Non-VegetarianEast Anglian cuisine Baking

Suffolk Rusks

Name: Suffolk Rusks
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: East Anglian
Ingredients: 350 g Plain flour; 2 tsp Baking powder; 1 tsp Fine sea salt; 0.5 tsp caster sugar; 50 g Unsalted butter; 50 g Lard; 180 ml Whole milk; 30 g salted butter

Crisp on the outside and tender within, these traditional twice-baked savoury rounds are a beloved Suffolk bakery classic.

🇬🇧United Kingdom· East of England

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 55 min
Servings: 8
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 245 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

350 g Plain flour — plus extra for dusting
2 tsp Baking powder — level teaspoons
1 tsp Fine sea salt — for savoury seasoning
½ tsp caster sugar — fine white sugar
50 g Unsalted butter — chilled and cubed
50 g Lard — chilled and cubed
180 ml Whole milk — plus 1 tbsp extra if dry
30 g salted butter — to serve

Equipment

•Baking tray
•Greaseproof paper
•Large mixing bowl
•Rolling pin
•Round pastry cutter
•Wire cooling rack

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 245 kcal
fat: 11 g
carbs: 32 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 5 g
calories: 245 kcal

Instructions

1
Heat the fan oven to 190°C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2
Sift the plain flour, baking powder, fine sea salt, and caster sugar into a large mixing bowl.
3
Rub the chilled butter and lard into the flour using your fingertips until fine crumbs form.
4
Pour in the whole milk and bring the mixture together with a table knife to make a soft dough.
5
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently for thirty seconds.
6
Roll the dough out to roughly two centimetres thick using a rolling pin.
7
Stamp out rounds using a six-centimetre cutter and place them spaced apart on the lined baking tray.
8
Bake for twelve to fifteen minutes until risen and lightly golden on top.
9
Remove from the oven and carefully split each hot rusk horizontally in half using two forks.
10
Return the halves to the baking tray with the rough cut sides facing upwards.
11
Lower the fan oven temperature to 150°C and bake for fifteen to twenty minutes until crisp and pale golden.
12
Transfer the rusks to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Chef's tips

Using two forks to pull the warm rusks apart creates a craggy surface that crisps beautifully. Do not use a sharp knife to slice them, as a smooth cut prevents the classic texture from developing.

Ingredient substitutions

lard → extra chilled unsalted butter or vegetable shortening
whole milk → semi-skimmed milk or buttermilk

Storage

Store completely cooled rusks in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to one week.

Reheating

Warm in a fan oven at 140°C for five minutes to restore their crisp crunch.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Slicing with a knife instead of splitting with forks, which ruins the craggy texture
•Over-baking on the second bake, making the rusks rock-hard rather than crumbly and crisp
•Over-working the dough, resulting in a tough and heavy crumb

Serving suggestions

Spread thickly with salted farmhouse butter while warmServe alongside mature English Cheddar or Suffolk Gold cheesePair with a bowl of hot vegetable soup