Versatile Rusks Recipes

FAVOURITE BUTTERMILK RUSKS

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt together. Rub in margarine with fingertips until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add sugar and aniseed.
• Whisk eggs and buttermilk together. Add to dry ingredients and mix well to a soft dough.
• Shape into balls and place into two greased 24 x 34 cm oven pans. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 °C for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 150 °C and continue baking for about 30 minutes.
• Turn out onto wire racks to cool slightly. Cut or break into pieces while still warm. Dry out in a cool oven at about 70 °C for 6 - 8 hours, or overnight. Store in an airtight container.

VERSATILE RUSKS

Steps:

• Melt margarine and beat with buttermilk until creamy.
• Mix dry ingredients well.
• Mix buttermilk mixture with dry ingredients.
• Adjust consistency of mixture with flour until it isn't sticky, but not dry.
• Divide mixture between two 30cm x 20cm baking trays.
• Bake at 180°C for 45 minutes.
• Cut into fingers (we like them about 2,5cm x 10cm).
• Place them on trays with space between them.
• Bake at 100°C for 2-3 hours to dry them out.
• Serve dipped in tea or coffee.
• Yummy!

GERMAN ZWIEBACK: RUSKS

Steps:

• Cream the yeast with 1/2 cup of the milk and 1 teaspoon of the sugar.
• Leave it in a warm place until foaming, about 15 minutes.
• Then add it to 2 cups of the flour.
• Mix thoroughly, gradually adding 2/3 cup of the remaining milk, to make a yeast sponge.
• Let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about one and one half hours.
• Stir into the sponge the egg yolks, remaining sugar, butter and the rest of the flour and milk.
• Blend the mixture into a dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it thoroughly for about 15 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
• Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.
• Shape the dough into three 12-inch cylindrical loaves.
• Sprinkle the tops with a few drops of tepid water.
• Place the loaves on buttered baking sheets, let them rise for about 45 minutes, then bake them in a preheated 400 F.
• oven for 50 minutes, or until light brown.
• The next day, cut the loaves into thin slices with a very sharp knife.
• Place the slices on buttered baking sheets and bake them in a preheated 325 F.
• oven for 30 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes.
• When finished, they should be dry and evenly browned.
• Elek Magyar.
• Kochbuch Fur Feinschmecker.

SOUTH AFRICAN RUSKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the dry ingredients.
• Combine all the wet ingredients, pour them into the dry ingredients, and stir until you have a soft dough, similar to biscuit dough.
• Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and roll or pat it to about a 1/2 inch thickness.
• Cut the dough into rectangles about 2 by 4 inches.
• Bake the rusks about 2 inches apart on buttered baking sheet for about 25 minutes until the tops are crisping and browning a little.
• Loosely pile the rusks on a baking sheet and keep them in a 200 degree oven all day or all night (about 12 hours) to dry.
• The finished rusks should be very dry and hard.
• Cool and store in an airtight container.
• Rusks will keep for weeks.
• Variations Oatmeal-Raisin Rusks: Reduce the white flour to 1 1/2 cups and add 2 cups rolled oats and 1/2 cup currants or chopped raisins.
• Almond Rusks: Add 1 cup chopped almonds and omit the cinnamon.
• Peanut Rusks: Add 1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts.

WHOLE WHEAT BUTTERMILK RUSKS

Steps:

• Mix flour, baking powder and sugar.
• Melt margarine and beat in buttermilk until creamy.
• Add to dry ingredients and mix well.
• Press into greased baking sheet, pressing until it reaches all the edges and corners.
• Bake at 180°C for 45 minutes.
• Cut into fingers and spread out onto 2 baking trays.
• Dry in a 100°C oven for 1 1/2-2 hours.
• YUM!

BUTTERMILK RUSKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease cake pans. You can use 9x13-inch pans, round cake pans, or loaf pans.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and mix in sugar, buttermilk, and eggs.
• Combine self-rising flour, granola, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Batter will be sloppy. Divide into thirds, and then divide each third into small balls. Place into the prepared cake pans side by side.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cooked fully through, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and gently place on baking sheets.
• Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Bake rusks on low temperature until dry and crunchy, 2 to 3 hours. Depending on the size of your rusks this can take several hours.