Rusks are an something of an institution in South Africa, dating as far back as 1690 when bread was dried out to help preserve it on long trips – very long trips. Like the Great Trek. The Dutch have always had a good baking thing going, but with the advent of refrigeration and electric ovens, the art of rusk making has evolved since 1690. If you’re not familiar with rusks, think of it as a kind of chunky, double baked biscuit – just not as sweet.

Now I was never a big rusk fan, especially when it came to the boxed kind from the supermarket. These rusks get served up en masse at school or church camps to fill tummies. But these densely baked, sugary “beskuite” can attain a rock-like state of hardness, and can drop into your stomach like a mill stone even after being soaked in hot tea. But my view of rusks was redeemed whilst working in the ‘friendly city’ of Port Elizabeth – thanks to Shelley and her family.

Unlike me, Shelley is the sporty, energetic type. She took me under her wing and we spent many an active weekend at her mom & dad’s home at the coast. She would wake me up at 6am, drag me to the beach for an early swim or surf (I never managed the surfing part), and we would get back to the house dripping wet but energised and hungry, welcomed by an unlimited supply of her mom’s rusks, and a pot of freshly brewed coffee. Dunking just one rusk was never enough. I’m sure we’d finish the batch in a day or two, and then the next batch would miraculously and effortlessly appear from Mrs van Eeden’s cosy kitchen. I got so addicted, I had to ask for the recipe. And so, thank you Mrs van Eeden for this gift! The joy has been multiplied over and over again.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1kg bran rich self-raising flour OR 500g nutty wheat flour, 500g cake flour & 50ml baking powder (home-made version of the self-raising flour)
• A pinch of salt
• 2 cups brown sugar *
• 250g margarine or butter, room temperature **
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup linseed / flax seeds
• 500ml buttermilk
• 1 egg
• water (maybe 1/2 a cup)

* (I reduce this to 1.5 cups for a slightly healthier rusk!)

** (I like to use butter but it is twice the price of marge!)

METHOD:

1. Set your oven to 200 deg C / 400 deg F (conventional setting, not fan). Grease an oven roasting pan with a bit of fat (butter / margarine) using a piece of wax paper. My oven roasting pan is 37 x 24 x 5 cm but you could use a slightly different size.

2. Mix the flour, sugar, salt in your mixer with the flat mixing blade. Add your butter – which should be soft if at room temperature (otherwise put it in the microwave for half a minute on a low power setting.) I chop it into blocks before adding. Mix for a few minutes on medium speed until the dough resembles fine crumbs. Note that this step can also be done by hand – rubbing the butter into the flour mixture with fingers is a great, sensory-rich activity for the kids.

3. Add the seeds and continue to mix on a medium / low speed to distribute them throughout the dough.

4. Change your mixing blade to a dough hook. If you’re working with your hands get ready for some sticky fingers in this step! First make a well in the middle of the dough and add the buttermilk and lightly beaten egg. Mix with the dough hook on low / medium speed. You want to aim for a slightly sticky / sloppy mixture so fill the buttermilk container with a bit of water and add to the dough as you’re mixing it. I usually use 1/2 – 3/4 of a cup of water but don’t worry too much about the amount – just make sure the dough is not so stiff that you can’t transfer it into the pan!

5. Place the dough mixture in the well-buttered oven tray and spread it out.

6. Bake the rusk ‘cake’ for 30 minutes. Check to see it’s cooked through by poking a toothpick or thin knife into the centre. If it comes out clean with no sticky dough attached, it’s done! Leave to cool in the tray.

7. Loosen the edges from the pan with a knife, and cut lines through the baked rusk to get your preferred rusk size. I get about 7 lengths along by 5 lengths wide. Each of these portions are then cut into two, which gives me 70 rusks. They will crumble a bit so don’t make them too small or they’ll waste away (but the crumbs are delicious too!). Use a spatula to lift them out carefully, and slice them in half with a serrated knife. Arrange the individual rusks on a flat baking tray (the 70 rusks should fit on to a 90 cm tray plus your roasting pan, or 2 x 60 cm wide trays.) Put them in the oven overnight at just under 100 deg C / 200 deg F for 6-8 hours to dry out. You’ll love the smell of your kitchen when you get up the next morning!

8. Serve with a cup of hot tea or coffee and enjoy. Pictured here with a delicious cup of Bean There fair trade coffee. (Note Bean There is operating during lock-down and is offering free deliveries to major city centres in SA for purchases over R400! Click here to place your order.

These rusks are just the thing to dip into your cup of coffee in the morning. Not too sweet and a good amount of chewy crunch!