Rusks in South Africa are part of the cultural identity – one of the things
that exiles in a foreign land long for. Children are brought up on Rooibos tea
(a herbal bush tea) and rusks. These aren’t the pallid soggy affairs that pass
for rusks in the UK - Farleys rusks given to teething infants and guaranteed to
coat your entire house with a paste of gooey gloop. South African rusks are of
a texture somewhere between bread and cake, with extra bits of raisin or nuts,
baked hard so that they must be dunked in tea or else gnawed slowly. They last
a long time in an airtight tin, so are baked in big batches but even so they
don’t last long in our house.
As an Englishwoman married to a South African living in London, I came across
rusks on our visits to his family and was instantly converted. ‘Ouma’s Rusks’
are the famous ones that come in several varieties and we always came home with
a few packs in our suitcase. On a longer visit in a cottage in Philadelphia,
near Cape Town, I found a recipe to bake my own rusks, tried it and have been
baking them every two weeks pretty much ever since.
When our son was a toddler waking at 5.30 every morning, the only thing that
made the morning bearable was the thought of tea and rusks. Our son started off
on them early and our sofa became a nest of cushions and crumbs. The first
thing he ever helped bake was rusks and I always had my patience tried, as the
mix became the scene of excavations with diggers or a castle with a moat. The girls
also joined in when they were old enough, so for a time I had three children
all wrestling to get their hands in the dough. Now the youngest is adept at
making balls the right size and I have a band of useful helpers. So rusks have
become part of our family culture too, my children may have missed out on the
rooibos tea tradition – (I love it, they hate it) but at least they were
brought up properly as regards rusks!
Several friends in London were smitten, asked for the recipe and started baking
and it has since been dispersed as far afield as Pakistan and the USA.
The recipe:
South African Buttermilk Rusks
1.240kg / 2lb12oz flour (I use 1kg wholemeal and the rest white)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoons of salt
250g / 9oz butter
½ cup raisins (optional)
2 eggs
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup oil
(1 cup=250ml)
Preheat the oven to 190C/380F
Grease three loaf tins of base measurement 20cmx10cm / 8”x 4” approx or any
combination of deep baking dish that adds up to about the same.
In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of
soda, cream of tartar and salt. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into
the flour. Add the raisins if you are using them. You can experiment with
various nuts and seeds as well, though the rusks are equally good plain.
In another bowl mix together the buttermilk, sugar, eggs and oil and beat until
well combined. Stir liquid into dry ingredients and mix then knead to a firm
dough.
Form the dough into balls about the size of a ping-pong ball and pack them
tightly in one layer into the loaf tins. I usually get six rows of three into
each of my tins. Bake for 45 minutes.
Turn out onto a rack and leave to cool for 30 minutes before breaking up into
individual rusks along the joins of the balls. Dry in a low oven 100C/200F for
4-5 hours until the centre is completely dry. These can be kept for ages in an
airtight container.
Warning: crumbs guaranteed on the sofa, in the bed, over the carpet and the car
seats!
Copyright 2006 Kit Heathcock
About the Author: Kit Heathcock - worked and travelled in
Italy for many years, is passionate about food and loves being a fulltime
mother. Co-creator of A
Flower Gallery home of original flower pictures and Food and Family!
For hundreds of years the aloe plant has been known
for its amazing properties. Today this knowledge has
been harnessed into a range of Wellness and Skin care
products that are created from this "lily of the desert".
The soothing and .....
Featured Article
* = required field