Hearty rusks

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 750 g whole wheat flour
• 250 g wheat flour type 550
• 250 g oat flakes, fine
• 250 g oat flakes, wholegrain
• 250 g raisins
• 250 g butter
• 300 g sugar
• 3 bags of baking powder
• 10 g salt
• 4 eggs, size L
• 500 ml buttermilk

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 6 hours 40 minutes; Total time approx. 7 hours 10 minutes

First, mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Then add the eggs, cut-in butter, and buttermilk, and knead everything together by hand or in a food processor. I do it by hand because my food processor is too small for this amount. Then, place golf-ball-sized balls close together on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. The balls weigh approximately 35-40 g. Bake at 180°C fan-assisted oven for 40 minutes, then let the rusks cool briefly on the baking sheet. Break off the pieces individually and arrange them on two baking sheets. Place these in the oven at 80°C fan-assisted oven with an extractor fan – I used a chopstick wedged in the oven door – for about 6 hours until they are bone dry. In South Africa, rusks are eaten with the first cup of coffee (or tea) in the morning. They are first dipped in the coffee and then nibbled. I met them on a safari and tried to bake the very nutty rusks they had there.