traditional paximadia / rusks

I’m not sure what you write about a rusk. On its own it’s not the most interesting of food items. It’s hard, dry, it will cut the roof of your mouth to shreds if not softened with oil or water first. Not really all that great, right?

Wrong.

Granted by itself it’s nothing to fuss over, but we haven’t even begun to discuss the possibilities when it’s not!

I like to drench mine in olive oil & drizzle honey over it in the mornings. Or a little garlic oil, salt, pepper & tomato as a snack.

We have one dish here in Greece called ‘dakos’ where it’s covered in finely chopped tomatoes, herbs, salt pepper & then loaded with katiki cheese. Divine.

The reason I'm sharing this basic recipe is because I have something in mind that I really want to share. I can’t remember the last time I saw a gluten-free rusk around though so I needed to create a recipe for that before I could create an even better recipe for you later.

Don’t underestimate the rusk though. It may be simple & uninteresting at first glance, but it’s a solid staple in our household & indeed many other households in Greece.

Also, don’t confuse it for a biscotti. That’s not what it is. The two are nothing alike.

Ingredients: – 2 tbs honey – 325ml warm water – 2 tbs instant yeast ————————- – 2 tsp salt – 160g gluten-free oat flour – 160g buckwheat flour – 80g corn flour (the flour, not the starch) – 320g gluten-free white flour blend – 3 tsp xanthan gum ————————- – 125ml olive oil – 125ml dry red wine – 125ml port

Directions: 1. combine the honey, warm water & yeast together, give it a good stir & allow it to sit & proof for 10 minutes. 2. In the bowl of your stand mixer add all of the dry ingredients & make a well in the centre. Fit your mixer with a dough hook. 3. add the olive oil, red wine & port to the yeast mixture, stir it thoroughly & then pour the mix into the well formed in the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer on to low speed & allow it to work until the dough forms, comes together & stops sticking to the sides of the bowl. If needed, add another tbs of flour to the mix. 4. Once the dough has formed, turn the mixer off, remove the bowl & cover with a towel. Allow the dough to rise for an hour & a half. 5. once the dough has risen, kneed it & divide the dough evenly into 8 balls. The balls can either be flattened slightly & baked as is, or rolled into logs & twisted round on themselves. 6. preheat the oven to 210C. Insert the dough into the oven on the centre rack & turn the heat down to 190C. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. 7. remove the rolls from the oven & allow to cool for 10 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 80C & put it on air setting if you have it. Cut each roll in half lengthwise & put it back into the oven on the centre rack again for 2 to 3 hours (until it has completely dried out). 8. remove & allow to cool before eating. Your rusks can be stored in an air tight container for a month.

Machinery:

Electric Scale - Etekcity - http://amzn.to/2xkKpQk

Stand Mixer - Kenwood - http://amzn.to/2yqXPiH

Silicone Spatula - Zyliss - http://amzn.to/2y3Srkw

Buckwheat Flour - Anthony’s Organic - http://amzn.to/2xjRS6T

Active Dry Yeast - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2gcC2R4 Oat Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2fNUuyZ

White Flour GF - Dove's Farm - http://amzn.to/2z1b5I1​

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#oatflour #buckwheatflour #yeast #honey