I think there are very few people who don’t like fresh bread at any time.
I think it’s why the French bread sticks are so popular in shops, as they seem to be baked fresh for your visit. I kept meaning to add these to the website, but just never got round to photographing ours as they tend to be eaten as soon as they come out of the oven.
I know some of you will be wondering how you make softies or buns in a breadmaker, but it’s easy enough as the breadmaker does almost all the work.
All you have to do is shift the dough from breadmaker to baking tray and then finally the oven.
Breadmaker Softies Recipe – or Bread Rolls, Baps, Burger Buns, Morning Rolls – Whatever you call them.
Ingredients
Method
- Using a breadmaker, you are going to choose the dough setting which normally takes a couple of hours. If you use a pizza dough setting, you will have to do two proves, not the one used for this recipe.
- Add the water in first to the bowl. Then add the oil and layer the flour on the top, so that it covers all the water completely.
- I add the salt and sugar to one side of the bowl so that it is kept dry on top of the flour.
- Add the yeast, again, making sure to keep it dry at this stage by adding it to the top of the flour, but away from the sugar and salt.
- Leave your dough until it has finished its setting and simply shape into balls on a greased tin. I'm never precise with this, so my softies come out all shapes and sizes which is fine for us. I use a little flour to coat my hands as the dough is often very sticky otherwise. Leave your dough to prove on the greased tin, until it has at least doubled in size. I tend to either use cake release spray or the one cal oil sprays to grease my baking trays.
- Simply bake in an oven around 200C for approximately 15 minutes. Keep a check on your softies and if you think they are cooked earlier, simply insert a skewer into the side of one to see if it comes out clean.
- Ours never seem to go cold before they are used. This size of batch makes about 6 - 8 large softies, or up to 12 small ones.
Hi Scottish Mum
The recipe was very easy to follow however, I’m not sure mine came out right I’m letting them cool off right now. I’m used to cooking with natural gas and in the past two years I’ve had to learn how to cook with Propane. It’s very different and I don’t get the browning that I used to with natural gas. These rose pretty big in the oven, but it was hard for me to tell whether they were ready or not. I mean they came out clean when I stuck a knife in them, but I’m here to able to tell whether they are done and then when I touch them they feel kind of hard on the top and I was really looking for something soft on the top did I do something wrong? Thank you and thank you for posting this.
Hi Laura, I’ve never cooked with propane, so I don’t know the conversion for that or if it’s different. Perhaps a little too high temperature if the tops went very hard. They won’t be as soft as the shop bought ones with preservatives and additives, but shouldn’t be like a crunchy baguette outer on first cooling, unless that’s what someone is looking for. Ours rarely ever last to the second day as my boys much them almost as soon as they are out of the oven.
Made these this morning and they went down a treat in my house! Worked perfectly. I did shape mine a little more precisely like you would with burger buns, pinching the bottoms to get a smooth ball and did an olive oil wash before baking. Came out fab! Thanks so much Scottish Mum!
I’m a newbie to bread making I got a machine for my birthday. This was the first recipe I tried that wasn’t in the book it was perfect. My husband loved these rolls. We are trying to get back to basics and eliminate unnecessary chemicals and preservatives from our diets so this recipe is perfect for his work lunch thank you for sharing this with us.
Hi scottish mum, l made the rolls fews time with my bread maker machine. And very good recipe have put cheese on the top before put in the oven and there tast very nice.
Perfect and much much better than Panasonic own soft roll recipe which was always too dry. Certainly the olive oil and the large water amount made a difference. And for once the bread actually tastes good rather than bland. Really impressed
Absolutely perfect and loved the “shortcut” of starting the dough in the breadmaker. I’ve never tried that before. My scale easily converted from the metric and Google told me 200 c is 392 f. Cheers!
Fantastic recipe, follow the instructions and you will not be disappointed.
Best bread rolls I’ve ever made.
Thank you
Ian
These were perfect! I wanted a little more brown on the top so i placed them under the broiler for a minute.
I used my kitchen aid. Put the yeast and very warm water in the mixing bowl. When foamy i added the remaining ingredients. 8 minutes on the second setting with the dough hook. Placed in a lightly greased bowl with plastic wrap over top and rested for 60 minutes. Punched down and shaped 12 flat rolls and placed on a warm parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Let rise another 25 minutes and baked until the middle was 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Added to my recipe book for the kids!! <3
Thank you!!! Do you have a recipe for REAL scotch meat pies by chance?
See Mr Paul’s pantry
Hello Scottish Mum,
I’m trying your recipe for the first time today. I’m new to bread making and have a question please. I’m using the Pizza Dough setting on my bread maker. Is the proving done in the bread machine or do I still need to prove them after shaping the dough? I’m a little confused with your comment about this particular bread machine cycle. Thanks!
Hi Claire. With a pizza setting (45 mins), the dough is not fully proved in the machine, so when you take it out and do a single prove, the buns might not rise so high. If you use the dough setting (usually a couple of hours), the first prove (rising) is done in the machine. Saying that, if I’m in a hurry and no bread in the house, I’ll use pizza dough settings for making bread that’s like a nan.
Thank you!
Hi
I am new to bread making and dont have a bread maker.
Could you please let me have the recipe with instructions and timing for making by hand??
Many thanks
Regards
Steve Teale
Sorry, I don’t do that. You can use the ingredients list and follow any breadmaking by hand recipe. As long as there is a double prove, it will be ok. It would be a different yeast. You will need a yeast for baking by hand.
It’s my go to roll recipe, as close as I can get to in the breadmaker as the rolls we used to buy from the Coop in Edinburgh in my childhood.
I made these as the partner to my homemade burgers.
The recipe is so easy to follow and well the bread buns were amazing. I made 8 biggish buns and they were so fluffy and soft
Fair to say they only lasted 2 days between the 2 of us.
The bread rolls are amazing. On my second batch for this afternoons barbecue
I am just making these rolls for the second time. Me and my husband loved them last time. So easy to make too. Can you tell me if they matters if the water is cool or warm. Thank you again for a great recipe.
Hi Sue – I use cold water from the tap, but room temperature water would be a better option. I’m never organised enough to remember to set some aside and cover it. When I want to make bread, I want to do it now..
Thanks for a great recipe – the closest to the ones from the corner shop we’ve managed to find. Good job when the corner shop is 200 miles away!
Hi, scottishmum I have baked your softies rolls twice a week for my children since I found your recipe who love them, can you please tell me if you have a recipe for soft wholemeal rolls for bread makers
Your help would be appreciated
I’d just change the bread flour for that, but keep all other ingredients the same.
Hi Amanda
I have tried making your amazing rolls/baps so many times and only once have they came out very well risen. Can You tell me what temp your water is as I think that’s where I’m going wrong
Hi Jacqueline, I use room temperature water, but do cover the buns with a damp dishcloth and place somewhere warm to rise better. On cold winters if my kitchen is really cold, I sometimes put my oven on to lowest temperature for a while, switch it off, then rise the buns in the oven with the door slightly open, when it’s warm and not hot. If I sit mine in sunlight to rise, they go like mad. Some yeasts and flours can yield different results. Perhaps try adding more yeast.
Made. Devoured. Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t tried these yet, but I’m going to say a HUGE THANK YOU for having properly measured ingredients!
I was sick of trawling the net and finding US recipes with “cups of” as measurements.
It’s so nice to know the recipe will work before I actually try it 😀
The absence of milk that’s in every US recipe is also a bonus, as my wife is dairy-free and I’d have had to muck about with the recipe.
These ahve just gone straight into my Panasonic SD-2511. Time for a coffee.
Made these today and they are lovely
Just made this on a cold day when I didn’t fancy popping out for a loaf for my lunch- absolutely delicious, thanks!
I have made these numerous times as they are so good and easy to make in bread machine. Great recipe.
Hi! I’ll be trying these over e weekend and I have a question.
We are not early risers in this house, so I’m wondering if the dough can be prepared and the rolls formed the night before then put in the oven while preparing g the rest of breakfast.
After you put the dough on baking tray, how long do you let them rise for?
Also do you use egg or milk to brush on top of rolls.
Thanks
Hi Margaret, I tend not to go by a strict time, and check them every ten minutes to see if they’ve risen enough. I find the heat of a kitchen can vary the times, so it’s hard to be precise. After your first try, you’d have a better idea of how they work for you.
You can use egg or milk to brush the tops. I rarely do that, but many people will.
Please, please can you give the recipe for these without a breadmaker & just by hand or with an electric mixer with dough hooks
I live in Greece & long for soft floury rolls
Hi Linda, I’ve never made these by hand, although I suspect the ingredients, combined with any bread recipe method with a double prove would work fine for a lighter fluffier roll.
Wow. Made these a few times now. Excellent rolls
How do I make these without a bread machine??
These rolls were delicious. So soft and tasty. Will definately be my go to roll recipe. Might try a loaf with recipe next. Thanks Sarah
Making your own rolls gets addictive, doesn’t it, especially when they taste so much better.
Hi, I’m not Scots but lived in Montrose for about 6 years…..these turned out just like the softies we’d get fresh from the bakers at the weekend. Nice recipe.
Glad you liked them and happy softie making.
Hello Scottish Mum
I love making bread but am new to it. Your recipe is for a bread maker which I don’t own, can these soft rolls be made the old fashioned way and if so how do you prove them?
Brian
Afternoon Scottish mum,
I have just tried your morning rolls and they were delicious, but can you please tell me, I used just one packet of instant yeast, should I have used two? Yes they did rise but maybe not as much as I thought they would.
Glenda
Hello from Vancouver, Canada!
I am writing a novel that takes place in Stirling, Scotland. I have my lead male character preparing Baps before opening up for the day. I just had a question. Can the dough be prepared the night before? And then put in the oven for baking in the morning so they are served fresh? Would this have any negative affect on them?
Any input would be greatly appreciated. I will happily link to your page when I get the ever-evasive contract 🙂
Have a great day!
Amanda Whittaker
w/a Amy Sedgemore
Hi Scottish mum,
I love your site and just bought the Morphy Richards soup maker after reading your review. Which bread maker would you recomend?
Thanks
I have the panasonic at the moment. I’ve had a couple of other brands but came back to my old Panasonic. Love it.
Hi Scottish mum,I love your website and have just bought the Morphy Richards soup maker based on your review and I\’m so glad I did! I now want to get a bread maker and was looking for reviews to see what make to get. These buns look amazing – which breadmaker do you have or would you recommend?Thanks 🙂