Pull-apart Bread, or Monkey Bread is an old family favourite. My Ouma, then Mom Lily, and now me馃槈 have been keeping the tradition going, but they used to call it 'Mosbolletjies'.
Mosbolletjies is the Afrikaans name for a traditional Cape Dutch sweet-bun or bread where the leavening agent is grape must, a by-product of wine-making.
'Mos' means partially fermented grape juice, and 'bolletjies' simply means buns, or balls.
Mosbolletjies traditionally would be broken up into smaller pieces and dried in the oven to make rusks, a treat to enjoy with morning coffee, often needing to be dunked in the coffee.
If they were making rusks, Mom and Ouma used to only give us one loaf to be eaten as pull-apart bread. We often complained and said it was much better eating what we called 'wet' bread, than dried rusks;) They made a much larger quantity than my recipe so there was enough for everyone!
The smell of bread baking always draws everyone to the kitchen. When the spicy notes of Cinnamon waft through the kitchen, we know it's going to be the sweet Cinnamon and Dried Fruit Pull-apart Bread that's usually made at Easter time! So much quicker than time-consuming Hot Cross Buns! Mom used to make it throughout the year, almost sacrilege to save it for only once a year!
With this pull-apart bread, the proven yeast dough is rolled into a flat rectangle, brushed with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, rolled up, and then cut into equal pieces. The pieces of dough are shaped into small balls and snugly placed next to each other in a round cake tin.
As with most bakes, when it comes out of the oven, the bread has to rest first. It would lovingly be wrapped in a tea towel and left for at least 15 minutes before we could go near it!
My brothers, real rascals, played touch rugby every afternoon after school. This was one of the times when they did not have to be reminded to wash their dirty hands before coming into the kitchen and pulling off pieces of the soft spongy sweet bread. Their friends often joined in. We would spread it with a thick layer of butter, our cheeks glistening with the melted butter, absolutely yummy!
Simple ingredients are used, and yeast, not grape must, is the leavening agent.
Makes 1 regular plus 1 small loaf
Filling
Place sugar, milk, water, butter, and eggs into a jug and beat till a little frothy
Add the yeast, stir, and leave in a warm place for only a couple of minutes to froth a little
Sift flour, and salt, add dried fruit, and stir to mix the fruit in
Make a well in the centre, pour liquid in, and knead using a dough hook, or knead by hand
Oil your hands, form into a ball, place back into the bowl, cover with a little melted butter, then seal with cling wrap or a lid, and wrap up snugly inside a thick cloth. I placed my bowl in my Wonder Bag. Leave to prove in a warm place till double in size
Flatten the dough into a rectangular shape, brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
Roll up
Cut into even slices, shape into small balls, and arrange in a sprayed cake pan
Set oven to 170-180掳C
Leave bread uncovered in a warm place to let it rise
Brush with beaten egg to give it a nice golden crust - I scattered some flaked Almonds on top
Bake for approximately 35 minutes, leave to cool a little before removing from pan, cool on a wire rack, and wrap up in a tea towel.
Much pushing and shoving between my four brothers, but as I was the only girl and the oldest of them all, I was allowed to break my piece first before they flattened the delicious sweet and slightly spicy fruity bread! A nice golden crust on the outside, and soft and spongy inside!
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