Maltabella Rusks

These Maltabella Rusks are a variation on a South African bake, buttermilk rusks - with two local twists - Amasi and Maltabella porridge. Serves 36.

Ingredients:

  • 240g soft brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 500ml amasi or buttermilk
  • 500g self-raising flour
  • 500g maltabella
  • 250g salted butter or margarine, softened

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease 2 x standard loaf tins.

Whisk the sugar and eggs until light and creamy. Add the amasi or buttermilk. Sift the flour and maltabella into a large separate bowl and rub in the butter or margarine.

Add the buttermilk mixture and mix to form a sticky dough. Pinch off golf-ball-sized pieces of dough, roll them neatly and pack them tightly together in a single layer in a greased baking tray or bread loaf tin. Bake for 50 minutes - 1 hour or until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

Break the cooked dough into pieces along the lines of the original balls, lay out flat on baking sheets and leave in an oven heated to 100ºC overnight or until completely dry, at least 8 hours. Store the rusks in an airtight container.