Breakfast Rusks

It is a bit risky to call rusks, "health" rusks, but I like to think of these rusks as healthy.  It contains lots of seeds, is not very sweet and is made using less butter than most other recipes.  It is standard practise by now that my mom bakes a batch of these when she comes for a visit.  My son finishes three of these easily, for breakfast with a mug of Rooibos tea. 

Makes +/- 48.

First prepare two loaf tins as follows:  Cut two pieces of foil the same size as the bottom of the tin.  Grease the foil and place inside each tin.  By not greasing the sides of the tins, the dough will rise better. 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

500g stone ground wholewheat flour

140g cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

6 teaspoons baking powder

200g demerara sugar

250g butter or baking margarine, at room temperature

100g rolled oats

100g sunflower seeds

100g mixed seeds: lin, sesame and poppy seeds

500ml buttermilk

250ml water

3 extra large eggs

Mix all the dry ingredients.  Rub the butter in with your fingers.  Add the oats and seeds and mix well.  Lightly beat the buttermilk, water and eggs and stir into the flour mixture until just combined.  Do not over mix.  Spoon into the prepared tins.  Flatten the tops and make a slight indent down the middle.  Bake for 30 minutes, covered with foil.  Remove the foil, lower the temperature to 160 and bake for another 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and with a sharp knife, cut the crust down the middle in half and then in slices of +/- 1.5 cm.  Cool completely in the tins.  Run a knife along the sides to loosen and turn out.  Now cut into neat rusks, following the cuts in the crust.  (By cutting the rusks in this way,  you will minimize crumbling.) 

Arrange on oven racks and dry out at 70 degrees for 3 to 4 hours, leaving the oven door slightly opened.  Cool and store in an airtight container.