I visited an old friend in Glasgow for a few days.
We had Scottish morning rolls, they were really, really nice, completely different taste and texture from tesco’s Scottish rolls.
We had 2 types normal, and “fired rolls” which was soft but looked burnt on top, how do they do that?

Does anyone have a recipe for original Scottish morning rolls

Cheers

brucelee, go to the undernoted site -

[link]

click on Recipes Scottish at the right hand side of the page, scroll down the alphabetical list, you will find the recipe under Rolls.

Enjoy. I like mine well fired.
There are lots of great Scottish recipes on this site.

I agree Livewire, a wonderful site, I recommend it often.

Hi Rustie, I remembered this site, you recommended it recently to someone looking for a Millionaires Shortbread recipe.
I really must make Stovies soon, but their recipe is a bit different to mine. I love them with a few oatcakes and butter.

Excellent, what a great site, I have found a recipe, I will give it a go.
Thanks

brucelee, where did you friend get the rolls from in Glasgow? I really miss these rolls living down here but even so, when I am visiting family in Glasgow some rolls are better than others if you know what I mean. The ones you describe sound so good. Know what you mean about Tesco - they just don't hit the spot ... I know this is very unhealthy but did you try them in Glasgow with a fried potato scone inside. That is the best with an egg.

Hi Jeanster, it was a newsagents we got it from, the name I didn't read.

It was like, cornmeal type thing on top chewy crust (even the fired ones) and soft on the inside, really nice.

I found a recipe on rampantscotland, I proved for the designated time, it tried baking it, it was just like french bread.

So I made a second batch with the same recipe.

I read on google that you leave them over night to prove, and it gives it they chewy texture too, and you are meant to keep it well covered (after it cooks) which steams it soft, I fired this batch, and at the minute, I have burnt french bread.

Think this one might be an old secret recipe, I've never seen anything like them before, and I am facinated how they do them.

you'll never beable to recreate the gorgeous morning rolls they are a secret.The best ones to buy when you are in Scotland are from the bakery chain Oliver's they are to die for.If you are lucky enough to visit Oliver's try their cafe,the food is divine....HURRAH FOR SCOTLAND

I let them cool down in there own steam, and it was just burnt french bread, pretty gross, tasted like marmite for some reason.

Hi brucelee
Have you given up on Scottish morning rolls? If not, you may want to go to the undernoted site. You could always compare ingredients, method, etc.

[link]

Be like Robert the Bruce and try, try, try again.

I'm a Scot living in Sussex and crave oor rolls. Haven't come across anything down here to match them. Miss Scotch pies and Bridies, White Pudding, Clootie Dumpling that you buy in the butchers, Square Sausage. Those nice big pickled onions that you get with your smoked haddock supper from the chip shop. The list is endless! I usually stock up when I go home and the rolls freeze well, so I suggest you try that if you dont crack the recipe. If you do though, please let me know

Hi Livewire and Gilly, not given up yet, the information I have is that floury potatoes may be used and egg, and added to the dough, but they don't explain how to do it without having mash potato bread, I'm thinking add it when the potato is cool and flour is dry, and work it in before adding the liquids.

Homogenised milk seems to be a factor as well as extra oil, lard or butter, which re-affirms it as (whilst scotch rolls are much nicer) I can see similarities between that and pizza hut base (if so to be eaten occasionally) .

Now mot being Scottish, and only tasting these a few days ago, I’m assuming that this is a traditional recipe and many centuries old.

Which would suggest that lard or butter is used instead of oil, maybe that’s a factor

But all the recipes are so varied; that I think it will be based on trial and error.

I have made foccacia and ciabbata, which uses more oil than other breads, and it does make it softer and chewier than say French bread and also more airier , which also maybe a factor why it doesn’t go like charcoal marmite flavour when it’s fired.

Hi brucelee -
definitely no potatoes in Scottish morning rolls.
I notice there is a little oil in the first recipe, but no fat of any kind in the second.
In the second site I mentioned there is a recipe for Aberdeen Butteries which includes butter and lard. These are delicious but entirely different to a traditional Scottish morning roll.
This experiment must be costing you a fortune in ingredients so I really hope you get it right soon.
By the way, I have never made either of the recipes. Maybe I should and we could compare notes.

As I said before, try, try, try again.

brucelee, website for Aberdeen Butteries noted below -

[link]

Hi livewire,

I made another batch tweaking the recipe but still using minimum oil, and this time it tasted like very posh london sandwich shop rolls, but not scotch.

Might be an idea making up some batches and then we could discuss the outcome, I am doing them in 250g of flour, which yields 5 - 6 rolls each time.

Which then I am giving to my sister, and she makes up the kids lunches with them.
I didn't give the fired attempt ones, I'm sure they wouldn't have ate it

One thing's for sure, it seems a tough nut to crack.

Hi brucelee,
Managed to log on after a log absence (too busy looking after our grandchild) and read your posting. My husband also loves Scotch rolls and every time his sisters visit us they bring a suitcase full of rolls, black pudding, square sausage and potato scones. I have been thinking about making the rolls but I have noticed that the rolls are not exactly white inside. The colour is kind of off white. That makes me think that there is a special flour being used for making them and that's why I have never tried making them. Good luck with your baking.

Hi Kamila, I have found the reason why they are off white, it is because they use brown sugar, instead of white.

Ta for the info, brucelee. I will try to make them one day but I seem to be very busy at the moment. Seem to have a stream of visitors and the time I have in between the visits I seem to spend catching up on my e-mails and cleaning the house for the next lot. Please keep posting your updates about your rolls.

this conversation has my mouth watering.. i live in Scotland and I love the rolls from Morton's bakery. I thin Tescos sell them but don't think they are quite the same from going into a grocers. Roll spread with butter and a squred sliced sausage with fried onions and brown sauce, yum. Egg and potato scone together is good too.

I'm a Scot and used to live in Sussex. Whenever we went to Scotland for family visits, I always ended up stocking up with all the foods I couldn't get in Sussex - morning rolls (butteries we call them here), also just plain softies (soft rolls in Sussex), and a butchers beef steak pie! Oh and oatmeal stuffing from the butcher too. We're back living in Scotland now. All these rolls/softies used to freeze quite well. Tescos aren't quite the same for rolls etc, you can't beat a home bakery for this kind of stuff.

hi Brucelee, I hope you manage to work the recipe out because it's something i'd love to know too. One thing I do know about Morton's rolls (the ones you get in the newsagents in Glasgow and u tear them from a big batch) is that they are fat free...keep baking

Hi brucelee, I found Mortons Rolls in Waitrose in London. They are marketed under the Nick Nairn brand