| Milk Roll | |
| Region: | Blackpool, Lancashire |
| Type: | Bread |
| Main Ingredient: | Wheat, Milk |
Milk roll or Blackpool roll is a soft, round type of British bread traditionally associated with the town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It is made using milk instead of water, as well as white flour, yeast, and sugar.
Milk roll is soft and light-textured, with a soft crust. The loaf is approximately in diameter and approximately in weight.
The exact origin of milk breads is unclear. There is evidence from a British baker, Robert Clarke,[1] that knowledge of milk bread in the United Kingdom dates back to 1862 and came from Japan, shortly after the isolationist country had been forced open to the rest of the world. However, there is also mention of a milk roll recipe in Dutch literature in 1823.[2] Although the exact origin of milk bread is unclear, the exchange of such recipes could have occurred during the early Japan–Netherlands relations.
Milk rolls are baked in a two-part cylindrical mould with ridges to indicate slice-cutting positions. Warburtons bakery distribute a pre-sliced version nationwide.[3] The soft crust is caused by steam being trapped within the mould and because no surface is directly exposed and it is steam cooked, the crust is unusually soft.