German Zwieback: Rusks

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 72
• 8 -9 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast or 2 (3/4 ounce) fresh yeast cakes
• 3 cups tepid milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

Recipe

• 1 cream the yeast with 1/2 cup of the milk and 1 teaspoon of the sugar.
• 2 leave it in a warm place until foaming, about 15 minutes.
• 3 then add it to 2 cups of the flour.
• 4 mix thoroughly, gradually adding 2/3 cup of the remaining milk, to make a yeast sponge.
• 5 let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about one and one half hours.
• 6 stir into the sponge the egg yolks, remaining sugar, butter and the rest of the flour and milk.
• 7 blend the mixture into a dough.
• 8 turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it thoroughly for about 15 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
• 9 cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.
• 10 shape the dough into three 12-inch cylindrical loaves.
• 11 sprinkle the tops with a few drops of tepid water.
• 12 place the loaves on buttered baking sheets, let them rise for about 45 minutes, then bake them in a preheated 400 f.
• 13 oven for 50 minutes, or until light brown.
• 14 the next day, cut the loaves into thin slices with a very sharp knife.
• 15 place the slices on buttered baking sheets and bake them in a preheated 325 f.
• 16 oven for 30 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes.
• 17 when finished, they should be dry and evenly browned.
• 18 elek magyar.
• 19 kochbuch fur feinschmecker.