I
n our rusk series, we’ve taken you on quite the flavour journey. We’ve had the festive indulgence of the Milk Tart Rusk, with its cinnamon-kissed nostalgia. The homely sweetness of the Malva Pudding Rusk, rich and comforting. The bold crunch of the Crunchie Rusk, packed with bite and personality. Then there’s the chocolate coconutty Romany Cream Rusks, Choc Banana Rusks and Hot Cross Bun Rusks (yes, I like to think that I am doing the Lord’s work). But today we’re keeping it traditional but still nostalgic with this Buttermilk Rusk recipe.
But before all that — before the fancy, the festive, and the fearless — there was this one. Buttermilk Rusks. The humble, plain buttermilk rusk. The quiet heartbeat of the rusk world.
It doesn’t arrive with fireworks. No exotic garnish. No colours bright enough to blind the cat. Instead, it arrives like an old friend walking into your kitchen without knocking — because it’s been coming here for years.
If you’ve grown up in South Africa, chances are you’ve had this rusk at every stage of life. At the kitchen table before school, dunked deep into a chipped mug of tea until it surrendered its crunch. In the car on long family road trips, passed from hand to hand in a paper bag. At midnight, standing barefoot in the pantry, breaking one in half and telling yourself, “Just this piece,” knowing full well you’ll come back for the other half.
Buttermilk Rusks has been at every gathering without ever being the centre piece — yet somehow, it’s the one that keeps the tradition alive. Because here’s the truth: all those wonderful, bold, creative rusks in this series stand on the shoulders of this classic. Without the plain buttermilk rusk, we wouldn’t even have a rusk culture to play with.
Buttermilk Rusks the one your gran trusted, because she knew it worked every time. The one that didn’t need measuring cups marked in milliliters because it lived in her memory — “just a handful of this, a splash of that.” This Buttermilk Rusks recipe made its way into tins across the country, passed from kitchen to kitchen, generation to generation.
And while I adore the other rusks we’ve created together — Buttermilk Rusks remind me why I started baking them in the first place. Not to impress, but to connect. Not to surprise, but to comfort.
This is the rusk that tastes like home. The one that doesn’t just go with your tea — it belongs there. The one you can trust to survive a dunk without falling apart. The one that will still be here when the trends have moved on and the last jar of imported nut butter is gathering dust at the back of the cupboard.
So yes, it’s plain but perfectly so.
The plain buttermilk rusk is the quiet hero of the whole series. But here’s the real question… which one is your favourite? Are you loyal to Buttermilk Rusks, or do you sneak off with a Milk Tart, Malva Pudding, Crunchie, or Romany Cream, Hot Cross or Choc Banana rusk when no one’s looking?
Pop your answer in the comments, share your dunking stories, and let’s settle this once and for all — rusk lovers’ style.
Equipment
- 1 23cm x 33cm baking tray
Ingredients
- 250 grams butter salted or unsalted
- 1 cup/200 grams light brown sugar
- 4 cups/600 grams cake flour or all purpose flour
- ¼ cup milk powder optional
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup 2 tbsp/260 ml buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175℃/347℉.
- In a medium bowl, add butter and microwave until the butter has fully melted. Add the sugar to the warm butter and mix until mostly combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add flour, milk powder (if using), baking powder and salt. Mix lightly.
- Add the butter-sugar mixture, an egg, and buttermilk. Mix until well combined. Note: feel free tip the mixture onto a clean working surface and kneading until it's fully combined.
- Evenly spread the dough in a 23cm x 33cm baking tray using your hands. Note: this batter is just enough for a 23cm x 33cm. You can use a smaller tray but wouldn't recommend going bigger as your rusks will be very thin.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and allow to slightly cooldown. Using a serrated knife, mark 8 rusks on the width and 4 rusks on the length, yielding 32 rusks in total. Note: you can naturally cut them bigger or small depending on your preference.
- Drying: Preheat the oven to 90℃/194℉. Lay the sectioned sponge out onto a baking tray that's been lined with a rack, ensuring the tray isn't overcrowded. Place in the oven, with the door slightly ajar, using a cloth or wooden spoon, and dry for 6 hours or until fully dried (overnight can also be an option). Note: the rusks must be fully dried otherwise they'll slowly start to soften and stale.