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.
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About
Waterford blaas are soft white bread rolls with a distinctive sprinkle of flour on top of each one. They're a popular breakfast item in Ireland, and are also enjoyed in chip butty sandwiches (french fry sandwiches). 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
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!
How to Make
- 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.
2. Mix in the butter and sugar until blended, then trickle in the water until a sticky dough forms.
3. 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.)
4. 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.
5. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces, then roll each one into a ball.
6. Flatten each ball slightly with a rolling pin and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Dust with flour.
7. Cover the blaas with plastic and let them prove until doubled in size, about 50 minutes.
8. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, until they are nicely browned and have an internal temperature of 200°F.
Recipe FAQs
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.
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.
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!).
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.
Store
- Store fully cooled Waterford blaas in a zip-top plastic bag at room temperature to keep them fresh. Eat within 24 hours for best flavor.
- Freeze baked ones for up to 1 month in a zip-top freezer bag.
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.
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Recipe
Waterford Blaas (Irish Rolls)
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
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.
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
This post was originally published on March 8, 2018 and was republished on February 25, 2020 and on February 24, 2022 with refreshed photos and updated content.
Diane
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.
Emma
Thanks for your kind words, Diane! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the blaas so much!
Beth
Despite their funny name, they taste heavenly. They do taste great when made into chip butty sandwiches.
Emma
I agree! Waterford blaas are such a delightful bread--also in chip butty sandwiches.
Eric McBride
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
Emma
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.