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Buttermilk rusks (beskuit)
Twice-baked South African rusks, crunchy and made for dunking in coffee or rooibos
Beskuit grew out of the Voortrekker need for bread that kept on long ox-wagon journeys; today a tin of rusks sits next to the kettle in homes from the Karoo to Pretoria, and they are dunked in early-morning coffee or rooibos. A soft buttermilk dough is baked as a loaf, cut into fingers and then dried in a low oven for hours until rock hard and crunchy. Chef's tip: dry the rusks slowly at a very low heat with the oven door slightly open; they should dry out completely, not brown further.
- Total time
- 300 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Grease and line two loaf tins or a 25 × 35 cm deep baking tin.
Step 2: Mix 2 ¼ lb self-raising flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt and 7 oz caster sugar in a large bowl.
Step 3: Whisk 9 oz butter, 2 cups buttermilk and 1 egg together, pour into the flour and mix to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Don't knead it; just mix until no dry flour remains.
Step 4: Shape into small balls and pack them tightly side by side in the tin, or press the dough in evenly.
Step 5: Bake until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.
50 minStep 6: Turn out and leave to cool for 30 minutes, then break into balls or cut into fingers about 2.5 cm thick.
Step 7: Lay them on baking trays, turn the oven down to 176°F and dry, with the door wedged slightly open with a wooden spoon, until completely dry and crunchy all the way through.
230 minStep 8: A common mistake is drying at too high a heat: the outsides brown and the centres stay soft and go mouldy in the tin. Cool fully and store airtight for up to 3 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 29 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does buttermilk rusks (beskuit) take?
- About 300 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 280 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of self-raising flour?
- Plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder per 150g (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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