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In Aberdeen, it's called a Rowie. In the county of Aberdeenshire, it's a Buttery. Either way, it's a breakfast roll with a history that goes back in time.
Legend has it that the Rowie was created for the Aberdeen fishermen. They needed a baked product to sustain them while at sea, often for as long as two weeks. It had to retain its freshness and avoid becoming stale. It also had to provide them with a good energy source at the start of the day.
Often misnamed 'The Scottish croissant', they are fashioned from flour, butter, lard, salt, sugar and yeast.
Kitty Tait (author of Breadsong and owner of the Orange Bakery in Watlington, Oxfordshire) refers to them as 'Roadkill Croissants'. I like that name!
In 1917, Aberdeen's Press & Journal and Evening Express detailed the threat to the Rowie as a result of the introduction of war bread and pricing controls. It was banned for a while despite local bakers' protestations that the Rowie wasn’t “bread” as defined by the regulations. Articles noted its manufacture is an important branch of the baking trade locally, particularly in working-class districts, where breakfasts consist of porridge and milk, followed by tea and a buttery Rowie. Both employers and employees were likely to be badly hit by the prohibition and were encouraged to make representations to the Food Controller.
See (https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/past-times/4008023/rowies-or-butteries/)
Over the centuries, the Rowie (or Buttery) has evolved from a lard and salt-laden savoury snack into something far more palatable and akin to the changing tastes of the times. These days, they are buttery and most enjoyable when toasted for breakfast and served with jam or conserves. It's easy to see how writers have associated them with the European croissant....although they are a lot easier, and quicker, to produce.
INGREDIENTS
500 gms of strong white bread flour
20 gms light brown sugar
350 gms lukewarm water
250 gms unsalted butter
125 gms lard
10 gms finely crushed sea salt
7 gms of instant active yeast
A note on the ingredients: please note that the lard and butter combination work really well. These are authentic Rowies, and the balance of the ingredients is time-honoured and time-served
METHOD
Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the sugar. Mix well and then add the salt. Mix well again.
Make a well in the middle of the mixture and add the yeast to the well, followed by the lukewarm water. Mix together until all the flour has been hydrated and knead until you have a rough dough.
Cover and leave to prove in a warm place for about an hour. Remember, watch the dough, not the clock. They should get towards doubling in volume but not further. Don't wait for them to double and stop the process early if your room is so warm it doesn't rake an hour.
Meanwhile, dice the butter and the lard and cream them together using a hand mixer or fork.
When the dough has finished proving for one hour, tip it gently out onto a well-floured board. De-gas the dough (I call this 'knocking back') and roll it out into a rectangle about 1 cm thick. Keep the short edges facing you.
Spread one-third of the butter/lard mixture over two-thirds of the dough. Fold down the third that hasn't been in contact with the butter/lard mixture over two-thirds of the dough, and then take the remaining third and fold it over as though you were folding a letter.
Sandwich the dough parcel between two sheets of baking paper. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover it in cling film (kitchen wrap) and put it into the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
After 40 minutes, repeat the rolling, spreading and folding with another third of the butter/lard mixture. Fold as preciously. Cover and pop it back into the refrigerator for a further 45 minutes.
After a further 45 minutes, repeat the whole process with the last third of the butter/lard mixture and roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1 cm thick.
With a knife or pastry cutter, cut the dough into rectangles and then place each rectangle on a prepared baking tray leaving space in between each of the rowies.
Cover and leave them to prove in a warm place for 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190⁰C (375⁰F).
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to stop the bottoms of the Rowies from becoming soft. There will be butter/lard on the tray that will have oozed out. Place the Rowies on a rack to cool a little and drain off any excess butter/lard that has oozed out.
Eat while warm. They are especially good with butter and jam.
Butteries not eaten fresh should be be reheated at 375⁰F (190⁰C) for 8 - 10 minutes. They should always be reheated...they are never as good if eaten cold. Alternatively, you can toast them.
My taste testers were visitors staying over Easter. They were enjoyed hot with raspberry jam. They saw the similarity with a croissant and someone said...."it'd be nice with a slice of bacon and a fried egg"
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