Here in South Africa, we have a traditional baked breakfast we call Rusks, a healthier variation is the bran version, bran rusks.

Rusks are like Italian biscotti, but usually full of nutritious ingredients, a cereal, nuts, fruit or whatever you want to experiment with. This recipe I will share today, is a family favourite and is derived from this Buttermilk recipe I shared a while ago, with a few extras like bran. It is not difficult to make, it is just a process.
If you do not have buttermilk, it can be substituted with 2 cups of milk together with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. (This is how I made it when I lived in the UK for a year)
Now, Rusks go into the oven twice: baked and then dried in the oven on low. South Africans love it: dunked into coffee(or tea) at breakfast, and if you are anything like me, this becomes staple food, I eat it any time of the day!
Ingredients
6 cups of cake flour
6 teaspoons of baking POWDER
1 teaspoon of salt
350g dry bran cereal
2 cups of sugar
500g butter/margarine
2 eggs
500 ml buttermilk
Nutmeg(optional)
Method
Mix the eggs and buttermilk together in a small bowl and the dry ingredients in a big bowl.

Then mix the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers, before adding the egg mix as well.

It should look like this(like moldable playdough):

Press it into flat, buttered pans, and bake for about 35-40 minutes on 180’C or until brown on top.

After it cooled down, cut into finger-sized bites, and place back into the oven, but this time turn the heat way down, around 80-100’C and dry for 7-9 hours, depending on your oven. It should be dry throughout when you break it.

Enjoy bran rusks as a filling breakfast, or just a snack any time of the day!

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South African Bran Rusks

Traditional South African breakfast, bran rusks.
Ingredients
- 6 cups of cake flour
- 6 teaspoons of baking POWDER
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 350g dry bran cereal
- 2 cups of sugar
- 500g butter/margarine
- 2 eggs
- 500 ml buttermilk
- Nutmeg(optional)
Instructions
1. Mix the eggs and buttermilk together in a small bowl and the dry ingredients in a big bowl.
2. Mix the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers, before adding the egg mix as well.
3. Press it into flat, buttered pans, and bake for about 35-40 minutes at 180'C or until brown on top.
4. After it cooled down, cut into finger-sized bites, and place back into the oven, but this time turn the heat way down, around 80-100'C and dry for 7-8 hours, depending on your oven. It should be dry throughout when you break it.
Notes
Variations could include adding raisins or chocolate chips. You could try it with different cereals too.
Substitute with gluten-free flour and cereal to make it coeliac friendly.
Lynne Huysamen says
This rusks recipe looks amazing, I’m going to give it a try for sure! My husband loves rusks and I know he will be so chuffed if I make him some. And thank you for the gluten-free option for this rusks recipe, so many people I know are on a gluten free diet and struggle when it comes to eating out or at a friend’s house so this would be a nice safe option!