1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar*

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk, or 1/2 cup milk plus about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Mill together:
    550 grams soft wheat
    50 grams short grain brown rice
  1 small stick cinnamon, crumbled
  1/2 teaspoon mahleb seeds
  1 inch vanilla bean, cut into 1/8 inch pieces

OR (if you don't mill your own wheat) substitute 31/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour plus 1/2 cup rice flour OR 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
PLUS 1 teaspoon ground mahleb PLUS 2 teaspoons cinnamon PLUS 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (add with the eggs)

1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup toasted pecans (no need to chop them--the mixing will break some up a bit)

Whisk together the flours, additional spices if not milled in, salt and soda.

Cream the butter and sugar together.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla (if using vanilla extract).

Stir in the flour mixture, and the nuts.  Mix until just holding together smoothly.  It should be a relatively stiff dough.

Form the dough into logs, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches across, 1/2 inch high, and as long as your baking sheet is wide.  Bake 40 minutes, then remove from oven and turn the oven temp down to 300°F. 

Transfer each log carefully to a heat-resistant cutting board, and slice 1/2 inch thick (a really sharp serrated knife & careful technique helps to minimize the crumbling as you slice).  Return to the oven laying flat for another 20  minutes, remove to a cooling rack, and let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container.