Mosbolletjies

Mosbolletjies is a traditional Afrikaner or Cape Dutch sweet bun, made in the wine producing areas of the Western Cape province of South Africa. The Afrikaans name joins mos, partially fermented grape juice, with bolletjies, meaning little balls or buns. Traditionally the grape must left over from winemaking leavened the dough, and spices such as aniseed are added before baking; modern bakers usually use grape juice and yeast instead. The dough is rolled into balls and packed tightly into a baking tray, so the baked loaf has a series of bumps that make individual pieces easy to pull off, much like monkey bread. The buns are typically served with tea or coffee and can be dried to make rusks. They are said to have come from the French Huguenot refugees who settled Franschhoek in 1688 and introduced viticulture there.