A
plain loaf, slices of which are known in
Scots as
plain breid (pronounced ), is a traditional style of
loaf made chiefly in
Scotland and
Ireland. It has a dark, well-fired crust on the top and bottom of the bread. There is no crust on the sides due to the unbaked loaves being stuck together in batches, baked together then torn into individual loaves afterwards. The term
batch loaf is sometimes used. This style of bread does not fit well in most modern
toasters due to the greater height of the loaf. This was once the more widely available style of loaf in comparison to the now more common
pan loaf.