While SAffas love to buy and enjoy the well known Ouma''s Rusks (who doesn''t like to ''dip ''n Ouma?'') there''s something a bit special about home made rusks. For those not in the know, rusks are kind of like biscotti, and a much loved South African treat.
Buttermilk Rusk Recipe
To Buy
- 4 lbs Flour
- 25 ml Baking Soda
- 50 ml Cream of Tartar
- 10 ml Salt
- 500 grams Butter or Margarine (cold)
- 250 ml Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 500 to 750 ml Buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp Aniseed (optional)
To Make
- Sift the baking soda, cream of tartar and 1 cup of flour together (repeat 3 times).
- Sift all the dry ingredients together. If you are using aniseed, add it too and mix well.
- Grate the butter into the mixture and rub (to mix) through with fingers.
- Beat the eggs, add the buttermilk, mix and then add to flour mixture. Mix together so that mixture is little runny, but still can be kneed. Kneed lightly until all ingredients are mixed well.
- Make little balls (slightly bigger than a golfball) with mixture and place them (touching) into a greased breadpan.
- Bake for 25 - 30 minutes in the oven at a temperature of 400 °F.
- When your rusks have cooled slightly, break (or cut) them into pieces and dry overnight in a cool oven by placing the rusks directly on the oven grills. (Set the oven on "Warm" only and keep the oven door slightly open by wedging a teaspoon into the door at the top.)
Tips for even better rusks
- More or less sugar can be used, or can even be totally left out - if needed.
- If more rough rusks are desired, replace half of the flour with wheat flour.
- The butter or margarine can also be melted and then mixed with the egg and buttermilk mixture (it creates a finer texture).
- The flour, baking soda and creme or tartar can also be replaced by Self Raising Flour.