Homemade Saint Nicholas Mannala Buns

The preparation step by step

1. Prepare equipment and reserves

   Weigh 400 g of flour, 65 g of sugar, 7 g of yeast and 5 g of salt in separate bowls. Cut the 90 g of soft butter into cubes. Prepare the specified baking tray or mold with baking paper; shaping will be easier if everything is already at hand.

2. Prepare eggs and milk

   Break the 2 eggs of dough one by one into a bowl, check the shells and beat them with a fork. Keep the whole gilding egg apart. Heat the 140 ml of milk to about 30 °C, without making it hot.

3. Gathering the ingredients of paste

   Mix flour, sugar and yeast in a bowl or in the bowl with the hook. If your yeast needs to be rehydrated, use some of the milk already measured, according to its bag. Add the beaten eggs and milk, then salt. Mix until all the flour is moistened.

4. Gives elasticity to the dough

   Kneaded for 8 minutes at a slow speed, or about 12 minutes by hand by stretching and folding the dough. It remains slightly sticky. Scrape the edges when stopped and avoid throwing extra flour: it would make the brioche dry.

5. Fold in butter by small additions

   Add 90 g of butter in three or four times. Wait for the first addition to be absorbed before the next. Continue for 8 to 10 minutes until you get a soft paste that stretches without breaking immediately. If it heats up or becomes oily, take a 10-minute break in the cool.

6. Fragrance without tearing the paste

   This paste remains natural. Keep the 16 raisins in a bowl to place them after shaping; do not knead them in the dough. Gather the brioche into a soft ball and cover it for its first rise.

7. Let it rise slowly

   Let stand for about 1 h 30 at 24 °C until the dough almost doubles in volume. Time depends on your room and yeast; watch the swelling rather than the clock alone. If it does not move, do not put it in a hot oven: check the temperature of the room.

8. Shape the planned form

   Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. For each man, reserve a small head ball and form a short pudding with the rest. Cut the bottom in half for the legs and make a cut on each side for the arms. Weld the head to the body by pinching slightly. Space the men on two plates. Put 2 raisins for the eyes of each.

9. Wait for the second rise

   Cover with a light cloth and lets inflate 45 to 60 minutes away from drafts. Parts should look flexible and light. Prevent swelling in the mold or on the plate. Towards the end of this wait, preheat the oven to 175 °C, conventional oven setting (no fan).

10. Dore without falling back

    Break the gilding egg in a bowl and beat it with a fork. Brush a thin layer over the top, without pressing on the puffy dough. Do not let egg wash pool around the base of the pieces: it would brown too quickly.

11. Cuis by monitoring the color

    Cook one plate at a time at 175 °C for 16 to 18 minutes, about 36 minutes for both plates. The surface should be golden and the underside cooked. Keep the second baking tray in a cool room during the first batch. If the top goes fast, protect it loosely from baking paper.

12. Cool before serving

    Take out the plate with the oven gloves. Leave the small brioches on the plate for 5 minutes and then move them on a wire rack. Wait 30 to 45 minutes before serving: the crumb stabilizes and is no longer wet under finger pressure.