Mosbolletjies (Condensed Milk Rusks): South African Sweet Biscuits

This condensed milk rusks recipe is my take on the classic South African mosbolletjies. Enjoy them warm and soft straight from the oven, spread with butter, or dry them into crisp, dunkable rusks for tea or coffee. Either way they’re delicious.

What are mosbolletjies (and what does it mean)?

Mosbolletjies (pronounced moss-boli-keys) are traditional South African rusks. They can be eaten soft and warm straight from the oven, or dried until crisp and dunked in tea or coffee as a light breakfast or snack.

The recipe traces back to French Huguenots who settled in South Africa in the late 1600s. The soft version resembles a brioche-like bun, while the dried version evolved as a way to preserve bread.

When dried they remain light and crispy, so a quick dunk lets tea or coffee soak in without falling apart.

The name comes from Afrikaans: “mos” refers to must, the semi-fermented grape skins left from winemaking (their natural yeasts were used for leavening), and “bolletjies” means little balls, describing the shape of the dough. Dried mosbolletjies are also called mosbeskuit (beskuit = rusks).

This is how the rusks look once they’ve been dried.

I learned this recipe from my late mother-in-law decades ago. Today a stand mixer makes the process much easier, but hand-kneading still works perfectly.

Over the years I adapted the recipe to include condensed milk for extra sweetness — a modern twist that I love.

Here’s how to make my condensed milk mosbolletjies.

What you will need

Equipment

A stand mixer with a dough hook is highly recommended. It kneads the dough quickly and consistently. You can knead by hand, but expect 15–20 minutes of effort.

If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl and a floured surface for hand kneading.

You will also need large loaf tins for baking. An air-fryer oven or dehydrator is handy for faster drying but an oven will do the job too.

Ingredients

This batch makes about 25 soft rolls, which can be cut into three pieces each to yield around 75 dried rusks (actual yield depends on how many rolls you enjoy before drying!).

Flour – plain all-purpose flour. Use cake flour if you want a lighter texture; bread flour will be too heavy.

Condensed milk – about 200 g (7 oz), roughly half a standard 397 g can.

Butter – 125 g (4½ oz), softened to room temperature.

Sugar – 125 g (4½ oz) granulated or caster sugar.

Eggs – 2 medium eggs.

Yeast – 2 tsp (7 g) instant yeast. Use double the weight if using fresh yeast.

Salt – ½ tsp or to taste.

Water – about 480 ml (2 cups) lukewarm water.

What to do

These are yeast doughs, so allow time for proofing. Most of the time is hands-off.

• Test the yeast (optional): 5 minutes
• Knead the dough: 10 minutes with a stand mixer, 15–20 minutes by hand
• First rise: about 2 hours
• Shape into balls and place in loaf tins: 10 minutes
• Second rise: 1–2 hours (or longer if convenient)
• Bake: 30–35 minutes at 175°C / 350°F until golden
• Dry: 3–4 hours in a dehydrator or overnight in a cool oven

I like to test yeast before use: mix a teaspoon of sugar, the yeast and a little lukewarm water and wait until it becomes frothy. If it doesn’t, the yeast may be inactive.

Place all ingredients (including the yeast) and most of the water into the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the water only if the dough seems dry; flour strength affects how much liquid is needed.

Fit the dough hook and knead on low for 2 minutes to combine, then on high for 7–8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. If kneading by hand, follow the instructions below.

Shape the dough into a smooth ball, place in a lightly floured bowl, cover and leave in a warm draught-free place for about 2 hours until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down with your fist to deflate, then knead lightly. Divide into 25–30 even balls (bigger than golf balls but smaller than tennis balls) and pack them tightly into lightly greased loaf tins — two tins usually work well.

Cover the tins with a clean towel and leave in a warm place to rise for at least another 2 hours until roughly doubled in size. Brush the tops with lightly beaten egg for a golden finish.

Bake at 175°C / 350°F for 30–35 minutes, until the rusks are golden brown. Remove from tins once cool enough to handle and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling — this prevents sweating in the tin.

Enjoy soft mosbolletjies warm with butter, jam or honey. To make traditional dunkable rusks, follow the drying instructions below.

How to dry the mosbolletjies

To dry for dunking, you can use a dehydrator, an air-fryer with a dehydrate function, or your oven. The preparation is the same regardless of method.

• Cut the cooled rolls into slices. I break them along the joins between the balls.
• Slice off roughly one-third of the ball, then cut the remainder in half to yield three rusks per ball; larger balls can be cut into four pieces.
• Small rolls can be dried whole if you prefer.

I used the dehydrate function on an air-fryer oven. Set it to 80°C / 175°F and dry for about 4 hours. The rusks are ready when completely firm with no give when pressed; if still soft, dry longer in 30-minute increments.

To dry in a conventional oven: arrange slices on wire racks so air circulates and dry overnight at 70°C / 160°F. Lining the oven floor with foil helps catch crumbs.

Store dried rusks in an airtight tin — they keep for several weeks.

A dried rusk dunked into a cup of coffee is one of my favourite breakfasts.

Condensed milk rusks FAQ

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📋The recipe