DE

Mandazi for your Christmas bakery!

 

 

When your kitchen turns into a little Christmas bakery during the holiday season, this recipe comes to you with warm greetings from the children of the Mbigili children’s village, which we have been supporting with Charity at [ ] for many years. A particular favorite there is baking Mandazi together: small, fried yeast dough treats that in Tanzania are enjoyed for breakfast, in restaurants, at roadside stalls, or freshly taken from the containers carried on the heads of the women who sell them.

 

In the children’s village, children, house mothers, and staff gather in the large kitchen on a Sunday afternoon. Together they knead the dough, heat the coals, cut the diamond-shaped Mandazi, and count them carefully so that in the evening every child and every mama has one in hand. When the big pot is finally full and the kitchen smells of freshly fried Mandazi, everyone watches a movie together and snacks on their Mandazi, a moment of pure joy that you can bring into your own Christmas bakery with this recipe.

 

Mandazi from the Mbigili Children’s Village

 

Makes approx. 35–40 pieces

 

Ingredients

 

  • 2 kg flour
  • 3 tbsp dry yeast
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • Sugar and salt to taste
  • 6 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp cardamom (optional)
  • Approx. 2 cups milk or water (lukewarm)
  • Oil for frying

 

 

Preparation

 

  1. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, dry yeast, sugar, salt, and cardamom.

  2. Warm the milk or water until lukewarm (not too hot, otherwise the yeast won’t activate) and gradually add it to the flour mixture. Add the oil and knead everything well until a smooth dough forms that no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Add a little more liquid if needed.

  3. Knead the dough vigorously for at least 10 minutes, then cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.

  4. Roll out the dough to about 2 cm thickness and cut into diamonds (approx. 5 × 5 cm) – or use a glass to cut out circles. Place the pieces on a tray and let them rise briefly again.

  5. Heat oil in a pot. Test with one Mandazi: if it rises to the surface and gently sizzles, the temperature is right. Fry several pieces at once until golden brown, turning occasionally.

  6. Remove, drain on paper towels, let cool slightly – and enjoy while still warm.