Ingredients :

4 lb All Purpose flour (2 kg)
1/2 lb Butter (250 g)
1 lb Sugar (500 g)
1/4 oz aniseed (7 g)
1 Pint must (600 ml)
1 Pint warm milk (600 ml)
1 Tbs salt (or less according to taste)

To make the raisin must :

Mince 1 oz (30 g) raisins finely and put them in a preserve jar with a pint of warm water. Stand in a warm place until it ferments – that is, when the raisins rise to the top. It takes about 3 – 4 days.

To make the Must Buns :

Take 1/3 of the flour, place in mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the must and mix to a soft sponge. Cover closely and leave in a warm place to rise for about 8 hours. Melt the butter in the warm milk and leave until lukewarm. Add the liquid and the rest of the flour and salt to the sponge and knead it well. The dough must feel firm to the touch. Allow to rise overnight after covering it very warmly – a chill is fatal! Next day it should’ve doubled. Add the sugar and aniseed and knead again very thoroughly – the more you knead the lighter the buns will be. Make into buns of a uniform size and a long roll shape. Stand them on end and pack very closely together in the baking tin so that they will rise high and not wide. Leave to rise to double their size, brush the tops with beaten egg and milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 325 F (160 C) for an hour till golden brown and cooked through in the middle.

To make Must Rusks (to dunk in coffee) :

When the buns are cold, either break them in halves lengthwise or across and dry them in a warm oven (lowest temperature) turning frequently. This can take overnight – leave the oven door open when you go to bed. The rusks should be thoroughly dried out to the centre and have an even golden colour. They should be broken, not cut, to give them the traditional feathery appearance.