The story of “Heavy-Fired” bread buns sold at English Market that people can’t stop talking about

3 min read

9 months ago Robin

Photos of charred-looking bread buns being sold at a market in Manchester have caused a stir online, with some calling them a delicacy and others billing them as inedible or even a health hazard.

Well, it seems the “heavy fired” roll has been a staple of Scottish bakeries for several decades.
They are supposed to have an overcooked, black crust and be airy and slightly chewy inside, sounds good to me, but not everyone is convinced.
In fact, while some people describe them as delicious, or spot-on, their charred interior puts a lot others off.
A heated debate between the two camps recently went viral on social media, after they were spotted in Bread Stall in Hyde Indoor Market in Greater Manchester, by a shopper who shared a snap of them online prompting a strong response from other Facebook users.

“These are beautiful, Jesus. I always grab a dozen when in Hyde and the oven bottoms for my son and husband but they tried one and now are addicted,” one woman commented on the photo.

“They are called well-fired rolls and they are actually really nice,” someone else wrote.

“I’m Scottish and these are well-fired rolls and they sell out by 8 am back home. My favorite with square slice and brown sauce,” another fan chimed in.

However, some people either couldn’t imagine putting a charred bread bun anywhere near their mouth or warned about the danger of eating burnt food in general, due to it reportedly being carcinogenic.

A fellow Facebook user commented: “Cheek of it trying to sell their burnt offerings.”

“Definitely carcinogenic. Be careful,” one person wrote.
In fact, in 2018, Scotland’s food standards agency did warn consumers to limit their consumption of heavy-fired buns due to the presence of a cancer-causing chemical known as acrylamide.

On the other hand, according to Cancer Research, “acrylamide from burnt toast, burnt chips, or crispy potatoes is unlikely to increase the risk of cancer. Good quality studies have not shown that acrylamide from food causes cancer in humans.”

That only leaves the unappetizing look of the bread buns to worry about, but fans claim that the taste more than makes up for that.
So there you go, if you ever feel like making bread or bread buns at home and you accidentally leave them in the oven until they become burned, you can simply say you made a Scottish delicacy known as well-fired rolls or heavy-fired rolls…..