DINNER IN 320 MINUTES
PANTRY-FRIENDLY
1
Step 1
Heat the oven to 180°C and grease a 20 x 30 cm deep baking tin.
DINNER IN 320 MINUTES
PANTRY-FRIENDLY
BREAKFAST
Buttermilk Rusks
Homemade South African buttermilk rusks, baked then dried slowly until crisp for dunking in coffee or tea. Makes about 40.
Total time320 min
YieldServes 40
DietVegetarian
Shopping6 ingredients
DifficultyEasy
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Everything you need, in order.
Check ingredients as you gather them, then work through 5 calm, clearly numbered steps.
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Ingredients
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Method
5 steps · about 320 minutes total
2
Step 2
Mix the flour, salt and sugar. Whisk the melted butter, buttermilk and egg together and stir into the dry ingredients to make a soft dough.
3
Step 3
Press the dough into the tin and score it into fingers about 3 x 8 cm with a knife.
4
Step 4
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then break or cut along the lines into rusks.
5
Step 5
Lay the rusks on oven racks and dry them in the oven at 80 to 100°C, with the door slightly open, for four to five hours or overnight, until completely dry and crisp.
Before you serve
Cooking notes & good-to-know answers.
Small details for confident timing, useful swaps, and safer leftovers.
Cooking notes
Rusks must be completely dry to keep; any moisture left makes them go mouldy.
Store in an airtight container for up to a month.
Add 100 g raisins or seeds to the dough for variety.
Good to know
Slow drying at a low temperature removes all the moisture, which makes rusks crisp and lets them keep for weeks.
Yes. Add 4 tsp baking powder to 1 kg cake flour.
Replace a quarter of the flour with oats and add 100 g seeds and 100 g dried fruit.
About this recipe
Rusks, or beskuit, are a South African staple: a lightly sweet bread baked and then slowly dried until hard, made for dunking in a morning coffee or rooibos.
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