Rusks: the south african buttermilk cookies
This recipe cannot be missed on a food blog for athletes; what is the best thing to eat during a workout? I realised that I had never touched on this topic before, so it is high time to introduce you to an inspiring cookie for during sports. Frankly, I don't often bake bars or snacks for on the bike. Why not? Well, the ready-made bars and drinks are actually there for the taking and so it is just very easy to quickly stuff something in the pocket of my cycling shirt for a long workout. But honestly, I don't have a hard sweet tooth and I prefer to have control over how sweet I make something. That is why I got the idea , while I was on a training camp in South Africa, to change this. Once at home I dove into the kitchen to bake a real traditional South African biscuit; the so-called 'buttermilk Rusks' but slightly different. The result is a firm biscuit based on buttermilk. Sweetened with a little sugar, cranberries and raisins. It is a real treat for during or after exercise.
Before you get started, I would like to mention that these cakes do not require much active cooking time, but they do require a long time in the oven. After you have baked the batter into a cake, it should be sliced and then left in the oven for another 3 to 4 hours to dry out. Not difficult but you should not be hungry and put the cakes in your mouth before they are actually ready. Patience is a virtue!
Recipe for: 12 to 15 rusks
Cooking time: 20 min cooking time + 4 hours oven time
Ingredients
Getting started
Before you get started, I would like to mention that these cakes do not require much active cooking time, but they do require a long time in the oven. After you have baked the batter into a cake, it should be sliced and then left in the oven for another 3 to 4 hours to dry out. Not difficult but you should not be hungry and put the cakes in your mouth before they are actually ready. Patience is a virtue!
Recipe for: 12 to 15 rusks
Cooking time: 20 min cooking time + 4 hours oven time
Ingredients
- 100 grams of butter
- 200 grams of self-raising flour
- 150 gram flour of your choice (I usually use organic spelled flour from the Ekoplaza)
- 1.5 teaspoons of baking soda
- 150 grams of caster sugar
- 200 ml of buttermilk
- 80 grams of pumpkin seeds
- 100 grams of cranberries
- 100 grams of dried muesli of your choice. (delicious with, for example, nuts or raisins)
- 1/2 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
- 2 eggs
- pinch of salt
Getting started
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees and line a cake tin with baking paper.
- take a large bowl and mix all dry ingredients (flour, flour, baking soda, sugar, pips, cranberries, muesli and salt)
- Let the butter soften a little and in an other bowl, mix the butter with the buttermilk, eggs and white wine vinegar with a stand mixer.
- When these ingredients have been mixed, sprinkle the dry mixture into the wet mixture little by little while continuing to mix.
- A fairly thick and sturdy batter is created. Fold into the cake tin and put in the oven for 45 minutes.
- Then check whether the cake is well cooked on the inside by piercing it with a skewer. When the skewer comes out clean, it is ready.
- Now turn the oven to about 90 degrees and let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Cut the cooled cake into thick slices. Divide the slices (upright) over a baking tray and return to the oven.
- The cakes will harden very slowly in the oven into truly robust South African rusks. This will take about 3 hours.
- It's time to get on the bike with a nice rusk in your back pocket !! Or of course just to dip in your coffee (like most South Africans do)
