Creamy Brown Buttermilk Rusks Food

BUTTERMILK RUSKS (KARRINGMELK BESKUIT)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/355F and grease two loaf tins, or vessels of your choice for the rusks. See notes.
• Weigh out the flour, then add in the salt and baking soda. Whisk these ingredients to remove any lumps from the flour and to distribute the salt, baking soda and inherent leaveners throughout the flour.
• Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove-top. Add in the sugar and whisk vigoursly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the butter has thickened and is smooth and shiny. (this may take a minute or two). The butter and sugar may need to be heated for an additional 20 seconds or so to gain the correct consistency. Allow the butter to cool.
• Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk.
• Add the butter and buttermilk mixtures to the flour and mix through with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until combined. Then using your hands, knead the dough together a few times until you have a nice smooth-ish dough. We want a bit of gluten development but don't want bread dough.
• To make chunky buttermilk rusks roll out golf-ball-sized pieces of dough and place in the loaf tins. To make sliced buttermilk rusks, divide the dough between your loaf tins and press into place. When making sliced buttermilk rusks, you can use a square cake tin or large roasting dish to bake your dough.
• Bake the rusks - the balls or bolletjies or dough in a loaf tin take approximately 30 to 45 minutes to bake, while the large slice takes about 45 to 60 minutes to bake. But all ovens are different, the best bet would be to check the rusk using a toothpick or cake tester at the 30, 45, and 60-minute mark. When they come out clean, the rusk's first bake is complete.
• Allow the rusks to cool before tearing apart or slicing them. When slicing rusks, I like to keep them about 2-3cm x 2-3cm big. Place the sliced or chunky rusks on the oven racks in the oven, and set your oven to a maximum of 110 degrees Celsius (cool oven), preferably with the fan on to dry the rusks out. This drying process can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours depending on the thickness of your rusk. Rusks that are about 2-3cm x 2-3cm big tend to take about 2 hours to dry out while the chunky rusks take between 4 and 5 hours to dry out.

BUTTERMILK RUSKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 240°C.
• Sift the dry ingredients and stir til well mixed.
• Cut in butter - the mixture should resemble corn meal when done.
• Beat buttermilk and egg together and add to dry ingredients.
• Mix to a firm dough.
• Pinch off golf ball sized pieces of dough and press lightly into rectangular shape approx 2cm thick.
• Place close together in two greased loaf pans (30cm x36cm x 7cm) and brush the sides of each row of balls with oil so that the rusks will break apart easily after being baked.
• Brush with diluted milk.
• Bake at 240C for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 190C and bake for further 50 minutes.
• Turn out on cooling rack and break in two or three places so that the rusks will cool more quickly.
• When cool, break neatly into individual rusks and allow to dry out in a very low oven (120C).

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!

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!