Scottish Bap

By Alqualonde

The Scottish bap bread is a soft roll, usually round, sometimes oval, sometimes square. It's a flat topped bread roll, dusted with flour, and an indented hole is in the middle to stop it from rising to a dome. It's best eaten fresh out of the oven first thing in the morning, sliced in two and enveloping fried bacon and eggs.

Ingredients

• 6 fluid ounces tepid milk
• 6 fluid ounces water
• 2 teaspoons dried yeast
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 pound strong white flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon milk, to glaze

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 130mins
Cooking time 145mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine the milk and water in a liquid measuring jug. Sprinkle the yeast and the sugar into 3.5 ounces of the milk and water mixture in a separate bowl. Leave for 5 minutes, stir to dissolve. Stir in half the remaining milk/water mixture.

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeasted milk and water. Mix in the flour. Stir in the reserved milk and water as needed to form a sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave to rise until doubled, about an hour.

Knock back and let rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 8 pieces, and shape each piece into a flat oval, (or a round ball if you prefer) about 1/2 inch thick. Place on a floured baking tray. Brush with milk and sift over a fairly heavy dusting of flour.

Leave to rise, uncovered, until doubled in size, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Again sift more flour over each bap. Use your thumb to make an impression in the centre of the baps, about 1/2 inch deep.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until risen and pale golden. Cover with a tea towel and leave on wire rack to cool.