Dirty Little Secrets...

FOOD FIND
If you’re visiting South Africa right now, for the World Cup, be sure to try some Ouma Rusks with breakfast, or anytime as a snack. Beskuit (known as “rusk” in English, and similar to an Italian biscotti) is a crunchy biscuit-type snack made to go along with hot coffee or tea, and they are best eaten after being dipped in your drink, to soak it up. This crunchy and subtly sweet snack is made from dough and is twice baked, giving it extra crunch. Many people have a family recipe for beskuit, but Ouma Rusks is the most popular brand on the market, and have even become a South African icon. Back in 1939, in the Eastern Cape town of Molteno, in an effort to help her community recover from the Great Depression, Ouma Greyvensteyn used her family recipe to bake her rusks to perfection and sell to visiting farmers. Since then they have become outrageously popular and can be bought online and shipped all over the world. There are as many different rusk variations as there are people to eat them, and Ouma Rusk brand has several as well: The original is always popular, but some of the other flavors include Buttermilk, Marmalade, Aniseed, Blueberry, and even Nutri, which is enriched with vitamins, fiber, low in saturated fat, and is low glycemic for diabetics, so you don’t have to feel guilty enjoying your rusks! If you’re not in South Africa and still want to try some rusks, experiment with the below recipe, and enjoy with your favorite coffee or tea! Or you can click here to purchase Ouma Rusks online!

RUSKS:

450g/ 3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups bran flakes

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

125g/9 tbsp butter

140g/ 3/4 cup sugar

125ml/ 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola oil

250ml/1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Mix together in the flour, bran flakes, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.

2. Melt the butter, sugar and oil in a saucepan. Stir the mixture until all the sugar is dissolved

3. Beat the eggs with the buttermilk and add to the melted butter mixture. Add the butter and buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Fill your greased loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until lightly golden a skewer comes out clean.

4. Turn out the pan and allow to cool. Turn the oven down to 100C/200F/Gas 1. Cut into finger shaped rusks, about 1 inch thick. Place cut side up on a baking tray (preferably one with holes) and place back into the oven overnight, or for 8 hours.

*Photo from deli-sa.com

*Recipe from londonfoodieny.com