British · Authentic-ish British
Bacon Butty
253 kcal a serving, against 331 for the traditional version. That is 78 kcal off, or 24%, with 16.4g of protein. Serves 2. 15 minutes.
What the traditional version is
This is the classic: four rashers of smoked back bacon fried in their own fat, crammed into two thick floury white rolls lavishly spread with butter. Many throw in a good squeeze of brown sauce or ketchup, but never both, and never, ever anything green. The bacon's crisp at the edges, the bread soaks up the drippings and butter, and each bite leaves fingerprints everywhere.
What changed, and what each change costs
Fried bacon to grilled bacon
Frying in its own fat guarantees golden, crisp edges and bacon-flavoured everything, including your smoke alarm. Grill it and you lose the hot fat bath, but you'll lose a lot of fat from the plate as well.
What it costs you. You won't get those sticky, chewy bits at the edge, and the bacon can feel a bit drier. The bread soaks up less flavour. In short, it's bacon, but it doesn't quite cling to your memory (or your arteries) in the same way.
Butter out, brown sauce in
Butter is what makes the bread go translucent and your napkin go see-through. Swapping it for a measured dash of brown sauce saves about 140 kcal before you've even blinked.
What it costs you. Bread feels drier, and you'll notice the lack of squish under your thumb. The tang from the sauce is nice enough, but nobody's going to mistake it for melted butter. Call it a new tradition if you need to sleep at night.
Keep the bread, but watch the weight
The bread does most of the heavy lifting in this sandwich, calorie-wise. Stick to a proper roll, but weigh it so you're not eating half a loaf on your own. Your future self will thank you, but your past self might haunt you for it.
What it costs you. The sandwich looks slightly anaemic compared to the doorstop original, but you'll still have substance to chew on.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 331 | 253 |
| Protein | 16.5g | 16.4g |
| Fat | 14.3g | 6.2g |
| Saturated fat | 7g | 2g |
| Carbohydrate | 34.1g | 32.6g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5g | 6.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish British prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, milk.
The method is in the book
The grilled bacon butty is breakfast on a budget: you're getting the cure, not quite the celebration. Butter is the first casualty, and it's not a gentle loss. The sauce picks up some of the slack, but there's no ooze and the bread needs more help than it gets. That said, it's still salty, hot bacon in a white roll. If you don't spend the next hour wiping your fingers, maybe that's a step up in some ways. It won't make you famous, but it'll let you fit into your jeans and check your phone before 11. Sometimes, good enough is enough.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish British, along with 57 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.