English muffin is a small, round, and flat bread that's made from a soft yeasted dough. Once shaped into rounds, either by hand or with crumpet rings, the English muffin is baked on a griddle. Before toasting, they are halved, and once toasted, they're buttered, then served for breakfast with sweet or savory toppings.
These muffins are an essential part of eggs Benedict. It's not recommended to use a knife to cut them in half – most cooks agree that they should be split with a fork and gently pulled apart in order to create a surface with small peaks and craters, which gives them a crunchy texture and provides many pockets for jam and butter.
MOST ICONIC English muffin
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Traditionally prepared and eaten on Good Friday and during Lent, hot cross buns are subtly sweet spiced buns made with a rich yeast dough that is studded with dry fruit. The top of each bun is marked with a cross, typically made with shortcrust pastry, a mixture of flour and water, or icing sugar.
Although theories abound, the exact origin of hot cross buns is shrouded in mystery. They are sometimes associated with Romans and Saxons, who made similar cross-marked buns to commemorate Eostre—the goddess of light. However, they are mostly linked to Christian folklore.
MOST ICONIC Hot cross buns
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It is believed that this classic English dessert was invented at the London's Chelsea Bun House in the 18th century. The bun is made with a rich egg-based yeast dough flavored with lemon peel, and either cinnamon or mixed spice. Before baking, the dough is smeared with a combination of butter, brown sugar and currants.
A perfect tea-time treat, Chelsea bun is typically enjoyed warm, cut into slices and smeared with even more butter.
MOST ICONIC Chelsea bun
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Huffkins are traditional English bread rolls originating from Kent. These rolls are flat, circular to oval, with a dimple in the center. They're made with flour, water, yeast, and a bit of lard, although modern recipes sometimes call for the addition of milk powder.
Once baked, the rolls develop a pale crust, white crumb, thin crust, and a light and open texture. After baking, the huffkins are traditionally wrapped in a cloth in order to prevent the crust from hardening. It's recommended to fill the hole on top with cherries or jam.
MOST ICONIC Kentish huffkins
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Bath bun is a traditional sweet bread roll originating from Bath. The buns are circular, with nib sugar and caraway seeds on top of their highly glazed exterior. The texture is dense and close, while the flavor is lightly spiced and sweetened, with lump sugar underneath.
The milk-based yeasted dough for Bath buns is usually based on plain brioche dough or rich egg and butter dough with caraway seeds. Although there are disputes about the origins of these buns, the ones made from a recipe dating back to 1679 are still available in the town of Bath.
MOST ICONIC Bath bun
Barm cake is a traditional bread roll originating from North West England. These soft rolls are usually topped with flour before baking, and in the past, they were usually leavened with barm, the residue that forms during yeast fermentation when making lager or ale.
Nowadays, most barm cakes are made with regular yeast, flour, milk, water, salt, and sometimes lard. Barm cakes are often filled with chips or served as an accompaniment to fish and chips. They can be found in most fish and chip shops in the region.
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HAWKSHEAD WIGS ARE UNFORTUNATELY EXTINCT. IF YOUR SHOP MAKES OR OFFERS HAWKSHEAD WIGS, CONTACT US AT editorial@tasteatlas.com
Hawkshead wig is a traditional bread roll originating from Hawkshead in Cumbria. These bread rolls are usually made with a combination of flour, yeast, water, and lard.
The dough is mixed with caraway seeds, shaped into ovals, and the tops are then brushed with milk and sugar before baking. Once baked, the rolls should be golden with a shiny top and thick in the middle. They have been connected with Lent in the past, while some connect them with Christmas, particularly in Shrewsbury.
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Devonshire split is a traditional sweet bun originating from Devon, hence the name. The buns are usually made with a combination of flour, salt, sugar, yeast, butter, and milk or cream. Once the dough has been formed, it's divided into small rounded buns that are baked until the crust becomes pale golden.
They're often rubbed with butter and sprinkled with icing sugar. The bread should be very light and the flavors slightly sweet. After they've been baked, Devonshire splits are split open and filled with clotted cream and jam. It's also important to note the existence of Cornish splits, which are the same as Devonshire splits, but larger.
MOST ICONIC Devonshire split
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Stottie cake is a soft, dense, and savory bread from England, characterized by an indentation in the middle. It is traditionally consumed split and filled with pease pudding, ham, or similar breakfast staples. The bread is also often consumed as it is, spread only with butter.
It is believed that the name of the bread is derived from a Geordie word stot, meaning to bounce, referring to the fact that the bread would bounce when dropped.
MOST ICONIC Stottie cake
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Dorset knob is a traditional rusk or biscuit originating from Dorset, hence the name. These rusks have been baked by Moore's company since the late 19th century, and it's believed they were originally made from leftover bread dough, butter, and sugar and baked in the warm oven after the bread was removed.
Although the exact recipe is nowadays a trade secret, it's believed that the dough includes sugar, flour, yeast, water, and fat. The rusks are baked at high temperature, during which they are turned over. Once done, they should be hard and crumbly.
Dorset knobs are usually dipped in tea in order to soften, but they can also be eaten with butter and cheese such as Dorset Blue Vinney.
MOST ICONIC Dorset knob
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