Bran and muesli buttermilk rusks with seeds

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Bran and muesli buttermilk rusks with seeds recipe

I have been stuck on one favourite rusk recipe forever (which I will do a post about because they are amazing and I have to share), but last week  I came across this recipe in ‘Home Bakes’ which seems to be my book ‘de jour’.  I had all the ingredients so thought it was high time to branch out.  I like to keep rusks in my cookie jar and tend to think of them as ‘less’ worse in this carb-prohibitive world we live in.  Also, these have lots of good stuff and I added more good stuff, so we are all good. They are also not that sweet which is what I like in a rusk.

This is what you need to make a big batch:

* on this point – I notice that most rusk recipes are for rather large quantities.  I have come to appreciate this in the effort-to-reward ratio.

Check out the best buttermilk bran rusks

Bran and muesli buttermilk rusks with seeds

Delicious and wholesome bran & muesly rusks with seeds
Print Recipe
Bran and muesli buttermilk rusks with seeds recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 kg self-raising flour I didn't have so I added 1 tsp per cup - so 7 tsp baking powder to 1kg cake flour
  • 140 g 1 cup Krakley Wheat flour (or whole-wheat flour) - I really like the Golden Cloud Krakley wheat as it has nice little crunchy wheat kernels in it, making you feel more wholesome
  • 100 g 750ml All-Bran flakes
  • 125 g 1 cup toasted or plain muesli.  I didn't have muesli so added 90g oats and 50g raisins
  • 1 cup of seeds- I added these to the recipe but you could leave it out   I added half sunflower and half sesame
  • 200 g sugar
  • 5 ml salt
  • 5 ml baking powder I added this extra spoon as well
  • 400 g butter melted gently in the microwave or on the stove
  • 200 ml sunflower oil
  • 500 ml buttermilk
  • 3 eggs lightly beaten

Instructions

  • preheat the oven to 180 C and grease 2 baking trays (I use Spray & Cook)
  • in a very large bowl combine all the dry ingredients
  • In a separate bowl lightly beat the eggs, add the sunflower oil and buttermilk and mix
  • make a well in the dry mixture and pour in all the liquid (including the melted butter) and mix together with a wooden spoon until all combined (its a very sticky situation and you could use your hands but I persevere with the spoon)
  • Spread the mixture into the 2 baking trays (with sides) and bake in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.
  • allow to cool and remove from the pans and on a wooden board cut into fingers or squares, however you like your rusks * I use an electric carving knife to do this - So much easier!
  • Place to rusks back onto the baking trays, if you are short of space you can turn then sideways and stack next to each other.
  • place them back into a low oven of 60 c for about 6 - 9 hours 
  • Turn off the oven and leave them in overnight 
Author: Sam Linsell

The buttermilk gives these rusks a lovely creamy mouthfeel. Next time I may play around with the ratios of oat, whole wheat flour and flour and perhaps add more raisins or dried cranberries. This recipe will definitely find a home in my repertoire.

 You might also like these other South African recipes:

Muesli rusks with oats & raisins

The best buttermilk bran rusks

Classic South African unbaked milk tarts

Classic South African koeksisters

Orange malva pudding

Pear & ginger malva pudding

Malva pudding with cranberries & ginger

My grandmother Betty’s crunchy recipe

A classic buttermilk rusk recipe

Easy peppermint crisp pudding

Traditional South African bobotie with fragrant yellow rice

My best baking recipes 

 

 

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27 Comments

  1. I like all the added goodness. Having a big old glass jar filled with rusks is always a good breakfast-on-the-run option!

  2. Love a good rusk. My aunt makes something similar which we call powerful rusks – because it’s just so darn good!

  3. I finally made these yesterday (after a wee fiddle with the recipe to “veganize” it). I’d never had rusks before but your photo made me need to try them! Mine definitely don’t look as pretty as yours, but they taste lovely – I’ll be making them again for sure, experimenting with different seeds and dried fruit etc. Thanks for the inspiration!

  4. drizzleanddip says:

    Hi Linzi, Im so glad you were able to adpat the recipe. What did you change? rusks are a very trqaditional South African thing. Nice to hear from you. S x

  5. Hi Sam
    It’s Sandy from the Thermomix demo.
    Been dying to get on your site but things have been soooo hectic with kids and my sister is out from Oz, haven’t seen her for 3 years!!
    Going to try these in my thermomix, don’t have buttermilk but will try using the milk that has gone sour….
    Happy Spring Day!!!

  6. They look lovely Sammy! I made condensed milk rusks not too long ago but never got to taking a photo. I must make them again, they were a real hit! Can’t wait to see you on Friday! 🙂

  7. LOVE THIS RECIPE. TRIED AND TESTED.

  8. karien buter says:

    hi sam – i made these rusks yesterday – i doubled the recipe, instead of the krackly wheat flour i tripled the all bran flakes and also put in a whole bag of swiss muesli. i put in extra raisins and a bag of goji berries and cranberries.
    It turned out absolutely beautiful and incredibly yummy.
    about to make your banana bread and best brownies today after work.
    i was thinking i belong to a small group of women (8) all over the world that send recipes to each other – i think there are a few of those recipes that u would love like greek pork wraps , wasabi tuna salad etc. if you send me your email address i can forward it on to you. take care karien

  9. Hi Sam, This recipe is incredible, my hubby won’t leave them alone, he can’t just eat one, but eats four or five at a time, on a night. Next morning his sugar reading (diabetic) is 10! However, they are sooooooo nice, he must control his lusts for them, I still want to eat them!
    Did you ever play around with the ratios of oats and flour? I have:
    1 reduced: 1 cup of flour for 1 cup; making 2 cups of Krakley Wheat flour;
    2 kept your 90gms oats, (taken out the museli completely);
    3 increased the 50g raisins to 90g apricots, sultanas and added cranberries as you sort of suggested).
    4 kept your 1 cup seeds (mixed)

    I did try 3 cups of Krakley Wheat, but it was too much (for us). How would you change the ratios of oat and flour; (I don’t want to change the 2 cups Krakley Wheat).
    Thanks

  10. Thanks for the lovely feedback on my blog Jennifer, it is so much appreciated. I am so pleased you (and your husband) love the rusks. It sounds to me like you are totally on top of this recipe 🙂
    I often substitute part of the flour in baking recipes with wholewheat flour and get excellent results. I also love the Eureka Mills WW flour. I think you could probably safely add about 20% more oats especially since you have taken out the muesli, but further than that oats do perform differently to flour. Fabulous to add / change a/l the fruit component. Cranberries are the new raisin.
    All the best
    Sam

  11. I’m playing it again Sam….Hi Sam, thanks for your reply, I also wanted to say that with your Incredible Rusks, there is lots of ‘left over’ crumbs and broken biscuits. Not wanting to throw away (or eat unnecessarily) I thought….and thought… and dried them out further, and now keep in a container for a topping to sprinkle on top of yoghurt. It is absolutely nummy. Regards

  12. Anne Taylor says:

    Hi Sam – I’ve been on the hunt for the “right” rusk recipe. I’m kind of partial to coconut buttermilk rusks, which I’ve made a few times. These look delciously close to perfect too (!!) but I’m wondering about your “one favourite rusk recipe” that you mention at the start of your post…

  13. Hi Anne. I absolutely love the farmhouse finger rusks with buttermilk and oats recipe by Lynn Bedford Hall from her book Fig Jam and Foxtrot (delightful book).

  14. Anne Taylor says:

    Great! I actually own a copy of Fig Jam and Foxtrot. I guess I’m all set for a bake off: LBH vs Home Bakes. Could be worse, I reckon…

  15. Hi Sam
    I tried your rusks with surprisingly great results – I am no baker!!!
    My one child doesn’t like raisins and so I omitted those, however I found the rusks could have done with them in terms of sweetness … but, my husband and I seem to be the only ones who thinks so. The fussy one is gobbling them up 🙂
    I can’t source krakley wheat flour in Norway where I live and so I used 70g course whole wheat flour + 70g linseed flour and did a mix of oats and muesli picking out the raisins.
    For the rest I stuck to the recipe exactly (with the mix of seeds you suggested) and they turned out great – even looked similar to yours.
    I shall definitely be making these again and now that I’ve discovered your blog, I’ll be back for more.
    Best
    Kirstin

  16. Thnaks so much for the feedback Kirstin, Im so glad you liked them. Perhaps other dried fruit for sweetness? I love cranberries too and chopped up dried apricots.

  17. Hi Sam- this looks amazing. I’m just wondering where the melted butter goes? I see it In Ingredients but not in the method? I added it to the mixture and they are currently in the oven, so I’m holding thumbs this is correct ?? Thanks Vanessa

  18. HI Vanessa – oh dear Im sorry about that, Yes you add it to the dry ingredients along with all the other wet ones. I hope you enjoy these.

  19. The best rusks ever simple to make any taste better than any store bought rusks, thank you

  20. I’m so glad you enjoy these Adriana 🙂

  21. Muriel Griffiths says:

    Made these today I added goji berries and extra raisins and used coconut sugar instead of ordinary sugar . I am well impressed.
    Thank you so much

  22. So glad you enjoyed them Muriel and I love your additions

  23. Hi Sam, thinking about doing this super recipe. I have never made tusks before so please could you tell me what size baking pans you use. Thank you!

  24. Hi Lynn, I can’t remember what size I used and the original recipe also doesn’t state but you need baking trays with sides at least 5cm up. The dough would need to be about 3 – 4 cms thick. It doesn’t really matter too much but you are essentially making fingers. I hope this helps.

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