Breakfast Rusks

As South Africans, we are proud of these little coffee-dipping “breads”. Rusks are a much-loved national favourite and a true cornerstone of our food culture. Originally Afrikaans, South African rusks have their roots in our colonial Dutch heritage. The Afrikaans word beskuit comes from the French biscuit, meaning “twice baked”, a fitting description of how rusks are made. For generations, rusks have been valued as a hardy, long-lasting food, traditionally prepared with little more than flour and water, making them ideal for long sea voyages and wagon trails. For this batch, I used my base buttermilk rusk recipe and added bran, rolled oats, sunflower seeds and cranberries. Once dried, they become hard and wonderfully crunchy, perfect for repeated dunking into early-morning coffee or a healthy cup of rooibos tea. The aroma alone instantly transports me back to my grandmother’s kitchen.

Breakfast Rusks

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 45 minutes and 6 hours drying time

Yield: 72

Ingredients:

1000 g All-purpose flour

423 g / 500ml / 2 cups White sugar

15ml / 3 tsp Baking Powder

5 ml Salt

174 g / 1 cup Bran flakes

90 g Oats

138 g Dried cranberries

125 g Sunflower seeds

500 g Margarine (melted)

500 ml Buttermilk

3 Eggs

60 ml Sunflower oil

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Method:

1.              Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

2.              Line a baking dish of approximately 25cm x 30cm with baking paper

3.              Stir all your dry ingredients until well combined.

4.              Add the dried cranberries and sunflower seeds and stir again.

5.              In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter with buttermilk, eggs and sunflower oil.

6.              Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir till just combined.

7.              Pour the batter into a lined baking tray and use a spoon to even it out nicely.

8.              Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

9.              Allow to cool. Slice it into strips, and then slice in the other direction to make fingers.

10.           Place the strips or fingers on a larger baking tray with space between them and bake for another 6 hours on a lower temperature about 100°C/210°F, turning them over after about 3 hours to even out the colour.

11.           Allow to cool and store dish in an airtight container.

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