Rusks with Chickpea Leaven is a traditional Cypriot recipe for a classic rusk-style biscuit (cookie) made from a durum wheat sponge leavened with a chickpea leaven that's formed into a bread, baked and then oven dried to form rusks. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Cypriot version of: Rusks with Chickpea Leaven.
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Ingredients:
For the Aromatic Brew:
6 bayleaves (fresh or dried)
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp anise seeds or fennel seeds
75g dried chickpeas
pinch of salt
2 tbsp durum wheat flour
4 whole cloves
1l water
For the Sponge:
140g durum wheat flour
For the Bread:
3 tbsp olive oil
210g durum wheat flour
140g strong white bread flour
2 tbsp sugar
3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
140g barley flour
120ml aromatic brew
1 tsp sesame seeds or 1/2 tsp nigella seeds
Method:
Rinse the chickpeas. Gently crumble the bayleaves into a saucepan. Pound the cinnamon stick in a mortar and add the pieces to a saucepan. Now add the anise seeds (or fennel seeds). Pour over the water, slowly bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Take off the heat, strain into a measuring jar and allow to cool to lukewarm.
Place the chickpeas in a mortar and pound to crush quite finely (but do not render to a powder). Place in a sterile 1l jar along with the salt and durum wheat flour. Pour over 360ml of the aromatic brew (made above [reserve the remaining aromatic brew]) then cover the jar and put in a warm place (an airing cupboard is ideal). Set aside until the mixture begins to ferment and foam (between 7 and 74 hours). The chickpea mix has to ferment, or you will have no yeast for your bread. When done, it should smell pleasing and slightly yeasty. If it's musty or smells bad then you have bacterial rather than yeast fermentation occurring. Discard the chickpea mix and start again with slightly fresher chickpeas.
When you have a successful fermentation, you can now make your sponge starter. Scrape the contents of the jar (liquid, chickpeas and any foam) into a mixing bowl. Add the barley flour and whisk for a few minutes then add the durum wheat and 120ml of the reserved aromatic brew and whisk or beat until foamy and thoroughly combined. Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place until the surface of the mixture begins to bubble (about 2 hours).
Scrape the sponge mix into a large bowl then work in the durum wheat flour and strong bread flour along with the olive oil and sugar. Work together until you have a dough then add the salt and cinnamon (if using). Knead the dough for about 15 minutes then add the barley flour alternately with the aromatic brew, a little at a time, until the ball of dough is fluffy and easily pulls away from the side of the bowl (this is when a small piece can be stretched without tearing).
Turn onto a floured work surface and knead the dough well for 10 minutes more. Divide the resultant dough in half. Using wet hands, shape each half into a rough, plump, round by tucking the rough edges under the loaf. Set aside to relax for 15 minutes.
Now wet your hands again and shape each piece of dough into a smooth, long, pan-shaped loaf before taking a sharp knife and cutting into 2.5cm thick slices. Stick these back together to make a loaf shape then transfer to greased loaf tins. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm (plastic wrap) or foil and set aside to rise until increased by 1/3 in size (about 90 minutes).
About 45 minutes before you are ready to bake, place a roasting tin in the base of an oven pre-heated to 220°C then lay baking stones, tiles or slates on the middle shelf. When the bread has risen, reduce the oven temperature to 200°C, pour water into the roasting tin to create steam. Brush the tops of the loaves with a little cold water and scatter sesame seeds or nigella seeds over the top. Place the loaf tins on the stone or tiles on the centre shelf.
Bake for 30 minutes then remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool (the bread will be about 3/4 done). Reduce the oven temperature to 120°C
When cool enough to handle, break the loaves into slices and arrange these in a single layer on baking trays. Place in the oven and continue baking until the slices are dried all the way through and pale golden in colour (about 2 hours).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely then store in air-tight tins or jars.
