Bread roll

Two rolls

Bread Rolls at a bakery

A bread roll is a piece of bread, usually small and round. They are often used in the same way as sandwiches are—cut transversely, with fillings placed between the two halves.

There are numerous names given to bread rolls, especially in local dialects of British English. Some of these refer to a specific type of bread roll, and others are more general.
*Muffin (especially in Greater Manchester) See English Muffin.
*Bread roll or just roll
*Bap (often a larger soft roll, say 5-6 inches in diameter). Word has existed since 16th century. Dough can contain fats such as lard or butter to provide tenderness to dough. Can come in multiple shapes dependent on region. Traditional bap of Scotland is not sweet unlike Irish version which may contain currants.
*Barm or barm cake
*Teacake or Bread Cake (especially in Yorkshire, where they may not contain fruit)
*Bun (e.g. Hamburger bun or Hot dog bun)
*Finger roll, a soft roll about three times longer than it is wide
*Dinner roll, a smaller roll, often crusty
*Batch West Midlands term for a roll originating from the car factories
*Cob British term for a round roll.
*Stottie cake thick, flat, round loaf. Stotties are common in North East England

Bread rolls are common in Europe, especially in Germany and Austria. The German name for rolls is Brötchen (Northern Germany), which literally means "small bread", Semmel (Bavaria, most parts of Saxony and Austria, from Latin similia wheat flour, originally from Assyrian samidu white flour), Schrippe (in Berlin and parts of Brandenburg), or Weck (especially in Franconia and Saarland). In Germany and Austria, there is a large variety of bread rolls, ranging from white rolls made with wheat flour, to dark rolls containing mostly rye flour. Many variants include spices, such as coriander and cumin, nuts, or seeds, such as sesame seeds or sunflower seeds.
An Italian form is a small loaf of ciabatta which can be used to make a panino (or panini).

See Also

*Breakfast Roll

Reference

Oxford Companion to Food (1999), "Bap", p. 57

External links

* A recipe for a German / Austrian semmel