Wholewheat Rusks

Prepare:

1) 500g butter (melt and leave to cool)

2) 5 to 6 cups white flour (keep this separate to add last to check consistency)

5 cups wholewheat flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup coconut

3/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup linseeds (just fill up the sunflower cup with these)

1/2 cup sesame seeds

8 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3) 2 eggs (beaten)

4) 500ml buttermilk (put this into a deep jug and add the rest just before you use it as it can froth up quite a bit)

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven at 180C.

Add butter to flour mixture (except white flour).

Add eggs to buttermilk mixture.

Add buttermilk mixture to butter/flour mixture.

Add the white flour until you have a dough that is no longer sticky - that you can roll it out.

Roll out to around 2 to 3cm thick (depending on how big you want the rusks to be).

Cut into rectangles (I do around 2cm by 8cm).

Pack the rectangles into 2 greased oven trays (I put a layer of greaseproof paper on the bottom).

Bake for 45 min to 1 hour (I swap top and bottom shelves 1/2 way).

Turn out and allow to cool for a bit.

Once they are cool enough to handle you can break them into their original rectangles.

Place rusks on baking sheets and dry in oven at 100C for 8 - 12 hours.

Note: The original recipe that I was given over 20 years ago asked for 5 cups nutty wheat and 5 cups white flour. You would pour the mixture into the pans and cut it afterwards. I find you waste a lot with all the crumbs so much prefer this way. In the past I have also used 8 cups white flour and 2 cups bran but we don't get the same bran here as in SA and I get nice freshly ground wholewheat flour. So work out what works best for you.