Hot beverage + Bran & Seed Rusks = Perfect Match

Even I (being a weirdo who doesn’t like tea) have got to say that a crunchy rusk softened by a steaming cuppa is pretty darn good!

My family loves tea. My dad alone has about 15 cups of tea a day (crazy!!!). 

Obviously, you can’t be tea drinker without being a rusk eater; which is why my family’s (first) morning teas are never without a rusk.

My family (okay, my dad) believes rusks should only have the slightest hint of sweetness. For this reason, these rusks are low in sugar. These rusks are also high in good stuff like bran and seeds (as you can probably tell from the name).

Dip these bran and seed rusks in your morning tea/coffee and you’ll get your day off to a great start!

How to Make the Bran & Seed Rusks

If you know anything about rusks you probably know that they take quite a lot of drying time. To get that dry, crunchy biscuit that keeps so well they have to be dried out in a coolish oven overnight. 

This is why you make rusks in BIG batches. This particular recipe makes about 75 rusks but you can totally scale it up to make more…or scale it down if you first want to try it out (but trust me, they’re really good and tasty!).

Rusks in themselves are really quite easy to make, although a bit time-consuming. Don’t worry though, most of this time is hands-off.

Making the Dough

To make the rusks you start off by making the dough. This recipe doesn’t include yeast, but there are some that do. 

A rusk dough is similar to a biscuit/scone dough, although the bran makes this dough a bit more crumbly.

To make it, first mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, salt, oil, and buttermilk in a large bowl. 

You’ll then add in the seeds, bran, All-Bran®, and self-raising flour and mix well with a spoon. Now knead it with your hands for a short while until well combined.

And that is literally it. Two steps to your rusk dough!

Baking the Bran & Seed Rusks

You’re now ready to bake the rusks. 

Press the rusk mixture into a large, greased baking tray, making an even layer about 2cm thick. You can also add some seeds on top if you wish.

Place in the middle of an oven preheated to 160°C and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until golden-brown and cooked through. 

Once cooled slightly, turn the rusks out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. This will take about 45 minutes.

Drying out the Bran & Seed Rusks

Once completely cooled, cut into rectangles of your preferred size, then place the rectangles onto a wire rack. Make sure you leave space around the rusks for air to circulate so that they dry properly. 

Let the rusks dry in an oven at 65°C overnight. Place a baking tray beneath the wire rack to catch the crumbs. Leave the oven door open a crack for steam to escape. The rusks are only done when they are hard and completely dry throughout.

Storing and Serving

It’s very important to stack the dried rusks in an airtight container. No one likes a soggy rusk that’s absorbed all kinds of weird and wonderful flavors…

As mentioned above, they are great served with any type of hot beverage.

Print Recipe

Bran & Seed Rusks

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

Breakfast & Snack

Serves: 75 rusks

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes (plus overnight drying time) – Total Time: 1 hour (plus overnight drying time)

Healthy rusks to get your day off to the perfect start. Delicious dipped into a hot beverage.

Ingredients

• ½ block butter, melted (250g or approx. 1 cup)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ⅔ cup sunflower oil
• 1 ⅔ cup buttermilk
• ⅓ cup mixed seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, and linseed mix)
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 3 cups wheat/digestive bran
• 3 cups crushed All-Bran®
• 4 cups self-raising flour
• To Top (Optional)
• 1T buttermilk (so that the seeds stick)
• ¼ cup sesame seeds (or your choice of seeds)

Instructions

1

Pre-heat oven to 160°C and grease a large baking tray.

2

Mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, salt, oil, and buttermilk in a large bowl.

3

Add in the seeds, bran, All-Bran®, and self-raising flour and mix well with a spoon. Use your hands to knead the mixture for a short while until everything is well-combined.

4

Press the rusk mixture into the large baking tray, making an even layer about 2cm thick. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until golden-brown and cooked through. Once cooled slightly, turn the rusks out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely, about 45 minutes.

5

Once completely cooled, cut into rectangles of your preferred size, then place onto a wire rack. Make sure you leave space around the rusks for air to circulate.

6

Let the rusks dry in an oven at 65°C overnight. Place a baking tray beneath the wire rack to catch any crumbs. Let the oven door open a crack for steam to escape. The rusks are only done when they are hard and completely dry throughout.

Notes

It’s very important to stack the dried rusks in an airtight container. No one likes a soggy rusk that’s absorbed all kinds of weird and wonderful flavors...

These rusks are inspired by these Knitwit Bran Rusks.

You can also try out these yummy plain buttermilk rusks, if you haven’t already!