Scandinavian Rusks Recipes

SWEDISH ALMOND RUSKS

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in extract. Sift together flour, cardamom and baking soda; add alternately with sour cream to creamed mixture. Fold in almonds. Divide dough into 6 parts; shape into logs (like refrigerated cookie dough). Place 3 each on 2 greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until light brown. , Remove logs to cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice logs diagonally 1/2 in. thick. Place cookies on sheets; return to oven and bake until light brown. Cool; store in tightly covered containers.

ALMOND RUSKS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and oil. Combine flour, almonds, baking powder and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture until well combined. Chill until firm. , Divide dough into three pieces. Roll each piece into an 8-in. x 2-in. rectangle; place on a greased baking sheet. , Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 300°., Carefully cut each rectangle into 1/2-in. slices. Place slices cut side down on baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

ALMOND SWEDISH RUSKS

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in almonds. , On a greased baking sheet, shape the dough into two 11x3-1/2-in. rectangles. Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Carefully remove to wire racks; cool for 20 minutes., Transfer to a cutting board; cut with a serrated knife into 3/4-in. slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheets. , Bake at 325° for 10-12 minutes; turn slices over. Bake 10-12 minutes longer or until golden brown. Remove to a wire racks to cool. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired. Store in an airtight container.

CARDAMOM SWEDISH RUSKS

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, cream and extract. Combine the remaining ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture (batter will be thick). , Spoon into three greased 5-3/4x3x2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes., Remove to a cutting board; cut each loaf into nine slices with a serrated knife. Place cut side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn slices; bake 10 minutes longer or until crisp and golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.

SWEDISH COUNTRY INN'S RUSKS

Steps:

• Cream shortening and sugar.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Spread dough in greased 9 x 12-inch pan.
• Bake at 350F for 1 hour.
• Remove from oven and brush with cream.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if desired.
• Let cool for 15 minutes.
• Turn onto a baking sheet and cut in strips 1-1/2" x 3", separated from each other.
• Dry in 200F oven for 1 to 2 hours.
• These will keep for a long time; airtight container preferred but not necessary.
• Also freeze well.

SCANDINAVIAN RUSKS

Steps:

• Proof the yeast in 1/2 cup of the lukewarm milk, with 1 teaspoon of the sugar.
• When you have a yeast sponge, add the rest of the milk, sugar, and soft butter. Stir in the flour, cup by cup, until you have a dough that you can knead. Work until smooth and shiny, then place in a large buttered bowl, cover with a towel and put in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
• Take the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead for a few minutes and roll into ropes, about 2" thick. Break off pieces, about the size of an egg, and shape into little round buns.
• Place these on buttered baking sheets, cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Bake in the oven until they are pale gold, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Cool on a rack.
• After they have cooled, use a big fork to slice the top half off each bun. Place both tops and bottoms on a baking sheet; they can be rather close together.
• Bake in a 400 degrees oven until light brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let them get crisp.
• Let cool completely before eating.
• These will keep crisp and fresh for a long time. If they do get soggy, put them back in a low oven and let them crisp again.

GRANDMA SALLY'S SWEDISH RUSKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• Beat sugar, shortening, and milk together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Mix flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt together in a bowl. Add to the wet ingredients in batches, mixing after each addition until incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Cut cake into three 3-inch strips lengthwise and thirteen 1-inch strips crosswise for a total of 39 pieces. Lay pieces on their sides on 2 cookie sheets. Sprinkle the top sides of the cookies with 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar.
• Bake rusks in the 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip rusks, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 more minutes.

SOUTH AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RUSKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line a high-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, letting the paper overhang the sides for easy removal.
• Combine flour, ground All-Bran®, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat and mix in cream. Add flour mixture and mix until well combined.
• Spread out batter into the prepared baking sheet and use a knife to cut into slices; this will make removing the rusks easier once baked.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Reduce heat to 160 degrees F (70 degrees C) and leave rusks in the low temperature oven for 4 hours to dry. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Cut into 80 slices.

SWEDISH ALMOND RUSK (MANDEL SKORPER)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sift together flour, cardamom, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
• Beat together butter, sugar, and extract with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in flour mixture at low speed just until combined, then stir in almonds.
• Form dough into 4 (11- by 2-inch) logs and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased large baking sheet.
• Bake logs in middle of oven until pale golden, about 20 minutes. Cool logs on sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and cut logs diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife using a sawing motion.
• Reduce temperature to 300°F.
• Arrange rusks, cut sides down, on baking sheets and bake in batches in middle of oven until golden, about 18 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

SKORPOR (SWEDISH RUSKS)

Steps:

• Cream sugar and shortening; add egg and sour milk and stir.
• Sift flour, salt, soda, and baking powder together.
• Add to first mixture.
• Add nuts, if desired.
• In a 9x13-inch pan, bake one hour at 350 degrees.
• Cut into 1 1/2 x 3-inch strips and dry in slow oven, 300 degrees, until crispy.

MANDEL SKORPOR (SWEDISH RUSKS)

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar together until very light.
• Add beaten egg and flour sifted with baking powder.
• Add milk and extract, work well together Spread in two bread pans bake at 350 for 30 minuntes cut into oblong strips while still warm; turn oven off.
• place pans back on lower rack of oven overnight to dry out.

SOUTH AFRICAN RUSKS

Steps:

• 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.
• Variations 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.