So I finally baked my beskuit and it came out beautifully despite the lack of self-raising flour! So for those of you that want to try something very tasty...herewith the recipe and some info on how to eat it and where it comes from...
Rusks in South Africa are part of the cultural identity – one of the things that exiles in a foreign land long for. Children are brought up on Rooibos tea (a herbal bush tea) and rusks. These aren’t the pallid soggy affairs that pass for rusks in the UK - Farleys rusks given to teething infants and guaranteed to coat your entire house with a paste of gooey gloop. South African rusks are of a texture somewhere between bread and cake, with extra bits of raisin or nuts, baked hard so that they must be dunked in tea or else gnawed slowly. They last a long time in an airtight tin, so are baked in big batches but even so they don’t last long in our house.
As described above, the correct way to eat rusks is by dipping them in a cup of tea or coffee. This requires a bit of practice, as you do not want to hold the rusk in the coffee for too long, or you risk making the rusk so soggy that it will break off into your cup. You want to grip the rusk between finger and thumb and dunk twice before lifting it out and taking a bite. Of course the amount of dunking required depends on the density of the rusk, so you will have to experiment. Keep a teaspoon handy for fishing out broken off bits of rusk!
Nutty Rusks
1kg flour (I used mixed white & brown)
10 ml salt
20 ml baking powder (I used almost two sachets of the packets you get here to compensate for the flour)
500ml muesli
250ml sunflower seeds
250ml chopped almonds
125ml coconut
500ml brown sugar ( I halved it to make it less sweet and added some raisens instead - optional
2/3 extra large eggs
500g of melted butter
500ml buttermilk
1 green apple peeled and grated
125ml of mixed seeds (optional)
Preheat oven to 180 degrees en grease 3 small breadpans or one large deep oven tray. Mix all the dry ingredients. Add the brown sugar. Mix the eggs and add the buttermilk and butter. Add the dry ingredients and mix all well. Dish into the oven tray and bake for about 45-60 minutes. (test with a knife to see if its cooked). When ready tip the pan and let it cool. Cut the contents into finger sized portions. Place slices back in the oven to dry at a 100 degrees for about 5 to 8 hours depending on the oven. Store in airtight containers. They last forever. Enjoy!