The nutritional values listed above are per rusk, calculated for 3 rusks. The nutritional values provided per dish are just an indication. Since the nutritional values can vary greatly depending on the brand/product you use, this can have a significant impact on the nutritional value of a complete dish. Additionally, everyone consumes different amounts, so it’s always best to calculate the nutritional value based on the ingredients you use and the portion size you eat. If you don’t know how to calculate it yourself, you can read about it here.
Hollands beschuit
“Beschuit” is a easily digestible, very dry form of bread. It’s similar to, but not the same as, toasted bread. The dough for beschuit is baked twice; once as a flat cylindrical roll (beschuitbol, also available in that form) and then again after being sliced. The old name for beschuit is therefore ‘tweebak’, which literally means ‘twice baked’.
Etymologically, the word ‘beschuit’ is related to the French word “biscuit,” the Italian “biscotto,” and the Latin “bis coctus,” which means ‘twice baked.’ Similarly, in German, it’s called “Zwieback.”
Little is known about the history of Dutch beschuit. It has little to do with ship’s biscuit, partly because the ingredients are different. Similarities include the similar baking process, the dry form, and the long shelf life. The use of baker’s yeast gives it a light texture. In the Netherlands, it’s a tradition to treat guests with beschuit with muisjes (a type of confectionery) when there’s a birth, but it’s also a product often found on Dutch breakfast tables.
De ingrediënten
Voor 3 beschuitjes
- 75 grams of almond flour
- a generous pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 egg (size M/L, separated)
- 35 grams of butter(melted)
- 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
The Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius and prepare the beschuit molds.
Whisk the egg white until stiff with a pinch of salt, then set the egg white aside.
Mix all the dry ingredients together, add the egg yolk and melted butter, and mix until a thick dough forms. Now add the egg white and gently fold it in. It should be well combined, but you want to retain the airiness of the whipped egg white as much as possible.
Divide the batter into 3 molds and place them in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes. Check if the beschuitjes are nicely crispy; if not, bake them a little longer.
Carefully remove the beschuitjes from the molds and let them cool on a rack.
Over time, the crispiness of the beschuitjes will diminish, so the advice is to make and eat them. If you still want to store them, keep them in a well-sealed tin or container and reheat in the oven if necessary, for a few minutes at 160 degrees. Tip: If the beschuitjes have been sitting for a while, they can also be used perfectly for a crispy breadcrumb coating.
Extra tip from an enthusiastic fan:
You can also make delicious toasties by using the beschuit batter in a muffin tin or even a mini muffin tin. Just remember to use a slightly shorter baking time to avoid burning them 😉