Essex Huffer

Name: Essex Huffer
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: East Anglian
Ingredients: 500 g strong white bread flour; 7 g fast-action dried yeast; 8 g Fine sea salt; 5 g caster sugar; 25 g Unsalted butter; 200 ml tepid water; 120 ml Whole milk; 1 tbsp milk for brushing

A traditional, soft and pillowy triangular bread roll from Essex, perfect for splitting and packing with generous savoury fillings.

🇬🇧United Kingdom· East of England

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 45 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 490 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

500 g strong white bread flour — plus extra for dusting
7 g fast-action dried yeast — one standard sachet
8 g Fine sea salt — about 1.5 tsp
5 g caster sugar — 1 tsp
25 g Unsalted butter — softened at room temperature
200 ml tepid water — lukewarm to the touch
120 ml Whole milk — tepid
1 tbsp milk for brushing — for glazing tops

Equipment

•Large mixing bowl
•Baking tray
•Greaseproof paper
•Dough scraper
•Wire cooling rack
•Rolling pin

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 490 kcal
fat: 8 g
carbs: 88 g
fibre: 4 g
protein: 14 g
calories: 490 kcal

Instructions

1
Stir the bread flour, yeast, salt, and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
2
Rub the softened butter into the dry mixture using your fingertips until evenly distributed.
3
Pour in the tepid water and milk, mixing with a wooden spoon into a rough, soft dough.
4
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and knead for ten minutes until smooth and elastic.
5
Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and leave to rise for one hour.
6
Knock back (gently punch) the dough, then roll it into a round disc roughly twenty-four centimetres wide.
7
Cut the dough circle cleanly into four equal triangular quarters using a sharp knife or dough scraper.
8
Transfer the triangles onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, leaving plenty of space between them.
9
Brush the tops lightly with milk, dust with flour, and prove for thirty minutes until puffy.
10
Bake at 200°C (180°C fan) for eighteen to twenty minutes until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped.
11
Transfer the baked huffers to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing horizontally.
12
Fill the split rolls generously with sliced ham, mature cheddar, or crisp bacon to serve.

Chef's tips

Do not roll the dough too thinly before cutting, as huffers rely on initial thickness to achieve their famous soft and pillowy crumb. A light flour dusting just before baking gives them their classic rustic bakery finish.

Ingredient substitutions

unsalted butter → traditional block lard or plant-based block butter
whole milk → unsweetened soya milk or additional tepid water

Storage

Store cooled huffers in an airtight bread crock or paper bag at room temperature for up to two days.

Reheating

Warm whole rolls in an oven preheated to 160°C (140°C fan) for five minutes to refresh the crust.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Adding excessive bench flour during kneading, making the finished bread heavy and dry.
•Cutting the dough with a dull blade, which pinches the edges and restricts the oven rise.
•Under-baking the rolls, which leaves the deep centre gummy instead of fluffy.

Serving suggestions

Split and filled with thick-cut roast ham and English mustardPacked with mature farmhouse Cheddar and sweet pickleFilled with crisp smoked back bacon and a fried egg for breakfast