CONDENSED MILK YEAST RUSKS WITH ANISEED

Lockdown day#296 Boerebeskuit anys. Ek vermoed dit gaan netso opgeëet word voor dit kan uitdroog!
Condensed milk yeast rusks with aniseed (baked in my gas oven, dried out in electric oven)

1 x 397 g tin condensed milk
80 g / 100 ml sugar
250 g / 140 ml butter cut up (or Stork to Bake margarine)
15 ml salt
15 ml aniseed, optional
250 ml boiling water
500 ml lukewarm water
2 eggs
1 – 2* x 25 g cubes fresh yeast or 1 to 2* x 10 g sachets instant dry yeast
± 1,5 kg / 2,6 liters cake flour (about 10 x 250 ml cup measures)

*Note:
When time is limited or the weather is cold use 2 for quick and efficient rising.

Place condensed milk, sugar, butter, salt and aniseed in your electric mixer bowl or a large mixing bowl. Use the 250 ml boiling water to rinse the condensed milk tin before adding to the mixing bowl. Stir to allow the hot water to melt the sugar and butter (or add the dough hook to electric mixer).
Add the 500 ml lukewarm water to the bowl, mix and if necessary cool a bit before adding the eggs. If fresh yeast is used crumble the yeast into the lukewarm liquid. If instant yeast is used, mix the contents of the sachet with 250 ml of the cake flour and add to the bowl. Add half the flour (about 5 x 250 ml cups) and mix well. Add sufficient of the remaining flour gradually to form a soft dough.
If an electric mixer is used knead 5-7 minutes and finish by kneading lightly by hand, adding a little extra flour to obtain a smooth and no longer sticky dough. To knead by hand, turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead 8-10 minutes adding a little more flour as necessary to obtain a soft yet smooth and elastic dough.
Flour the bowl lightly, return the dough to the bowl, sprinkle with flour, cover and place in a mildly warm spot to rise until doubled. This may take 1-3 hours depending on the amount of yeast added and the temperature of the rising environment. (I find especially in winter my car parked in the sun is perfect to put bowl of dough covered with tin foil on the seat.)

Grease 4 medium sized loaf tins (about 225 x 125 x 100 mm) or 3 larger tins (about 300 x 125 x 100 mm) well with margarine or tin glide. Knead down the dough lightly and pinch off golf ball sized portions of dough (about 40 g per portion for a neat rusk). Pack the balls tightly together in the tins.
Place the tins uncovered in a very mildly warm protected spot and allow to rise until the tins are completely full.
Bake at 160°C for 35-40 minutes or until light golden brown and thoroughly baked if tested with a metal skewer. If the rusks tend to brown too quickly too soon or too much, cover loosely with foil and lower the temperature of the oven slightly.
Turn out on cooling rack. The base of the rusks should be light golden and the sides firm. If still too pale and soft, return to the tins and bake for a short while longer.
Cool completely, at least an hour.
Turn over the loaf and break the rusks apart from the base to the top. Pack onto oven pans or baking trays for drying allowing sufficient space between for circulation of air.
Place the oven pans or trays in the oven and use a wooden spoon to keep the door slightly open to allow moisture to escape.
Dry out at 60-70°C for 6-8 hours or until completely dry but not browned.
Cool and store in airtight containers.

Freezing:
Loaves may be frozen if necessary and thawed and dried out when convenient.
Variations:
For snow white rusks omit the eggs.
If bran rich rusks are required add 250 ml digestive bran to the liquid before adding the flour. Increase the salt to 17,5 mg and the sugar to 120 g / 150 ml. Add 50 ml sunflower seeds for a nutty flavour.
Note’s:
I buy aniseed in 250 g packet at baking supply shop.
I had a small amount of dough left over so baked a few mini loaves in my LG Solardom convection oven for 14 minutes at 160°C after preheating.
I doubled the recipe to make 2 oven trays (370 x 270 x 60 mm) and had a bit of extra dough to make mini loaves.
Photo 3:
Proofing was perfect. Ek kan mooi broodjies bak
I used this recipe as I will be cutting the loaves into fingers to dry for rusks.