South African Rusk Recipe

The Essential South African Rusk Recipe…

Nary a South African can say they haven’t sat quietly with a cup of rooibos tea and a few rusks. At the heart of any South African cookbook is a South African rusk recipe, and any South African would probably agree that rusks are a part of the culture—a culture that still stops for tea every day around four o’clock (and shares their rusk recipes).

One could suppose that rusks may be eaten alone, but it’s really not like that. Rusks come with tea and tea comes with rusks. Without tea, rusks are crunchy and maybe too hard for the average chewer. But with tea, rusks are soft and crumbly and delicious soaked in the tea’s flavor. 

I’ll admit, I sometimes snack on them without tea, but it’s really not the same. Still, I have strong teeth and these rusks are such a quick, healthy snack that I can’t resist. Some milk on the side doesn’t hurt though.

What Are Rusks?

South African rusks are cakey bread that’s baked, cut and dried until crunchy. Like biscotti, they are usually served with tea to soften them. Rusks are traditionally made of flour, buttermilk, eggs and sugar, and often with nuts and raisins. However, they are easily made vegan or whole grain.

Originating from South Africa, rusks are a staple of the country, particularly to the Afrikaner community. The Boer Voortrekkers—who “trekked” from the British Cape to the wild and unknown transvaal by wagon—invented rusks as a way to preserve their bread (and their lives). 

Rusk Ingredients

Every rusk recipe is a little different, but all require some kind of flour as a base. This South African rusk recipe is on the healthier side, using just about half wheat and half white flour, plus a few cups of all bran flakes. 

Instead of eggs, I vegan-ize this recipe by using flax eggs instead of eggs, cashew yogurt instead of buttermilk, and coconut oil instead of butter. Though this may sound like many changes, it hardly makes a difference to the easily adaptable rusk. 

You can also play around with the sugar content. A traditional South African rusk recipe might call for two full cups of sugar, but that amount is truly not necessary. Halving it to one cup produces rusks that are just perfectly right—not too plain, not too sweet. 

It’s not required to use dried fruit or nuts, but both are delicious choices that only improve the recipe. Chopped dates, cranberries or raisins make these treats higher in vitamins and fiber, while nuts add filling protein to balance them out. 

Rusk Health Benefits

Rusks are not exactly known as a health food, but with this South African rusk recipe they can be. They’re the love child of bread and cake: more sugar than bread, but not quite sweet enough to be what some countries call “cake rusks.” Here are some rusk ingredients that make this treat as good for you as a tasty bread-based snack could be. 

South African Rusk Recipe Grains

Whole Wheat: Unlike its white counterpart, whole wheat is considered a complex carbohydrate. It’s high in fiber, takes longer for the body to digest, and causes less of a blood sugar spike. Whole wheat provides vitamins and minerals like copper, manganese and phosphorus. 

Bran: Not many foods are loaded with soluble and insoluble fiber as bran. This outer shell of a wheat grain feeds your healthy gut bacteria, and can be a big help for those who struggle with constipation. With vitamins and minerals to boot, bran is a great choice from breakfast to baking.

Flaxseed: One of the best plant-based sources for omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseeds are excellent (and easy) to get into your diet. Commonly used to relieve constipation, flaxseeds boast ample soluble and insoluble fiber. They have also been shown to decrease LDL cholesterol (the bad kind). 

Healthy Binders and Extras

Coconut Oil: One of the safest kitchen oils, coconut oil can be heated to high temperatures without its structure changing and becoming toxic (like olive oil). It has high levels of medium-chain triglycerides, known as “MCTs.” MCTs are antimicrobial, can reduce appetite, and make your skin glow.

Yogurt: Made from fermented milk of any kind, yogurt boasts tons of calcium and probiotics. It’s a healthy base to many dishes, or an easy, nutrient-rich snack. Whether made from dairy, coconut or cashews, yogurt is one of the few foods that houses live active cultures. 

Raisins: These sweet dried grapes are a healthy source of fiber, iron and calcium, making them excellent for your digestion, your blood and your bones. Too much of a good thing will spike your blood sugar, but in moderate portions this common dried fruit makes a wonderful natural sweetener. 

Pecans: Chock full of healthy monounsaturated fat, pecans are great for lowering risk of heart disease and bad cholesterol. These nuts are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals like vitamin E, B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Plus, their protein content makes them a filling addition to any meal. 

How To Make Rusks

Making Flax Eggs

This particular South African rusk recipe is vegan, but using eggs is an option if you don’t have flaxseeds. (See flaxseed health benefits above-they are SO easy to use instead of eggs.)

If you are sticking with these vegan rusks, start by making your flax eggs. All you do is mix in a small bowl 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds (1 per “egg”) with anywhere from 6-9 tablespoons of water.

You’ll have to be a scientist here and decide when the “eggs” are runny enough, but don’t stress it too much. You have three spoons of wiggle room and it doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect, no one will ever know! Let the flax eggs sit for about 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.

Make Cake and Bake

Use two big bowls: one for wet ingredients, one for dry. 

In one bowl, mix your flours, salt and baking powder together (1 teaspoon baking powder per cup of flour, which is 8 teaspoons or roughly 2.5 tablespoons). Then, mix in your bran flakes, nuts and raisins. Do not add sugar yet! 

In a large glass bowl, melt coconut oil. You can microwave it, or heat separately in a small saucepan then pour it into a bowl. While the oil is warm, mix in the sugar to dissolve it a bit. When the oil and sugar is mixed well, whisk in flax eggs. Finish by adding yogurt and vanilla. 

Make sure the wet ingredients are mixed together very well, then add them to your dry ingredients. Mix until just combined (don’t over-mix at this point).

Pour batter into a casserole dish lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool the rusk bread/cake for 10 minutes in the dish, then transfer to a wire cooling rack until completely cool (about 20 minutes). If you cut them while they’re still hot, they will fall apart.

The next step is to cut rusk size pieces—basically rectangle cubes you can comfortably hold and dip into tea. Go with your preference here. Some people prefer big, hearty rusks, and some prefer small ones. For scale, I’ve seen some almost as narrow as scotch tape and some as wide as packaging tape (don’t ask, just looking at my desk haha!). 

Drying Your Rusks: The Re-bake

Drying times will vary depending on your method. A traditional South African rusk recipe usually calls for up to 6 hours drying in an oven at 180 degrees, but things have changed. With the invention of the air fryer, you can toss in your rusks 250 degrees for only 20 minutes. Quite a difference. Every oven and every air fryer is a little bit different, so you’ll have to do some estimating yourself. You’ll have to check that your rusks aren’t burning every so often. If you’re drying them in the oven, maybe set an alarm for every hour to check on them.

Enjoy rusks with some rooibos, breakfast tea or coffee. My daily requirement is English breakfast tea with a stevia and some almond milk, and a rusk on the side is always welcome.