Simply Wonderful Scottish Baps

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Feb 13th 2009 @ 10:06AM

I'm quite happy to have some Scottish ancestry. It's led me to the dry and delicious world of scones, the simplicity of shortbread, the warm and satisfying bite of Scotch, and the utter tastiness of haggis. Now, it's led me to warm and tasty baps.

Scottish baps are simply bread rolls made with yeast. They must be kneaded and allowed to rise a few times before being flattened, left to raise again, and then pinched to keep them from rounding out while baking. They only need to be baked for 20-30 minutes, and they're the perfect sort of bread for beginner bakers. The recipe is incredibly easy, it familiarizes you with kneading and rising, and it is hard to mess up. The flavor of a bap is simple, yet rewarding. It tastes much like a freshly made biscuit while having the texture of a well-worked piece of bread. The outside is wonderfully crisp while the inside is soft, airy, and just waiting for a slab of butter.

There's really no limit to the foods that can be slid inside a bap, and Wise Geek notes that regional favorites include bacon batties (bacon, butter, and a brown sauce), baps served alongside Lincolnshire sausages, and fritter rolls that pile potato fritters inside.

Bap recipe after the jump.

Scottish Baps
Recipe taken from The Essential Baking Cookbook

Ingredients:1/4 ounce package of dried yeast (approx. 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp caster sugar
3 1/2 cups white bread flour + 2 extra tbsp
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 oz butter (3 tbsp) - melted

Combine yeast, sugar, and 2 tbsp of flour in a small bowl. Gradually pour the milk in, stirring until smooth and dissolved. Let it rest in a warm place for 10 minutes, until bubbles appear on the surface. (Bubbles mean the yeast is active! If it doesn't bubble and foam, your yeast is dead and you've got to get perky yeast and try again.)
While that's resting, sift salt and flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour butter and yeast mixture in, then stir with a knife to form a soft dough.
Knead the dough on a very lightly floured surface for 3 minutes, or until smooth. (It's not a very moist dough, so you shouldn't have problems with sticking.) Shape the dough into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with saran, and let it rest for 1 hour until well risen.
Preheat your oven to 415 degrees.
Punch down the dough with your fist, then knead again for a few minutes. Divide the batter into 12 pieces, and knead one piece at a time for one about minute before flattening the dough into a circle/oval and moving on. (The dough will morph from malleable and light to smaller, stronger, and more firm.)
Place all of the baps onto a lightly floured cookie sheet, lightly sprinkle with flour, cover in plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes until well risen.
Use your finger to press down in the center of each bap to make an indent, and bake them in the oven for approximately 30 minutes until browned and cooked through. (Mine take about 25, in an oven slightly below 400 for most of the baking, so keep an eye on them.)

Filed Under: Ingredients
Tags: baps, bread, british isles, homemade bread, HomemadeBread, Scottish Baps, ScottishBaps, The Essential Baking Cookbook, TheEssentialBakingCookbook

Chew on This

Royal Wedding Cake Details Revealed! - YumSugar

Make Your Own Pop Tarts - CHOW
Denny's Introduces a Maple Bacon Sundae - Eater
Whole Foods Opening Bars in Stores - USA Today
Rules Of Bar Etiquette -- For The Bartender - HuffPost Food

Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

2-13-2009 @10:24AM Jonathan Zero said... will be trying these out real soon. Maybe this weekend.
Reply

Vote upVote downReport

2-13-2009 @12:05PM Cyndy said... Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe. Given your Scottish heritage, can you share an easy shortbread recipe on this site? I tried one that had LOTS of cornstarch...did not like the taste of the finished product at all. Would really appreciate a good recipe if you have one to share. Thanks!
Reply

Vote upVote downReport

2-13-2009 @3:03PM agent54 said... shortbread with cornstarch? really? if i recall correctly, it's just butter, some sort of sugar and flour. maybe some flavoring. right? just google shortbread for the right proportions. hopefully here is a link? i usually use powdered sugar but any type is fine http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Scottish-Shortbread-IV/Detail.aspx
Reply

Vote upVote downReport

2-13-2009 @8:19PM Hammer said... As as Scottish cook, in Scotland, I have to say I have never heard of those in my life.

I suspect they may be an American bastardisation of the Buttery, a savoury lard based breakfast food.

They are no relation to either Shortbread or "Scotch" (which is it'self a bastardised term - the correct name is whisky - if you need to clarify the nationality the word you seek is "Scottish").
Reply