Recette de cuisineHomemade recipes · Hainaut
Favorites
Mannala, Saint Nicholas brioche

Mannala, Saint Nicholas brioche

Baking

The Alsatian Saint-Nicholas gingerbread man: a dough made with milk, butter, and vanilla, shaped by hand, decorated with grapes and sugar, and best enjoye…

Enlarge photo

Recipe from Tavernier, JackPotte, FrankyLeRoutier and 19 other contributors, adapted by Recette de cuisine · · updated on

↓ Jump to recipe

The mannala is a traditional Alsatian bread, served on December 6th for Saint Nicholas' Day. It is often decorated with raisins or small sweets and pairs perfectly with hot chocolate.

Ingredients and directions

  • Prep time30 min
  • Cook time15 min
  • Resting2 hr
  • Total2 hr 45 min
  • DifficultyEasy
  • CostBudget
  • Cooking methodfour
  • Estimated cost$3.33 $0.42 / serving Estimated price; varies by store. Converted from euros at the ECB rate of October 15, 2026.
  • Vegetarian

Ingredients

8 people
  • $0.80
  • $0.80
  • $0.15
  • $0.07
  • $1.39
  • $0.04
  • $0.08

Prices from US supermarkets for 4 of 7 ingredients; Belgian prices for the rest.

Directions

  1. Mix all the ingredients together until a smooth, elastic dough forms. ≈ 4 min
  2. Let it rest under a cloth in a room at approximately 25 °C, ideally in a slightly humid environment, until the mixture has doubled in volume.
  3. Take small pieces of dough and shape them into small figures using a knife. ≈ 10 min
  4. Decorate: use grapes or small pieces of sugar for the eyes, and scattered sugar for the body; moisten the dough slightly so that the sugar adheres. ≈ 2 min
  5. Let them rise slowly at room temperature until they have doubled in volume.
  6. Bake for approximately 15 to 18 minutes at 180 °C, until they are nicely browned.
  7. Enjoy it cold, with a hot chocolate, on St. Nicholas' Day, December 6th. ≈ 3 min

The bill

Mannala, Saint Nicholas brioche

  • 500 g of flour$0.80
  • 2 eggs$0.80
  • 15 cl of milk$0.15
  • 80 grams of sugar$0.07
  • 150 g of butter$1.39
  • 1 packet of vanilla sugar$0.04
  • Grapes and/or small pieces of sugar, for decoration$0.08

Total$3.33

that's $0.42 per person

Estimated price; varies by store.

Equipment

Affiliate links

Before you start

Ingredients

  • 500 g of flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 15 cl of milk
  • 80 grams of sugar
  • 1 packet of baker’s yeast
  • 150 g of butter
  • 1 packet of vanilla sugar
  • Grapes and/or small pieces of sugar, for decoration

The screen stays on while cooking mode is open.
🎬 Have a video of this recipe? Suggest a YouTube link

Did you film this recipe, or do you know a video that shows it? Axelle watches it before adding it to the page.

Nothing is published before approval.

✏️ A mistake, an idea for this recipe? Suggest a correction

Reviews (0)

Rate this recipe Be the first to rate it!

Your rating