20ml aniseed
• 15ml milk
• 15ml castor sugar

1 Chop the raisins in a food processor. Put them in a saucepan with 750ml water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and cool until lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast in a little of the liquid, then stir into the remaining liquid.

2 Pour into a large bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to stand in a warm place for 24 to 36 hours. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth and pour into a bowl.

3 Stir 500ml of the flour into the liquid until smooth. Set aside for three to four hours to ferment.

4 Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly, then stir into the fermented mixture along with the remaining flour, sugar, 3ml salt and aniseed. Mix to form a pliable dough, adding more water if necessary. Knead for 10 minutes by hand or in a food processor with a dough hook.

5 Put the dough into a bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Wrap in a blanket and leave to rise overnight.

6 Don’t knead the dough, but break off pieces and shape into buns. Put them next to each other in greased loaf tins and then set the tins aside for the dough to rise again.

7 Bake in a preheated oven for one hour or until cooked through. Mix the milk and castor sugar together. Brush this mixture over the mosbolletjies as soon as they come out of the oven. Cool, then break apart.

Text and image: Ideas magazine