South African Rusks: A Delicious snack or breakfast

Rusks, or ‘beskuit’ in Afrikaans, form a huge part of South African tradition and are almost always found in the pantry of any South African household.

Rusks are a type of ‘cookie’ that is dehydrated (twice baked in the oven) until crunchy, similar to the Italian Biscotti.

In the past, rusks were originally a way of preserving bread, especially when travelling long distances without refrigeration.

Today, however, they are a delicious snack or breakfast staple for South Africans.

Overview of ingredients

Print Recipe

South African Rusks

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time8 hours hrs

Total Time9 hours hrs

Course: Savory

Cuisine: South African

Servings: 40 rusks

Author: Samantha

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

• 500 gram butter
• 500 ml buttermilk If you don't have buttermilk, it's easy to make yourself. Just add 2 TBS lemon juice to 500 ml milk.
• 3 tsp vanilla essence 3 tsp = 15 ml

Dry Ingredients

• 1 kg Self Rising Flour
• 3 cups All Bran Flakes crush the flakes in a grinder or with a big wooden spoon
• 1 cup Brown sugar substitute: honey / maple syrup
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1½ cups Pecan nuts Or add any type of nut that you prefer. Cranberries, walnuts, sesame seeds work great also.
• 1 TBL Cinnamon *optional

Instructions

Wet Ingredients

• Melt the butter with the buttermilk on the stovetop. Do not allow to boil. Add vanilla essence and whisk vigorously for 1 or 2 minutes.
  
• Allow 15-20 minutes for the mixture to cool. While the mixture is cooling, start working on the dry ingredients.

Dry Ingredients

• Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  

Wet + Dry ingredients

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F)
• Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. You can mix by hand (more work but doable!) or with a large stand mixer.
  
• Make sure all ingredients are well incorporated and that a smooth dough forms.
• Place the dough mixture in a baking tray.
  
• Bake at 180 °C / 350 °F for 40 – 50 minutes.
• After 40 minutes, remove rusks from oven and allow them around 30 minutes to cool.
• Slice the rusks and return to the baking tray (I found it easier to use two baking trays and to lay the rusks flat for best drying).
  
• Turn the oven down to 170 °F (80 – 100°C)
• Allow to dry out for 6-8 hours.
• Enjoy your rusks dipped in coffee or tea!
  

Notes

Once rusks are completely cooled, store in a airtight container at room temperature. Rusks stay fresh for 1 month.