Scottish Morning Rolls

Here’s how to make a batch of traditional Scottish morning rolls that are incredibly soft, with a deep, slightly chewy crust. They’re perfect for breakfasts!

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This recipes make a batch of Scottish morning rolls that are soft, slightly chewy & perfect for breakfast (and lunches and dinners!). Fill these traditional Scottish rolls with plenty of butter, fried square sausage (Lorne), black pudding, haggis & a runny fried egg and you’re in or a treat!

What Are Scottish Morning Rolls?

Scottish morning rolls get their name from the time of the day that are sold. These bread rolls are baked fresh daily in Scottish bakeries & are a staple part of a Scottish breakfast. They’re incredibly soft on the inside, have a deep, slightly chewy crust & make the most amazing fried breakfast sandwiches! Morning rolls can also be made into well fired rolls (another traditional Scottish bread roll) by baking them until they’re burnt & blackened on top.

For more recipes, take a look at our ever growing collection of bread recipes! There’s buns, bagels, sourdough, pizza doughs, doughnuts & lots more…

What You’ll Need

• Bread Flour – You’ll need a strong white bread flour for these rolls. It’s best to use a flour with a protein content of at least 13%. I used a Canadian bread flour from Shipton Mill.
• Yeast – We’re using dried active yeast for this recipe which needs to be activated in warm water before being used in the dough.
• Lard – Adding softened lard to our dough gives the rolls a softer texture & a savoury flavour. Butter would also work but lard is the more traditional fat to use.
• Sea Salt – A good quality sea salt is best for bread doughs. I like to use Maldon.
• Sugar – A small amount of sugar adds flavour to the dough & gives the rolls a deeper colour once baked.
• Semolina – Sprinkling the rolls with semolina before baking gives them extra texture & a crisp crust once baked. Rice flour will also work.

How To Make Scottish Morning Rolls

The full, printable recipe card for these bread rolls can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…

1. Activate Yeast
   We’re using dried active yeast which needs to be activated before being used. To do this, we take the water from our dough, warm it to 38°c/100°f then whisk in the dried yeast. We leave this somewhere warm for 5-10 minutes, until it goes frothy then it’s ready to use.
2. Mix Dough
   To make the dough, we mix flour with salt, sugar & the activated yeast (using a stand mixer with a dough hook attached), until a smooth dough forms then we mix in softened lard. We keep kneading the dough for another 5 minutes or so, until it passes the windowpane test then we transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl.
3. First Rise
   We let the dough prove at room temperature for 1-1½ hours, until it has doubled in size.
4. Shaping
   Once risen, we knock the dough back then portion into 6 equal pieces, each one should weigh around 100 grams. Next, we take a piece of dough & shape into a ball. We then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a disc that’s roughly 3cm wide & 2cm thick. Once shaped, we place the rolls onto a tray dusted with semolina.
5. Second Rise
   Next, we dust the rolls with semolina then let them rise for another 45 minutes or so, until they are well risen & touching each other.
6. Baking
   We cook the morning rolls at 230°c/446°f for 10-12 minutes, until they are a deep, golden brown on top then let them cool on the tray before serving.

The Windowpane Test

The best way to assess the gluten development in your dough is by using the windowpane test. Here, you take a small piece of dough & stretch it between your fingers. If it stretches thin enough so that you are able to see through it, enough gluten has been developed. If it tears, more kneading is required.

How To Shape Scottish Morning Rolls

We shape our morning rolls like you normally would when making bread rolls/burger buns except we’re also rolling them out slightly with a rolling pin after shaping & dusting them with semolina. This is what gives morning rolls their crisp crust.

Here’s how to shape them…

1. Knock the dough back then divide into 100 gram pieces.
2. Take a piece of dough & bring the edges into the middle. Flip the dough over & use cupped hands to shape into a tight ball. Dragging the seam on the work surface helps increase surface tension.
3. Using a rolling pin, roll the ball of dough out into a disc that is roughly 3 cm wide & 2cm thick.
4. Place the dough onto a lined baking tray (dusted with semolina as well) then repeat the shaping process with the remaining dough.
5. Once shaped, lightly sprinkle the rolls with semolina then leave to rise.

Morning Rolls Tips & Tricks

• Add lard to the bread dough for a softer texture & a deep, savoury flavour.
• Sprinkle your morning rolls with semolina before baking for a crisp crust.
• Bake the morning rolls at a high temperature, to give their crust a deeper colour & flavour.
• Serve your Scottish morning rolls whilst they’re fresh, with plenty of butter!

Serving Suggestions

Morning rolls are a staple part of a Scottish breakfast table & are fantastic when filled with components of a Scottish fried breakfast. This includes crispy fried bacon, black pudding, square sausage (Lorne), fried eggs & haggis. Morning rolls aren’t just eaten at breakfast though, they’re great served at lunch or dinner as well.

I made a seriously tasty sandwich with my morning rolls! This was filled with square sausage, beer battered black pudding, a fried egg & plenty of brown sauce…

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Bake Morning Rolls In An Aga

With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas. Here’s how to cook this recipe on an Aga…

Bake the morning rolls in the roasting oven, on the second from top set of runners. Turn the baking tray around after 10 minutes then bake for another 2 minutes, so that the rolls colour evenly.

Equipment Used

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• Stand Mixer
• Thermapen Food Probe
• Baking Tray

More Bread Recipes To Try!

• Tangzhong Dinner Rolls
• Potato Burger Buns
• Potato Sandwich Bread
• Same Day Focaccia
• Overnight Tangzhong Doughnuts
• 3 Day Poolish Pizza Dough

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