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Home » Recipes » Bread Recipes

Waterford Blaas (Irish Rolls)

Published: Feb 24, 2022 · Modified: Aug 15, 2024 by Emma Fajcz · As an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Waterford blaas are white rolls with a soft interior and floury crust, and are quite popular in Ireland--especially at breakfast. Learn how to make these delicious and simple Waterford blaa buns with this easy recipe.

If you love Irish food, check out these tasty recipes for boxty bread and soda bread.

person holding a baked blaa
Jump to:
  • About
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Waterford Blaas
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Serve
  • Expert Tips
  • Other St. Patrick's Day Recipes
  • Recipe
  • Comments

About

Waterford blaas are soft white bread rolls with a distinctive sprinkle of flour on top of each one. The name is pronounced "blah," as in blah, blah, blah.

This bread is one of only four Irish foods with Protected Geographical Indication from the European Union.  Only four bakeries in County Waterford, Ireland, are licensed to make and sell Waterford blaas.  Among these bakeries, they sell 12,000 blaas each day!

Although I've never been to Ireland to taste an authentic Waterford blaa, it would be very exciting to visit and experience this awesome bread fresh from one of the four licensed bakeries!  The ingredients for my recipe are from Lea & Jay, but I've changed the method somewhat.

Ingredients

glass bowls of ingredients for blaas

There aren't many ingredients in these Waterford blaas, but let's talk about the three key ingredients.

  • Bread Flour: I like to use bread flour for the best rise and a slightly chewy texture.
  • Unsalted Butter: This adds richness to the dough.
  • Yeast: I use fast-action (aka instant) because you can skip the 10-minute blooming in warm water with a little sugar. That way, you can get to your Waterford blaas a little sooner!

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Waterford Blaas

mixing up blaa dough in a mixing bowl
  1. Pour the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl.  Stir each one in with your finger to blend. (image 1)
  2. Mix in the butter and sugar until blended, then trickle in the water until a sticky dough forms. (image 2)
kneading and proving the dough
  1. Knead with the dough hook for 3-5 minutes or by hand for 10 minutes until the dough is tacky, but not extremely sticky, and passes the windowpane test. (See the recipe card below for an explanation of this technique.) (image 3)
  2. Place the dough in a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise until at least doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. (image 4)
shaping the blaas and letting them rise
  1. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces, then roll each one into a ball. (image 5)
  2. Flatten each ball slightly with a rolling pin and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Dust with flour. (image 6)
blaas before and after baking
  1. Cover the blaas with plastic and let them prove until doubled in size, about 50 minutes. (image 7)
  2. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, until they are nicely browned and have an internal temperature of 200°F. (image 8)

Recipe FAQs

Why is it called a blaa?

The name could be related to the Huguenot word blaad, a name for leftover dough, while some think it could refer to the French word blanc, meaning "white."  This alludes to the white flour sprinkled on the Waterford blaas.
Blaas were actually brought over from France by the Huguenots when they immigrated to Ireland.  They brought their special white flour with them and taught the locals how to make the blaas.  Check out more information about the Irish blaas here.

Can you freeze blaas?

Yes, you definitely can freeze Waterford blaas. Seal them in a zip-top plastic bag or in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.

What food is Waterford famous for?

Waterford is best known for their blaas, a special bread that dates back to the Huguenots of the 1700s. The Irish often enjoy buttered Waterford blaas stuffed with Irish bacon at breakfast, but they also use them for sandwiches such as the chip butty (aka French fry sandwich!).

What is bap bread?

The term "bap" simply means bread roll, and there are many varieties of baps throughout the UK and Ireland. Although Waterford blaas are a bread roll, the Irish do not consider them to be a bap.

Serve

Waterford blaas are a popular breakfast item in Ireland, and are also enjoyed in chip butty sandwiches (french fry sandwiches).

Looking for other bread recipes? Try our Irish brown bread, cob loaf, or English crumpets.

holding half of a Waterford blaa with a plate of bread rolls.

Expert Tips

  • In a hurry? Make the dough the night before and let it prove the first time in the fridge.  Proceed with the recipe as written the next day.
  • Don't rush the proving; a slow prove gives the Waterford blaas a better flavor.
  • Want soft or crusty blaas? Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400°F (200°C) for soft ones, and bake for 15-20 minutes at 425°F (220°C) for crusty ones.
  • Serve Waterford blaas fresh from the oven to enjoy their distinctive doughy texture.

Other St. Patrick's Day Recipes

  • slice of corned beef pie on a plate with a fork.
    British Corned Beef Pie
  • white bowl of Mulligan stew with brown bread
    Mulligan Stew
  • sliced Irish brown bread on a cutting board
    Irish Brown Bread
  • slice of ham and cabbage pie with two forks
    Irish Ham and Cabbage Pie

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Recipe

holding one of the Waterford blaa buns

Waterford Blaas (Irish Rolls)

This easy recipe for Waterford blaas shows you how to make these traditional Irish white bread rolls.  These homemade rolls make amazing sandwiches, and taste good just with butter!  Eat like the Irish and try these soft, pull apart buns at breakfast.
5 from 3 votes
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Course: Bread
Cuisine: Irish
Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes
Total Time: 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes
Servings: 10 buns
Calories: 209kcal
Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients
 

  • 4 ⅛ cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons fine salt
  • 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, chilled
  • 2 ½ teaspoons caster sugar
  • 3 teaspoons fast-action yeast
  • 1 ¼ cup filtered water
Keep your screen on while you work!

Instructions

Make the Dough

  • Warm the water to 115°F using the microwave or a small saucepan.
  • Pour the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and butter.  Mix on low speed until well blended, then add the sugar and yeast.
  • Gradually pour in the water, mixing until a soft, slightly sticky dough has formed and all the flour is picked up from the sides of the bowl.
  • Knead with the dough hook on medium-low speed for 3-5 minutes (or by hand for 10 minutes) until the dough is quite smooth, no longer sticks to the work surface, and passes the windowpane test.  Test the dough by stretching a small piece of dough between the thumb and forefinger of each hand; it should be translucent in places without breaking.  If not, knead for a minute longer and check again.
  • Shape the dough into a ball, place in a buttered bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Let the dough prove until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Shape the Buns

  • Line an 11 by 17-inch rimmed cookie sheet with baking parchment.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch it down all over to knock out the air.  Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces, using a kitchen scale for accuracy.
  • Roll each piece into a ball, then lightly roll the ball in flour.  Gently flatten each ball with a rolling pin to shape it into a square with rounded corners.  Space the buns an inch or two apart on the prepared tray.
  • Place the tray inside a large, clean garbage bag and inflate the bag.  Tuck the ends under the tray to seal, then set in a warm place.  Let the buns prove until they're doubled in size, about 50 minutes.
  • About 10 minutes before the buns are done proving, preheat the oven to 400°F.

Bake the Buns

  • Dust the buns with flour from a small sieve, then bake them in the middle of the oven at 400°F (200°C) for about 15-20 minutes, until they're golden brown and have an internal temperature of about 200°F (93°C).  For crusty blaas, turn up the oven to 425°F (220°C).
  • Let the buns cool briefly on a wire rack before slicing in half and serving.  Use these Waterford blaas for a traditional Irish chip butty sandwich.

Video

Notes

  • In a hurry? Make the dough the night before and let it prove the first time in the fridge.  Proceed with the recipe as written the next day.
  • Don't rush the proving; a slow prove gives the blaas a better flavor.
  • Want soft or crusty blaas? Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400°F (200°C) for soft ones, and bake for 15-20 minutes at 425°F (220°C) for crusty ones.
  • Serve blaas fresh from the oven to enjoy their distinctive doughy texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 209kcal (10%)Carbohydrates: 40g (13%)Protein: 8g (16%)Fat: 2g (3%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mg (1%)Sodium: 476mg (21%)Potassium: 87mg (2%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 26IU (1%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 10mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alex

    March 08, 2024 at 7:30 am

    5 stars
    The blaas are nice and light, while the outside crust is chewy. These rolls taste especially good when slathered with butter.

    Reply
    • Emma Fajcz

      March 08, 2024 at 10:00 am

      Glad you enjoyed them, Alex!

      Reply
  2. Diane

    June 14, 2021 at 2:49 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! Very easy to make and versatile to eat. Great for breakfast with home-made jam and thick unsalted Irish butter. Great for lunch with any kind of salad. And of course they will be perfect with burgers.

    Reply
    • Emma

      June 14, 2021 at 5:39 pm

      Thanks for your kind words, Diane! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the blaas so much!

      Reply
  3. Beth

    October 11, 2019 at 12:31 pm

    5 stars
    Despite their funny name, they taste heavenly. They do taste great when made into chip butty sandwiches.

    Reply
    • Emma

      October 11, 2019 at 12:52 pm

      I agree! Waterford blaas are such a delightful bread--also in chip butty sandwiches.

      Reply
  4. Eric McBride

    October 01, 2019 at 5:56 pm

    There is no Sugar in traditional Blaas. And you need to bake at a lower temperature for nearly an hour. The longer bake time allows the yeast to rise slowly and makes the bread sooo much better.

    Chef McBride- The Celtic Caterer

    Reply
    • Emma

      October 01, 2019 at 6:02 pm

      Hi Chef McBride! Thanks for your comment. I did not know that traditional blaas didn't contain sugar; however, every single recipe for blaas that I have read uses sugar and bakes the rolls at a minimum temperature of 400 F for a range of 15-25 minutes. Sugar--even the small amount that I use--makes the bread softer, which is how a blaa is supposed to be. Bread should almost always be baked at a high temperature to get a better crumb structure, a higher oven spring, and a crispier, more browned crust. The yeast adds flavor to the bread as the dough proves, not so much when it bakes. You'll get a much better flavored bread by letting it spend extra time proving rather than in the oven.

      Reply

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We're Brooke & Emma Fajcz, the mother-daughter team behind Savor the Flavour. Increase your kitchen confidence with our recipes, instructional photos, and helpful tips and facts. Our recipes have been featured in Oprah Magazine, The Guardian, Parade, Insider, Delish, and BuzzFeed.

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