Paximathia

Main

Ingredients

• 250g butter
• 1kg all purpose flour
• 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs, beaten in a small bowl
• 1 tablespoon crushed aniseed
• 2 cups sesame seeds

Method

1. The night before you plan to bake Paximathia, leave butter out of the fridge so it reaches room temperature
2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius on bake (not fan bake)
3. In a large bowl, add flour. Leave a handful aside for later
4. Massage the butter into the flour using your fingertips to quickly and lightly combine it together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. When the mixture is consistent with no large clumps, push it through a sieve to achieve a light, fluffy flour-butter mixture. This extra step helps to prevent any butter clumps from creating holes in the biscuits when cooked
5. Add baking powder, sugar, milk and egg into the bowl and mix together with a fork. Sprinkle in the crushed aniseed, leaving a handful aside for later. Add more flour if it feels too wet, only adding a small amount each time until well mixed and not too sticky. Do not add any additional liquids as this can ruin the integrity of the dough
6. When it's too tough to mix with a fork, fold the mixture into itself to form a rough ball. Place on a floured surface and knead until well combined
7. In a pot, boil the sesame seeds with just enough water to cover them. After the water comes to a boil, take it off the heat and let them sit for a few minutes. This is not to cook the seeds but to allow them to absorb enough water so they can stick to the dough
8. Drain the water from the pot and lay the sesame seeds down on a dry towel. Sprinkle in a small handful of crushed aniseed, then mix well with your fingers
9. Cut the dough into 50 pieces and roll each piece into a ball (about the size of a walnut). Using your hands, gently roll the balls of dough into sticks about 25cm in length and to about the 2cm thickness. Cut them half and round out the ends
10. When you have all your sticks, gently roll them in the sesame and aniseed mix. To make sure the seeds don’t fall off while baking, roll the sticks a few times on a tea towel to ensure they’re properly adhered
11. Place the sticks on a baking paper lined tray, being careful not to let the biscuits touch. First, place the tray on the bottom rack of the oven. This is to get them firm at the bottom, and should only take a few minutes. When lightly browned on the bottom, move the tray to the top rack, watching for the colour to turn a nice golden brown. Keep rotating the trays as more sticks are ready. They require constant watching to make sure they don’t burn. When they are cooked through and a golden brown colour they are ready
12. Serve with Greek coffee or tea