Lekker Bran Beskuit (Bran Rusks)
Lekker Bran Beskuit
Lekker Bran Beskuit always felt like a quiet promise — that first gentle crunch, the slow softening in a cup of something warm, the way the smell drifted through the house long before anyone came looking. They were the kind of rusks that made mornings feel unhurried, the sort you broke open with your hands while thinking of all the people who'd dipped them before you.
Makes about 24–36 rusks depending on how thick you cut them.
Ingredients
- 200 g butter, melted
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 500 g self-raising flour
- 1 level tbsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml buttermilk
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 cups Raisin Bran (with raisins, or fruit & nut muesli)
- Butter to grease baking tin
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- In a large bowl stir the melted butter and sugar together.
- Add the flour and baking powder to the butter mixture and fold in well.
- Beat the eggs into the buttermilk with the salt, then mix into the dry ingredients.
- Fold in the Raisin Bran and raisins (or muesli).
- Divide the dough into individual greased loaf tins and shape evenly.
- Bake at 180°C for 45–50 minutes until done. This is the first bake.
- Cool slightly, then slice into individual rusks.
- **Second bake (drying):** Arrange the sliced rusks on oven racks or baking trays. Dry at 120°C for 60–90 minutes, turning once halfway through, until completely dry and crisp. Thicker slices may need up to 2 hours. Alternatively, switch the oven off after the second bake and leave the rusks inside with the door ajar overnight for extra crunch.