Pecan and Cranberry rusks

This recipe is an adaptation of the Lynn Bedford Hall recipe for ‘Farmhouse Finger Rusks’.  I’m making them today because my Mum is on her way to visit from Durban and these are her favourites.   You can juggle the optional ingredients to your taste, I use all 4.  This recipe makes dozens, depending on how thick you slice the fingers.

INGREDIENTS

500 g self-raising flour                                                                            125 grams melted butter

5 ml salt                                                                                                      2 eggs

5 ml baking powder                                                                                 250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk

250 ml (1 cup) sugar                                                                                90 ml oil

500 ml (2 cups) oats

60 ml currants (optional)

60 ml  dried cranberries, chopped (optional)

60 ml sunflower or sesame seeds (optional)

60 ml chopped pecan nuts

INSTRUCTIONS

Sift flour, salt and baking powder.

Mix in sugar, oats, currants, cranberries, sunflower or sesame seeds and nuts

Mix in melted butter

In a seperate bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and oil, then add to flour mixture

Combine well, the dough should be squishy and soft.

Turn the dough into either a 26 x 9 x 7 cm loaf tin lined with baking paper or a 20 x 26 cm baking tin lined in the same way.  Level the top with the back of a spoon dipped in hot water.

Bake the rectangular  batch at 180° deg C for 45 mins, the loaf tin being deeper bakes for 1 hour.  Test with a skewer to make sure that it is cooked through.

Cool before turning out, after turned out leave on a wire rack for an hour or 2, it must not be even slightly warm or crumbles when you cut the slices.  For perfect finger shapes, cut off the crusty sides before cutting into thick slices, cut each slice into fingers.   Arrange the fingers on a baking sheet lined with 2 sheets of baking paper.  Dry out in a low oven about 100° C for about 3 hours turning at least once.  When done, leave to cool in the oven before storing.