Watching Bread Week on The Great British Bake Off and feeling inspired to get the yeast out? These 10 tried-and-tested Bread Week recipes cover everything from an easy everyday loaf and no-yeast breads to classic British buns, Scottish favourites and something sweet.
Which Bread Week Recipe Should I Make?
- Best for beginners: Easy White Bread
- Quickest/no yeast: Soda Farls
- Classic Scottish bake: Scottish Morning Rolls
- Something a bit more challenging: Butteries/Rowies
- Something sweet: Iced Finger Buns or Cinnamon Buns
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Easy Bread Recipes for Bake Off Bread Week
If Bread Week on The Great British Bake Off – or The Great British Baking Show, as it’s known in the US – has inspired you to get baking, you’re not alone. Bread has a habit of making even the most confident bakers break into a sweat – between proving times, kneading techniques and wondering whether Paul Hollywood would approve!
But bread really doesn’t need to be intimidating. Some of my favourite bread recipes are simple, no-fuss bakes that anyone can master at home, from classic Scottish Morning Rolls to Easy White Bread, Iced Finger Buns and Soda Farls. These easy Bread Week recipes prove (pun intended…) that you don’t need to be in the Bake Off tent to enjoy fresh, homemade bread.
10 Easy Bread Week Recipes to Bake at Home
Easy White Bread
The one I’d recommend if you’ve never made bread before. This simple white loaf uses a straightforward yeast dough with no fancy shaping or specialist equipment, giving you a soft everyday bread that’s great for sandwiches, toast or even homemade pizza bases.
Easy White Bread Recipe
Scottish Morning Rolls
A great choice if you fancy making a proper Scottish classic. These soft, flour-dusted morning rolls are the kind you’ll find in bakeries and corner shops across Scotland, but they’re even better fresh from your own oven. Perfect for breakfast rolls, sandwiches or simply split and buttered.
Scotch Morning Rolls Recipe
Cheese Breadsticks
One of the easiest Bread Week recipes to make with kids. These soft, cheesy breadsticks are simple to shape and easy to adapt with whichever cheese you have to hand. They're a fun introduction to working with yeast dough and make a great homemade snack too. As seen in Bake Off: Breadsticks were the Series 12 Bread Week Technical, when the bakers made olive and cheese ciabatta breadsticks.
Cheese Breadsticks Recipe
Butteries / Rowies
For something a little more challenging, try this traditional Scottish bake. Butteries – also known as Rowies – use a yeasted dough layered with fat, giving them their distinctive flaky texture and rich flavour. They take a little more work than an everyday loaf, but they’re well worth the effort.
Butteries / Rowies Recipe
Soda Bread
Perfect if yeast and proving are the bits of Bread Week that put you off. Soda Bread uses bicarbonate of soda instead of yeast, so there’s no kneading followed by hours of waiting for dough to rise. It’s a quick, hearty loaf that’s especially good with soup or toasted with butter.
Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Iced Finger Buns
A good place to start if you want to try a sweet bread dough. These nostalgic British bakery buns are soft and lightly sweet, shaped into fingers and finished with a simple layer of icing. Straightforward enough for beginners, but still very satisfying to pull from the oven.As seen in Bake Off: Iced Buns were the Series 2 Technical Challenge during Patisserie Week and returned as the Signature Challenge in the Series 6 final.
Iced Finger Buns Recipe
Chelsea Buns
A classic British bake that's perfect if you're ready to have a go at shaping a sweet yeast dough. Chelsea Buns are rolled with dried fruit and sugar before being sliced into swirls and baked together until soft and golden. A proper old-school bakery favourite and a lovely choice for Bread Week.As seen in Bake Off: Chelsea Buns were the Bread Week Signature Challenge in Series 9, when every baker had to make 12 of the British classic.
Chelsea Buns Recipe
Belgian Buns
Choose these if you fancy something a bit more impressive. Belgian Buns start with a soft, sweet yeast dough, rolled with lemon curd and sultanas before being finished with icing and a glacé cherry. They take a little more time, but you end up with a proper British bakery favourite.As seen in Bake Off: Belgian Buns were the final Technical Challenge of Series 12, with the finalists given just two instructions to make 12 identical buns.
Belgian Buns Recipe
Soda Farls
The quickest option in this Bread Week collection. Soda Farls need no yeast and no proving, making them ideal when you want fresh homemade bread without spending half the day waiting on dough. Simple, hearty and especially good served warm.
Soda Farls Recipe
Cinnamon Buns
For a sweet Bread Week bake that feels like a real treat, go for Cinnamon Buns. A rich yeast dough is rolled with a buttery cinnamon-sugar filling, baked into soft swirls and finished with sticky icing. They take a little patience for the two rises, but the actual method is very straightforward.
Cinnamon Buns Recipe
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Reid
Amy Reid is an award-winning food blogger, mother, wife and cookbook author. Inspired by her childhood in the kitchen with her Mum – a professional baker and her children’s Granny – Amy now shares her tried-and-tested traditional home baking recipes with bakers of all abilities around the world. She lives in Scotland with her husband, two sons and her small pack of Siberian huskies.