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Ouma also known as Ouma Rusks is a South African rusk cooked with a traditional buttermilk recipe.
The tale of Ouma continues on. The origins of Ouma rusks began in 1939 in the little village of Molteno in the North-Eastern Cape. Ouma Greyvensteyn and her companions were inspired by the Great Depression to develop ways to serve their neighborhood. Ouma Greyvensteyn began by making rusks from a family recipe she trusted. After distributing these delectable sweets to local farming families, orders began to stream in, and a much-loved, iconic South African brand was established. Ouma Greyvensteyn is still South Africa’s most well-known rusk baker today. The Ouma bakery is open around the clock to ensure that South Africans can always “Dip ‘n Ouma.”
Ouma Rusks
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached white flour
- 2 cups bread flour whole wheat, coarsely ground if possible
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon pure almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the dry ingredients.
- Combine all the wet ingredients, pour them into the dry ingredients, and stir until you have a soft dough, similar to biscuit dough.
- Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and roll or pat it to about a 1/2 inch thickness.
- Cut the dough into rectangles about 2 by 4 inches. Bake the rusks about 2 inches apart on buttered baking sheet for about 25 minutes until the tops are crisping and browning a little.
- Loosely pile the rusks on a baking sheet and keep them in a 200 degree oven all day or all night (about 12 hours) to dry. The finished rusks should be very dry and hard. Cool and store in an airtight container. Rusks will keep for weeks.
Alternatives
- Oatmeal-Raisin Rusks: Reduce the white flour to 1 1/2 cups and add 2 cups rolled oats and 1/2 cup currants or chopped raisins.
- Almond Rusks: Add 1 cup chopped almonds and omit the cinnamon.
- Peanut Rusks: Add 1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts.
- Anise Rusks: Omit the cinnamon and almond extract and add 2 tsp. pure anise extract
