Patty Cake is More Than a Child's Rhyme!
- Rachel
- Apr 2
- 6 min read
Patty cake, patty cake baker’s man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Roll it and roll it
And mark it with a “B”
And put it in the oven for Baby and me.
Memorized Version
I am sure that at some point we have all heard and even said this nursery rhyme. Be it in this exact verse or some other, but one way or another we all know it.
I am also sure that as I look back on it I remember the sweetness of youth and the silliness of the game.
However, as is often the case with older rhymes something was being taught to children beyond the rhyme and that holds true here also. Therefore, through this simple childlike commonality we will begin our journey of learning about bread, specifically sourdough bread, and I will share with you a little bit more, here and there, about Blu Brier Patisserie.
“Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker’s man;”
“That I will, master, as fast as I can;”
Roll it, and roll it
Prick it, and prick it
Toss it in the oven and bake it. [1]
Tom D’Urfey, 1698
Everything as it's own origin and as you can see this rhyme is no different. It has changed with time, but the essence has remained the same.
What is to follow will examine both rhymes and explain what is being shared.
Verse One
When we compare the original rhyme to that of my memory we see the first verse is slightly different. To address that difference all you have to do is say pat a cake quickly and you can see how it transformed from pat a cake to patty cake. If that doesn’t work try it with an Irish accent and you should get there. ૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ꒱ა
Patty cake or Pat a cake ~
With this verse you can see some of the beginning process of bread making. Whether you use commercial yeast or a sourdough starter like we do at Blu Brier Patisserie, you should know that bread baking requires a lot of patting (a.k.a. kneading) especially when done without electrical equipment.
Yup, a lot of kneading. ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა
And depending on the type of bread the kneading required only increases as this is what helps builds the gluten structure. But gluten and it's development is a topic for another time.
Baker’s man ~
There was a time that the English language was more possessive than it is now. Baker’s man would be seen as a title by association. In other words, this would be used to refer to the employee or apprentice of the baker.
If you would like an example of the phrase being used you can try the movie Hobson’s Choice or for that matter My Man Godfrey.
Do we have the equivalent of a baker's man at Blu Brier Patisserie. Yes and no. Yes, in that someone has to be the boss. No, in that the one who should be isn't always. ૮ ˙Ⱉ˙ ა rawr!
Verse Two
Again it is evident that there is a stark difference between the original and rote versions.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can ~
This can be in as little as an hour with the use of commercial yeast [2]. Therefore, when they say "fast as you can" when using commercial yeast you can have bread ready quick.
However, natural yeast takes much longer. While it is possible to create a loaf within a shorter period of time our Original Sourdough Loaf at Blu Brier Patisserie is a three-day process and fermentation of each loaf no matter the type is at its shortest duration 24 hours. We do have our reasons for this, but again that is a topic for another time. Therefore, "fast as you can" is three days which is not fast at all. (\ (\
( . .)
c(") (")
That I will, master, as fast as I can ~
Considering that commercial yeast was created in 1868 by Charles Fleischmann [3] and the poem was originally penned in 1698 it’s safe to assume that if yeast was used in this bread it was the natural variety or sourdough. When this is taken into consideration if careful planning is adhered to a loaf of sourdough can be made the same day, but that would include an exceptionally early morning and a lot of muscle. God bless the people who lived without electricity and modern appliances.
૮꒰ ˶• ᵕ •˶꒱ა ♡
Verse Three
We finally have an exact match! Hurray.
Roll it and roll it ~
Within the bread making process there is an action called pre-shaping. The purpose of this step is to train the loaf after bulk fermentation is complete [4]. Essentially, the gluten structure has a memory and as the baker you are telling the loaf,
“Hey, you are smaller now. I need you to remember that. Oh, and also this is the way that you need to look. You will be dressed up fancy later, but round and small is what you need to be.”
Verse Four
We have diverged again, but the essence is the same.
Mark it with a B ~
Mark it with a B is a referencing one of the more aesthetically pleasing aspects of heard crusted bread, more specifically sourdough bread, which is known as scoring.
There are functional purposes for scoring the loaf in that it directs the release of trapped carbon dioxide gas to escape [5], it prevents cracking in undesirable locations [6], and it assists the loaf to properly expand [7]. More simply scoring allows the baker to choose where the loaf is going to explode.
Historically, scoring served the purpose of not only aesthetics, but identification. This is because community ovens were once the only means that one had to fire or bake their bread. Thus, households would make a mark that was uniquely their own in order to brand their bread to their family [8]. In this way family's could make sure that their precious loaf of bread was not enjoyed by someone else.
Additionally, there are breads that are known for a specific scoring pattern like baguettes which have a quintessential diagonal score.
First to address the elephant in the room. We at Blu Brier Patisserie do mark our bread with a "B" not because of the rhyme, but because of the more obvious reason Blu Brier. Further, if you look closely you will see that by marking it with one "B" you get two "Bs" instead of one. ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა
Additionally, we at Blu Brier Patisserie utilize the historic philosophy when we score our loaves. In other words, we are saying this is our bread and it was made the long way for your family.
Prick it and prick it ~
In this case the term prick it and prick it, as in the older version of the rhyme, could be referencing something similar to the chekich (bread stamps) which are used to prick elaborate designs on top of a loaf of bread. Additionally, as communal ovens would definitely be in operation at this time I am sure that historical function remains the same.
Verse Five
We have reached the finale.
And put it in the oven for Baby and me or Toss it in the oven and bake ~
The end of the bread processing journey, baking! Admittedly, there is a sweeter sound to the version from my childhood rather than the original. However, if you take into account that they were working on that loaf of bread since the wee hours of the morning maybe they wanted to just throw it in. Just a thought. ૮₍｡´ᴖ ˔ ᴖ`｡₎ა
Conclusion
Well, if you made it this far thanks for staying with me as we examined the nursery rhyme Patty Cake. I admit that it has been quite the deep dive, but I hope that as you read through you learned something you may not have known before or at least gained support for something you did. I also hope that you learned more about Blu Brier Patisserie and would be interested to follow along we continue on this journey of knowledge.
Until we meet again,
Rachel @blubrierpatisserie
References
[1] Opie, I & Opie, P. (Ed.). (1951). The Oxford dictionary of nursery rhymes. Oxford University Press. p. 341. Retrieved, 2025, from https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary0000opie/page/n399/mode/2up
[2] Prambana Kencana. (2025). The difference between commercial and natural yeast in bread making: Which is better? para. 16. Retrieved, 2025, from https://www.prb.co.id/en/news-detail/the-difference-between-commercial-and-natural-yeast-in-bread-making-which-is-better#:~:text=Bread%20with%20commercial%20yeast%20only,as%20those%20of%20natural%20yeast
[3] American Society of Baking. (2024). Charles Fleischmann. para. 1. Retrieved, 2025, from https://asbe.org/bhof-2008-cfleischmann/#:~:text=In%201868%2C%20Charles%20Fleischmann%20revolutionized,was%20transformed%20into%20brewers'%20yeast
[4] Challenger Breadware. (2023). Pre-shape & bench rest. para. 2. Retrieved, 2025, from https://challengerbreadware.com/bread-techniques/pre-shape-bench-rest/#:~:text=Pre%2Dshaping%20helps%20to%20even,of%20the%20loaf%20once%20baked
[5] Bakerpedia. Bread Scoring. para. 8. Retrieved, 2025, from https://bakerpedia.com/processes/bread-scoring/
[6] Master Class. (2021). Bread scoring basics: How to score a loaf of bread. para 1. Retrieved, 2025, from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/bread-scoring-basics
[7] American Society of Baking. (2024). Processing: Bread scoring. para. 6. Retrieved, 2025, from https://asbe.org/article/bread-scoring/#:~:text=Origin,made%20by%20a%20specific%20baker.&text=Related%20Links:,Xylanase
[8] Baird, S. (2016). The centuries-old form of public cooking that’s making a comeback. Food52. Retrieved, 2025, from https://food52.com/blog/17568-the-centuries-old-form-of-public-cooking-that-s-making-a-comeback?srsltid=AfmBOor0f-XekPHYhVz_z90RkPCXkDvzl8_CNzdwGQHOraC1aKClg0Sd
Disclaimer: In no way has Blu Brier Patisserie fully investigated each of the listed reference sites to ensure that we align with all of the information provided therein. Nor does Blu Brier Patisserie claim to support all of the information in the articles provided as support.
Please do your own research in all cases.
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