Poppy seed rusks

Mix the cake flour, salt, instant yeast and poppy seeds together. Mix the butter and condensed milk and add to the dry ingredients. Add just enough lukewarm water and mix to form a soft dough that is easy to knead. Knead for about 10-15 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased dish and cover. Leave in a warm place to rise until double in volume. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 ºC and spray a few loaf tins with non-stick spray or butter lightly. Gently punch down the proven dough and shape into small balls. Arrange in the prepared loaf tins, cover and leave to rise again. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180 ºC and bake for another 35-40 minutes until done. Cover the tins with aluminium foil if the rusks become too brown. Turn the rusks out onto a cloth and cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 100 ºC. Break the rusks into smaller pieces and arrange on baking sheets. Dry out at 100 ºC for about 3 hours. Cool before storing in airtight containers.
Makes 140 rusks.