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

Mannala, the brioche of Saint Nicholas

Appetizers

A traditional Alsatian brioche shaped like a little man, perfect for Saint Nicholas' Day, served with hot chocolate.

Enlarge photo

Recipe from Tavernier, JackPotte, FrankyLeRoutier and 19 other contributors (Wikibooks), 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$3.03 $0.38 / serving Estimated price; varies by store. Converted from euros at the ECB rate of October 7, 2026.

Ingredients

8 people
  • $0.66
  • $0.70
  • $0.15
  • $0.09
  • $1.39
  • $0.04

Prices from US supermarkets for 4 of 6 ingredients; Belgian prices for the rest.

Directions

  1. Preparation time: 30 minutes
  2. Cooking time: 15 minutes
  3. Rest: 120 minutes
  4. Total time: 165 minutes
  5. Mix everything together until you have a smooth, elastic dough. ≈ 4 min
  6. Cover the mixture with a cloth and leave it in a room where the temperature is around 25 °C (ideally with higher humidity) until it has doubled in volume.
  7. Take small pieces of dough and shape them into small figures using a knife. ≈ 3 min
  8. Decorate: use dried grapes or sugar pieces for the eyes, and scattered sugar pieces throughout the body. ≈ 2 min
  9. To help the sugar adhere better, lightly moisten the dough. ≈ 3 min
  10. Let it rest at room temperature until it doubles in volume.
  11. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 180 °C, until golden brown.
  12. Enjoy a cold meal with a hot chocolate, as it’s a cold day outside (Saint Nicholas' Day is celebrated on December 6th). ≈ 3 min

The bill

Mannala, the brioche of Saint Nicholas

  • 500 g of flour$0.66
  • 2 eggs$0.70
  • 15 cl of milk$0.15
  • 80 grams of sugar$0.09
  • 150 g of butter$1.39
  • 1 packet of vanilla sugar$0.04

Total$3.03

that's $0.38 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
  • 1 dried grape and/or small sugar (about the size of an aspartame tablet) 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