Digestives, Rich Tea or HobNobs, nothing accompanies my cup of tea quite like a good old biscuit.
Being of English descent, McVities was once my sole provider when it came to baked plunging materials.
Oh, how things have changed…
Since stepping onto African soil my comprehension of a rusk has changed somewhat.
A rusk, in my naïve British mind was a biscuit for toddlers to gnaw on, a mere teething aid.
Although, Farley’s rusks are infact sometimes eaten by those over the age of two, rusks as us Brits know them, are nowhere near the phenomenon they seem to be over here in sunny South Africa.
Necessity, they say is the mother of invention and necessity, it seems is why the voortrekkers first devised the almighty rusk.
The Voortrekkers were Afrikaner pioneers that moved from the British Cape Colony to the interior of South Africa during the 1830’s and1840's. The ox-wagon and horse were their only means of transport and thus few provisions were taken along on lengthy journeys.
These nifty pioneers and explorers needed foods, which would not spoil on their voyages, and so they took dried rusks "beskuit” and biltong to munch on to sustain them. These humble twice-baked biscuits were yielded in a time of constraint and have advanced and evolved their way into every kitchen this side of Egypt. Bran Rusks, Health Rusks, Buttermilk Rusks, with or without seeds, fruit, nuts or aniseed, you name it - they’ve made it…
There is a rusk out there for everyone and although no rusk I have ever tried surpasses Reynette’s Zimbabwean Growwe Beskuits, I thought I would make a batch with some poppy seeds… rather apt, don’t you think?
700g butter (or margarine)
500ml buttermilk or maas
400g (500ml) sugar
4 eggs
1.5 kg self-raising flour
25ml baking powder
7ml salt
300g box All-Bran flakes
poppy seeds (substitute for or add raisins, seeds, muesli or nuts)
Melt butter and mix in a large bowl with buttermilk and sugar, beat in your eggs.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a separate - possibly even larger bowl, stir in bran flakes and poppy seeds.
Combine your dry ingredients and wet ingredients, stir well and make sure your mixture is fully combined.
Shape into balls and pack into two greased oven pans.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 ° for 50 minutes or so. Turn out onto a drying rack to cool slightly and break open whilst still warm. Cut into smaller rusks when cool if you want smaller biscuits but make sure they are cool or else you will end up with a tin full of crumbs as they do fall apart when just baked.
Dry out in the oven overnight at its lowest temperature. Store in airtight containers or tins.
The only way to eat a rusk is dunked into a steaming hot cup of tea or coffee, so go on, put the kettle on won't ya?
