1. If you do not use buttermilk, mix the milk and vinegar and let it stand for 10 minutes.
2. Add the oil and sugar to the buttermilk and set aside.
3. Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and blend until well mixed.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet mixture, and mix thoroughly until no flour or dry spots are visible. I use a spatula to mix and scrape the excess from the side of the bowl.
5. Should you wish to mix it by hand, you should put a little oil on your hands, otherwise, it can become rather sticky.
6. Spray a pan with spray and cook, transfer the mixture to the pan, and flatten the dough with your oiled hands.
7. Mark out the size of the rusks by cutting through the dough.

Notes:

• I have a rusk pan with a cutter, so this ensures that I always have evenly sized rusks (60 pieces per pan), but I have done it by hand for many years.
• I spray the cutter with spray and cook, and press through the dough before baking, and never had any issues with it.
• Bake for 18 – 20 minutes at 400ºF (200ºC), until it has a nice brown baked color, or when inserting a baking pin to test for doneness, it should come out clean.
• Remove the pan from the oven and leave it on the counter until cooled down.
• Remove the rusks from the pan, place them on a cooling rack that’ll fit in a baking tray.
• Dry the rusks overnight at 190ºF (85ºC) or until they’re properly dried out (± 5 – 6 hours).
• Let the rusks cool down and store them in an airtight container or pack them in zip-lock bags and enjoy.

When I bake this, I usually prepare the recipe 4 to 6 times (so you will mix the above ingredients 4 or 6 times, separately) on the same day to ensure that we have lots to go around.
I store the rusks in an airtight container, you will have lots of yummy rusks for a long time.
I usually do half of them with pumpkin and the other half with sunflower seeds.
Each 8-cup mixture fits into my rusk pan.
Yes, the amount of baking powder is correct. I have tested it over and over, and 90 ml works the best.
Buttermilk – You can make this the standard way or veganize it with vegan milk and vinegar, as you wish.