Sweet dinner rolls (mabhanzi)
If you from Zimbabwe then you know all about these fluffy pillowy rolls/buns which we call mabhanzi back home. They are so soft and fluffy and best served warm alongside a bottle of coca cola or Fanta 
. My ex coworkers and I used to have these mabhanzi for breakfast back when I worked in Zimbabwe and we used to wonder how they made these. A young man would bring them over to us from the back of the store and we would always wonder 
(or at least I would) what happened back there.
I’ve come across several recipes for these but my dough always turned out too hard or too dry, or sometimes too sticky. So I’ve been playing around with ingredients and came up with this simple recipe which basically involves mixing the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. The dough is soft and easy to knead. But like every other mabhanzi recipe you definitely have to knead the dough for a while. I like to see it as win/win type of situation, it’s a great workout for your arms and at the same time, you make the smoothest dough you have ever seen 
! If you do not own a bread maker or mixer with a dough hook attachment like me, then you are going to have to be really patient but it’s so worth it.
These mabhanzi would be great for Thanksgiving, which is coming up in a few weeks. If you want a more savory bun, instead of using the sugar glaze, you can brush them with an egg wash just before you put them in the oven for baking.
Quick Tip: If you’re having trouble finding a warm place for your dough to rise, fill up a container with boiled water and place it next to your rising dough in the oven. You can switch it up after every 30 or so minutes as it cools down.
Let me know if you try this recipe. Happy baking 
Sweet dinner rolls (mabhanzi)
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour( and a little more)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 tbsp. milk powder
- 5 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp. Active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 tbsp. melted butter
- 2 tbsp. water
- 2 tbsp. sugar
For the sugar glaze
Instructions
- Add the sugar to the milk and mix well until it dissolves. Mix the active dry yeast into the milk to proof. Make sure the milk is warm and not hot, between 105and 110 degrees F if you have a thermometer. Set aside in a warm place and let proof for about 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, the salt and the milk powder and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, add the melted butter, the egg yolks and the proofed yeast mixture. Whisk everything together well. Add the flour mixture a cup at a time, whisking well after each addition. After about 2 cups, you may need to get in there and use your hands (make sure they are clean – of course).
- Form into a sticky dough ball and transfer onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead the dough for about 15 minutes ( great workout I actually broke into a sweat) adding a little flour as you go until the dough is smooth and soft and not sticky anymore.
- Rub about a teaspoon of olive oil or vegetable oil around the dough ball and transfer it to a large bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm place for about 1 hour. In the meantime prepare your 9 by 13 inch baking dish by covering it with parchment paper. You can spray the baking dish with a little nonstick spray to make sure the parchment sticks to it.
- After 1 hour and the dough has doubled in size, punch it in the middle to burst the air bubbles and lightly knead the dough again for about 1 minute. Form it into a cylinder about 13 inches long. Using a sharp knife cut it into half then cut each half into 3 equal pieces then each piece into two, to make 12 dough balls, about the same size.
- Fold the seams in and roll into 12 smooth tight balls. Place in the prepared baking dish, cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm place to rise for one more hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Prepare the glaze by mixing the sugar and water together and microwaving for about 25 seconds.
- Remove from the oven and immediately baste the surface with the sugar glaze. Let them rest for about 15 minutes (if you can wait) before you pounce on them LOL!
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Thank you. Your recipe is nice and simple. easy to follow. My maBuns came out perfect!
Thanx again
You’re welcome! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for trying it out.
I made mabhanzj today.uum they taste very nice.they are different to the old recipe i had before.thank you so much
Happy to hear that Fay. Thanks for trying the recipe out 🙂
About to make these for the second time using this recipe – last time they were amazing I’ve been craving them since! I’m excited 🙂 thank you for posting this recipe – I’ve tried a few that just weren’t as fluffy.
I love getting such feedback Taedza! I’m so glad you love the recipe. I hope you enjoyed them (again!)
Thank you so much. Tried it today.
What happens to the egg whites🤣🤣🤣🤣
You’re welcome Mandi 😆😆 you can refrigerate the egg whites and add them the next time you make scrambled eggs 🤷♀️