Scot shares 'secret recipe' to make bakery-quality butteries

They're the salty, flaky and nostalgic Scottish treat with a delicious buttery bite.

Hailing from the north-east, a buttery - or rowie - is perfect eaten with jam, butter or plain with a cup of tea.

Walk into any garage or corner shop in Aberdeen and you can grab one of these pastries for breakfast.

Now one Scot has shared her secret recipe - and claims it is similar to that used by former Scottish bakery Aitkens, famed for its butteries.

A Scot shared her secret recipe to a Scottish favourite (Barbara Muirhead/Facebook)

Barbara Muirhead, 47, originally from Aberdeen but now lives in Houston, Texas, shared her tips to make the perfect buttery on the Scotland forever recipe Facebook page.

She told the Record: "My father in law got the recipe from a friend who knew someone with the recipe. 

"Whether it’s the real thing or not I don’t know but they taste really good.

"I call them rowies and it’s one of the thing we miss most from Aberdeen. 

"We get visitors to bring them when they visit but run out all the time. "

She also posted a photo of a batch her friend had made without the bread maker (Claire Whiffen/Facebook)

Barbara made her recipe in a bread maker - but you can do it by hand and in the oven too.

She also posted a photo of a batch her friend had made without the bread maker - and they look equally as mouthwatering.

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1lb plain flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 oz yeast
• 1/2 pint of warm, tepid water

For the fat:

• 6oz butter

• 4oz lard

• 2 heaped teaspoons sugar

• 3oz tablespoons syrup

Method

1. Mix the flour and salt together.
2. Mix the yeast and sugar with warm water and let it stand until it starts to bubble.
3. Add the mixture to the dry good and combine - if you have a food mixer, use only one hoop/prong.
4. If not, knead it by hand until it forms a thick paste.
5. Place the dough into a bowel and cover with a hot the towel and leave for around 45 minutes.
6. Knock back all the air.
7. For the fat, cream butter, lard, sugar and syrup.
8. Place the dough on a well floured surface and place the fat mix on top before cutting it through the with with the use of a sharp edge (like a scraper). Don't use a rolling pin.
9. Once it is well mixed (don't overwork it), dust with flour and cut into segments then flatten into a baking tray.

10. Cover again with a tea towel for around 40 minutes then bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes.