When it comes to comfort food, few things beat the joy of dunking a perfectly crisp rusk into your morning coffee or tea. These buttery aniseed rusks are a delightful South African classic, and with this easy-to-follow recipe, you’ll be baking them like a pro in no time.

What makes this recipe so special is its blend of simplicity and flavor. The aniseed adds a subtle, licorice-like sweetness that makes these rusks truly stand out. Plus, the step-by-step process is foolproof, ensuring great results every time.

These aniseed rusks are a versatile treat that pairs beautifully with your favorite hot beverage. Whether you enjoy them with coffee in the morning or tea in the evening, they’re sure to bring a smile to your face.

Happy baking!

Aniseed Rusks

Ingredients

1 kg self-raising flour
5 ml salt
10 ml baking powder
250 g white sugar
40 ml aniseed
350 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 eggs
500 ml buttermilk

Directions

Start by preheating your oven to 180°C and greasing a large oven pan.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the self-raising flour, salt, and baking powder. This helps to aerate the mixture, making your rusks light and fluffy. Once sifted, stir in the sugar and aniseed.

Now, rub the butter into the dry mixture. Use your fingertips and work it in gently until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk until smooth and fully combined. Set aside 30 ml of this mixture to brush over the dough later.

Gradually add the remaining buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients. Using your hands, knead the dough until it’s well combined. Don’t worry if the dough feels soft and sticky—that’s exactly how it should be.

Pro Tip : Once you’ve finished kneading, wash and dry your hands. Then, rub them with butter to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands while pressing it into the pan. This small trick makes handling the soft dough so much easier!

Press the dough evenly into your prepared baking tray. Use a pastry brush to coat the surface of the dough with the reserved buttermilk mixture. This step will give your rusks a beautiful golden finish.

Bake the dough in the preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until it’s golden brown and baked through. Once done, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.

While the rusks are cooling, reduce the oven temperature to 70°C. Now, use a sharp knife to cut the baked dough into evenly sized pieces. This can be rectangles, squares, or whatever shape you prefer—though 2 cm x 10 cm rectangles are a popular choice and makes it easy to dunk your rusk into your hot beverage.

Arrange the cut rusks on several baking trays, leaving enough space between them to allow for proper airflow. This is crucial for drying them out evenly.

Pro Tip : Keep the oven door slightly open by placing a wooden spoon in the gap. This allows moisture to escape and helps the Aniseed Rusks dry out faster.

Place the trays back in the oven and dry the rusks for about 4 hours, or until they are completely hard and no longer soft to the touch. Be patient—this slow drying process is what gives rusks their signature crisp texture.

Once the rusks are fully dried, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. Store them in an airtight container to keep them fresh and crunchy for weeks.