These Buttermilk Bran Rusks may be my new favorite rusk recipe. A little healthier with all bran flakes and whole grains. Perfect for filling in biscuit tins and keeping on hand for dipping in tea or coffee.
Rusks are traditional South African twice baked sweets. They are one of the things people miss the most when they migrate. Over the years, I’ve had so many foreign readers tell me how much they love and miss rusks.
What better way to celebrate our heritage month than with a rusk recipe? All of my rusk recipes have been hugely popular on my blog over the past decade. They are all here:
Oat and Raisin Muesli Rusk
Classic Buttermilk Rusk Recipe
Most rusk recipes make large batches. If you’re going to do your best to dry in the oven for 4 hours, you’d better make a large batch.
Buttermilk rusks contain very few ingredients. Buttermilk and butter tie it all together. You can add half a cup of sunflower or chia seeds to this recipe if you like.
For this recipe, I used Kellygold Butter, Ireland’s top quality butter brand. Butter is made from the milk of grass-fed, free-roaming cows. Creamy and delicious, it’s the perfect accompaniment to a buttermilk bran rusk. Kelly Gold products do not contain any artificial additives and are made with only natural ingredients.
How to make Buttermilk Bran Rusk:
- The standard rusk has a hard texture, so it is recommended to make it by hand.
- Mix the dry ingredients together so the baking powder mixes well.Then add the wet ingredients.
- Add wet ingredients together and mix until combined.
- Bake the rusks in a medium oven for 30 minutes, let cool before cutting.
- Once the rusks are cut, they are placed on a large paper-lined baking tray and dried on a low heat.
I tested 3 recipes last week and made a total of 5 batches of rusks. For thicker rusks, bake them at 160°C for a little longer to prevent them from burning. Cover the rusks with foil for the last 10-15 minutes to prevent them from over browning.
Do not let the rusks dry in the oven overnight. Too long and unnecessary. Drying them at 90C-100C for 4-5 hours (fan forced if possible) will do the trick.
Recipe – Makes 1 Large Tray – Doubles to Make Large Batch
buttermilk bran rusk
My best light texture buttermilk bran rusk. A South African classic.
- Preparation time: 20
- Cooking time: 30 minutes + 4 hours drying
- total time: 6 hours
- yield: 1 platter
- Category: tea time
- Method: baking
- cooking: South Africa
200plain flour (or all-purpose flour) grams (1½ cups)
200whole grains grams (1 ½ cups)
4 teaspoons Baking powder
150gms (1 ½ cup) all bran flakes (lightly crushed)
200gms sugar (3/4 cup)
250gms salted kelly gold butter
250ml (1 cup) buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
Put the cake flour and baking powder in a large bowl and mix with a whisk. Add all bran and sugar and mix.
Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Add this to the dry ingredients along with the buttermilk and vanilla.
Line the largest side of a baking (or small roasting) dish with baking paper. A 28cm x 20cm dish or similar rectangular dish works well here. Spread the mixture on the can and press lightly into all corners.
Bake for 30 minutes until light golden brown. Cover with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent overcooking.
Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack.
Cut the rusk into fingers of your desired thickness. Place them on a large lined baking sheet. Leave space to dry.
Place in a low oven (with a fan if possible) at about 90-100°C and dry for 4-5 hours. Turn the rusk over halfway through. Turn off the oven and leave it in overnight. When tested, it should be completely dry before turning off the oven.
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Some other South African heritage recipes:
South African classic raw milk tart
Earl Gray Black Tea Milk Tart ~Baked Milk Tart~
Orange Aoi Pudding
Pear and ginger malva pudding
Mallow pudding with cranberries and ginger
Grandmother Betty’s Crunchy Recipe
easy peppermint crisp pudding
Traditional South African bobotie served with fragrant yellow rice
More Recipes Using Kellygold Butter & Cheese
Best cheese and onion quiche
my perfect cheese scone
