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Butterflap bread
Folded buttered rolls
Trinidad's soft folded rolls layered with butter
Soft, squishy and folded like a little book, butterflap is a Trinidad and Tobago bakery classic, sold by the bag from Port of Spain to San Fernando. Each roll is an oval of milky dough spread with butter and folded over, so it bakes into a tender roll that peels open along a buttery seam. People eat them warm for breakfast with cheese or a hot cup of cocoa tea, split them for a sandwich at lunch, or tear them up beside a pot of stew. Many bakeries use margarine; butter tastes better. Spreading the butter too thick, right to the edges, is where it goes wrong: it leaks out and fries the base, so keep a clean border. Chef's tip: pack the folded rolls snugly in the tin so they rise up rather than out and stay soft at the sides.
- Total time
- 147 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 1 ¾ oz sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups whole milklukewarm
- 1 ⅜ oz buttermelted
For the layers
- 2 ½ oz buttervery soft
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 1 ¾ oz sugar and 1 tsp salt. Add 1 ¼ cups whole milk and 1 ⅜ oz butter and mix to a soft dough.
Step 2: Knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and springy. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled.
70 minStep 3: Butter a 23 × 33 cm baking tin with ⅓ oz butter. Knock back the dough and divide into 12 pieces; roll each into a ball.
Step 4: Roll each ball into a 12 × 9 cm oval. Spread thinly with 2 ½ oz butter, leaving a 1 cm border, and fold in half lengthwise so the top edge sits just short of the bottom edge.
Step 5: Set the rolls in the tin in rows, folded edges facing the same way and almost touching. Cover and prove for 30–40 minutes, until puffed and filling the tin.
35 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Bake for 20–22 minutes, until golden on top and the rolls spring back when pressed.
21 minStep 7: Brush straight away with ½ oz butter and leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then pull apart and serve warm.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does butterflap bread take?
- About 147 minutes in total: 125 minutes to prepare and 22 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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