Easy Zwieback

My sister, MarieAnne, makes these buns and serves them with lunch or dinner. These classic little Mennonite buns often appeared on my mother's table for Faspa, the typical tea-coffee-and-savoury supper that we served to guests on a Sunday afternoon. Very versatile, Zwieback go well with soup, cold cuts, and pickles, or with jam and jelly as a little dessert after a meal. When they are a few days old, they can be sliced, toasted and served hot with fresh butter. This recipe is in the From Oma's Kitchen Cookbook.

9 cups/2.25 L flour

1 cup/250 ml butter

4 cups/1 L warmed milk

½ cup/125 ml warm water

1 tsp/5 ml sugar

2 Tbsp/30 ml yeast (heaping)

1 Tbsp/15 ml salt (heaping)

1 Tbsp/15 ml lemon juice

1 cup/250 ml flour (for kneading)

With a pastry blender, cut butter into 9 cups/2.25 L flour. Soften yeast in warm water and sugar. (When using Quick Rising Yeast, add directly to flour.) Add salt to warm milk and mix yeast and milk into flour. Combine and let dough rest 15 to 20 minutes. Knead dough until smooth. Let rise to double. Form into balls and place on cookie sheets covered with parchment. Make the second ball small than the first and press down onto the first – press the two together. Let rise to double. Bake in a hot oven at 400ºF/200ºC for 20 minutes.