The Rusk Tower

This time I didn't go out but stayed at home. With a view of the new Beschuitstoren, I baked the original ships' rusks from the old days together with my daughter Jasmijn. Fun and easy to do, I'll give you the recipe. But first, back in time.

Heel Wormer Bakt

Since 2018, Wormer on the Dorpsstraat has gained a special eye-catcher: the Rusk Tower. The tower is a replica of the original tower from 1620, also called the beschuitbakkerstoren at the time. After all, all of Wormer baked in the Golden Age!

The best ships rusks

In those days, there was a huge demand for ship's rusks. This long-lasting and nutritious bread was ideal food for sailors aboard VOC ships and whaling vessels. The best ship's rusk came from Wormer, so there were around a hundred and fifty rusk bakeries and dozens of corn mills to grind the flour needed to make the ship's rusk. The rusk is made from flour, water and salt and to chew the rock-hard, dry dough cake, it was often dipped in a hot drink like coffee or tea or in milk or water.

Everything on fire

The small wooden buildings were often thatched and therefore a huge fire hazard. With some regularity, the ovens overheated, causing fires and burning down the bakeries and surrounding houses. To reduce the fire hazard, it was decided in 1605 that no more baking was allowed between 6pm and midnight.

The Rusk Tower: stop the ovens!

The Beschuitstoren warned when rusk bakers needed to put out their ovens or re-light them. Thanks to the ringing of the bell, overheating of the ovens and thus a fire were prevented. Due to declining demand for ship rusks, the tower was demolished in 1894. The new Rusk Tower, rebuilt in 2018, commemorates the rusk bakeries of the past and now houses the archives of the Historical Society of Wormer. Nice to know, a little further on, off Dorpsstraat no 112, you will find a marker in the road surface indicating the original location of the old Rusk Tower.

Bake ships' rusks yourself

Baking your own ships' rusks is simple and fun to do with children. My daughter Jasmijn's speech in grade 8 was about the Beschuitstoren and afterwards she treated the whole class to home-baked biscuits. It was a great success and from then on I regularly find a baking tray full of ships' rusks in the oven here!

Recipe ship's rusk

Ingredients:

• 400 grams of flour
• 200 ml of water
• 4 teaspoons of salt
• baking paper

Methods:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Mix the flour and salt together. Add the water and knead the mixture with your hands into a supple and firm dough.

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a sheet about 1 cm thick. Cut out rounds with a glass or cup and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Prick holes in the dough with a fork or skewer.

Bake the ship's rusks for about 25 minutes until golden brown and let them cool.

Anno 2020 delicious with butter and sugar but also with jam, apple syrup, chocolate spread and peanut butter with sprinkles!