The Aberdeen buttery, also called a rowie, is a flaky, savoury laminated bread roll that originated in the north-east of Scotland, specifically Aberdeen, in the early 19th century. It was created as a durable, high-energy bread for the city's fishermen and farm labourers, who needed food that would keep for days at sea or in the fields, the generous lard content acting as both fuel and preservative. The roll is built like a rough puff, a bread dough repeatedly folded with layers of lard, so that it bakes into a flat, flaky, croissant-like disc with a crisp outside and a soft, layered interior. Unlike the French croissant, the buttery is salty rather than sweet, made with lard not butter, and is round and flat rather than crescent-shaped. The traditional recipe is famously tight-lipped among Aberdeen bakers, but the structure is plain. The buttery remains a fixture of north-east Scottish breakfast and tea tables, eaten warm and split, with more butter, an unrepentantly rich and salty regional emblem.
A flat, golden, flaky disc with a crisp, slightly greasy outside and a soft, layered, salty interior that pulls apart in buttery leaves. Eaten warm, split and re-buttered, with a cup of tea; unapologetically rich.
The buttery is a lamination of a strong bread dough with lard, the same principle as puff pastry but with yeast for a bread crumb. A dough of strong flour, yeast, salt and water is proved briefly, then rolled out, dotted or layered with lard, folded in three, and rolled again, the process repeated three or four times with short rests. Each fold multiplies the layers of fat and dough, so the finished roll, when baked at a high temperature around 220 degrees C, puffs and separates into distinct flaky leaves as the lard melts and the trapped steam forces the layers apart. Lard, not butter, is traditional because it has a higher melting point and a longer shelf life, both essential for a bread meant to keep at sea. The dough is shaped into flat rounds rather than tall buns, so the layers fan out horizontally. The generous salting is also a preservative feature, and the rolls are at their best warm from the oven.
Variations
Modern bakers sometimes use a mix of lard and butter for flavour. A sweeter 'tea buttery' is made for teatime. Some versions are studded with a few sultanas.
On the Palate
Where Aberdeen Buttery sits in the British flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 12How it's made
6 steps · 30 min
- 18 min
Mix 500g strong white flour with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and 7g instant yeast; add 300ml warm water to form a soft dough, knead 8 minutes, then prove 1 hour.
- 25 min
Roll the dough to a rectangle about 30 x 20cm; dot 150g cold lard over two thirds, fold in three like a letter, wrap, rest 15 minutes.
Watch outKeep the lard cold and firm as you fold — if it warms and smears into the dough, the layers merge and the buttery won't flake.
- 36 min
Repeat the roll, lard and fold twice more, resting between each, using the remaining 100g lard.
- 45 min
Roll the dough to 1.5cm thick and cut into 12 rounds about 9cm across; place on a lined tray and rest 20 minutes.
- 56 min
Bake at 220 degrees C for 15 to 18 minutes until golden, flaky and hollow-sounding.
Watch outBake hot and fast at 220°C so the trapped fat steams the layers apart — a slack oven just melts the lard out flat.
- 65 min
Best eaten warm; split and spread with extra butter.
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