Sesame Koulourakia (Biscuits)

This is a kind of biscuit made in Greece with baking ammonia - I believe you can find this in drugstores in North America. Light and high-rising, not too sweet. A rather 'plain' kind of biscuit that is well-suited for dunking in coffee or tea. The number of biscuits I mention is arbitrary. It really depends on the shapes you're making and how large or small you make them.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Yields: 6 dozen

Ingredients

• 12  ounces butter, softened
• 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
• 4  eggs
• 1  cup milk, lukewarm (8 oz)
• 2  teaspoons  baking ammonia
• 2  lbs flour, sifted, and a bit extra
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 1  tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1⁄4 cups sesame seeds (315 gr = 12 oz)

Directions

1. Cream butter with sugar until fluffy and quite pale-coloured (about 5-6 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time. Dissolve baking ammonia in the milk and add milk to the butter/egg mixture.
2. Add the flour, baking powder and vanilla and mix until you have a pliable dough that doesn't stick to the sides of the mixing bowl (you may need to add a bit more flour as this recipe is from metric and actually calls for a kilo of flour which equals 2.2 lbs).
3. Shape the dough into whatever shapes you desire. In Greece, we shape it into rings, snails, Ss, braids - you are only limited by your imagination. Do try to keep the shape down to a size that will comfortably fit into your coffee cup for dunking though - and remember - they'll puff up in baking. Brush shapes with water and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds. Place on greased cookie sheets, or parchment-lined cookie sheets, or silpat.
4. Bake in a preheated 375F (180C) oven for 15-20 moinutes, or until golden-brown.
5. Store in an airtight container.
6. Note: If you can find a 'soft' flour, suited for pastry-making, you'll have a more authentic koulouraki.