Recipes
Slam dunk: How to make homemade rusks, regular or gluten-free
Chilly mornings need something warm to lure one out of bed. And there’s nothing nicer than a cup of coffee and a homemade rusk or two, or even three
EASY HEALTHY RUSKS
Makes: 40-50 rusks
Method:
1kg self-raising flour
5ml (1 tsp) salt
15ml (1 tbsp) baking powder
125g digestive bran (found on supermarket shelves alongside the flour)
200g bran cereal
250ml (1 cup) light brown sugar
100g pecan nuts, chopped
125ml (½ cup) desiccated coconut or coconut flakes, optional
125ml (½ cup) mixed seeds, optional
125ml (½ cup) raisins or dried cranberries, optional
500g butter
2 extra-large eggs
500ml (2 cups) buttermilk
Method:
- Place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
- Melt the butter and combine with the eggs and buttermilk.
- Add this to the dry ingredients and mix to form a stiff dough.
- Press the dough into a 40x30x5cm deep oven pan sprayed with cooking spray and bake in a preheated oven of 160°C for 1 hour.
- Remove and cool.
- Cut into pieces, place on a baking sheet and return to the oven at 70°C to dry out for a couple of hours.
GLUTEN-FREE RUSKS
This recipe comes from 'The South African Gluten-Free Cookbook' by Jenny Kay.
Makes: 50-60 rusks
Ingredients:
1kg (4 cups) gluten-free flour mix - use readymade gluten-free flour or see recipe below to make your own
250g butter, cubed
375ml (1½ cups) brown sugar
250ml (1 cup) desiccated coconut
100g ground almonds
100g sesame seeds
60ml (4 tbsp) psyllium husks
20ml (4 tsp) baking powder
5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
5ml (1 tsp) salt
500ml (2 cups) full-cream yoghurt
4 large eggs
Method:
- Place the gluten-free flour into a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugar, coconut, ground almonds, sesame seeds, psyllium husks, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Mix well.
- Combine the yoghurt and eggs in a separate bowl and mix well.
- Add to the dry ingredients and mix to form a stiff batter.
- Spoon the batter into a greased 30x40cm baking traying tray. Use wet hands to smooth the top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tray, then turn out and cut into fingers.
- Place the rusks on a clean baking tray. Dry the rusks in a 50°C oven for 6-8 hours.
GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR RECIPE
Ingredients:
500g white rice flour
350g brown rice flour
200g potato starch
50ml (30g) fat-free milk powder
10ml (2 tsp) xanthan gum
Method:
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and use a wire whisk to blend well.
- Store in an airtight container and use as necessary.