There is nothing like a dunking biscuit. We know all about leaving them in too long and fishing the goo out with a spoon.
There is an answer – make rusks that are almost too hard to ‘melt’.
The Boers / Farmers in Africa have been baking these staples for centuries and the recipe is a handed down one from my Mother in law.
Whenever we went to visit them, there was always a tin of rusks waiting, and when they came to visit us, that same tin came with them, full of these lovely home made rusks. Come to think of it, I don’t remember the last time I saw a new cake tin !
Fortunately for most of us, there is a favourite brand of rusks that most of us can buy if we can’t bake. You can buy these at most South African shops in the UK, too.
For those of you with some time, and inclination, here is the original recipe from my ‘little black book of recipes’ and I have written it out in full because I make the vegan version.
Totch’s Boerebeskuit – for hungry “veggies” !
Ingredients – as written
3 lb packets S.R. flour
I tsp salt
11/2 cups sugar
1pint carton buttermilk
2 tablespoons ordinary milk
Ingredients metric
1.35 kg S.R. flour, or flour of your choice
– if using wholewheat, add 1 tsp baking powder per kg flour.
I tsp salt
450g marg butter or oil of your choice – I use sunflower oil
1 and a half cups of sugar
450 g buttermilk, or vegan milk of your choice – I use coconut or almond
2 tablespoons extra milk / water if needed.
Rub the margarine / butter ( having cut it into pieces for ease ) / oil into the flour and salt.
Add sugar and mix in well
Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the buttermilk / coconut milk and extra if needed.
Mix to a fairly stiff dough.
Take bits of dough and roll between floured palms to golf ball size
Pack them into a large baking tin
Pre heat oven to 400F / 200C
Put tray on middle shelf and bake for 1/2 hour.
Cool.
Turn onto cooling tray and cut into sizeable rusks along the ‘ball’ lines.
Return to 200F / 100C oven for 4 hours to dry out.
Switch off oven, but leave rusks in overnight to become crunchy.
Rusks have to be dipped into Rooibos tea or the hot beverage of your choice.
Enjoy your rusks. Geniet jou boerebeskuit.
