Best Welsh Bread Recipes

WELSH CURRANT RAISIN BREAD BARA BRITH (MADE WITH YEAST)

Steps:

• Put 8 cups of the flour in a mixing bowl and let it stand in a warm place for a short while. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles meal, add the currants, raisins candied fruit peel, nutmeg or allspice, salt and all of the brown sugar but 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar. Mix thoroughly.
• In a smaller bowl cream the fresh yeast with the 1 teaspoons of brown sugar and blend the yeast mixture with the milk.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the yeast mixture into it and sprinkle a little additional flour over the yeast mixture. Cover the dough and let it stand in a warm place for a few minutes, until it is just beginning to rise. Pour the beaten eggs into the bowl and proceed to knead gradually adding the 1 1/2 cups tepid water mixed with the molasses. This should be a soft dough. Knead about 10 minutes.
• Cover the bowl with a cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in bulk. Then turn the dough out onto a well floured board, divide it in half and put it into two well buttered 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pans. Let the loaves rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until they have nearly risen to the rims of the pans.
• Bake the loaves in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, so that the tops are browned and loaves sound hollow when rapped.
• Welsh Fare S. Minwel Tibbott.

BARA BRITH (CURRANT BREAD) WELSH

Steps:

• Oven: 450F, Gas Mark 8 for 15 minutes: 375F, Gas Mark 5 for 45 minutes.
• Soak the fruit and candied peel in the water with the spice.
• Leave to steep in a warm place and use the warm spicy, strained water to mix the dough.
• Sift the flour and salt and rub in the lard; cream the yeast with the sugar and a little of the spiced water; mix this into the flour, together with the eggs and use enough of the water to give a firm, yet elastic dough.
• Knead well, leave to rise and knock back; blend in the drained fruit and knead again.
• Shape the dough into loaves and set into greased 1 lb tins in a warm place to prove; bake, reducing the temperature after the first 15 minutes.
• Originally, in some recipies, the fruit content would have been fresh currants or blackberries.
• Bara Brith is often served as part of the traditional Welsh tea.
• It can also be purchased at many of the small bakeries found throughout Wales.
• British Cookery (BTA/BFPC)

BACHELDRE WELSH CLAY-POT BREAD

Steps:

• First prepare your pot. Select one clean, clay flower pot (15cm diameter x 15cm high). Clean thoroughly, oil inside and outside and bake three or four times in a hot oven for about 30-40 mins. You can do this while you are baking other foods.
• Mix both flours in a large mixing bowl with the salt, then add all the herbs and garlic and mix together thoroughly, then make a well in the middle.
• In a large warm jug, mix together the milk, water, honey, olive oil and the yeast and leave for a few mins to let the yeast activate. Now pour the liquids into the centre of the flour and, with a spoon, start mixing the flours into the liquid from the outside of the bowl in to the middle.
• Now with clean, warm hands carry on the mixing process until all the ingredients come together to form a dough. Knead for 5-7 mins on a lightly floured surface, place in a bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave for 30-40 mins in a warm place.
• The dough should be larger than when you first started so you 'knock it back' - literally punch a hole in the middle and knead again for 5 mins.
• Now prepare the pot and ensure that it is well greased (you can line the pot with greaseproof paper if you want to), and mould the dough into it. Score the top of the dough, with a sharp knife, about 1cm in, which will add that extra bit of character to the loaf. Place in a warm place and allow to rise for 30-40 mins.
• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7, glaze the top of the dough carefully and sprinkle with the fennel seeds. Carefully, place the pot in the centre of the oven, trying not to knock the pot and bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown. Remove the loaf from the oven and cool for 5-10 mins, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. Do take care as the pot gets very hot.

WELSH BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the vinegar and the milk. Let stand for at least 15 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
• Add the vinegar mixture, brown sugar, egg, butter, salt, molasses, bread flour, baking soda, caraway seeds and yeast in the order directed by your bread machine's manufacturer.
• Set machine to basic cycle (fruit bread, white bread, etc depending on your bread machine), medium crust setting. Add the raisins when indicated to by your bread machine's manufacturer.
• Alternately this bread can be mixed in the bread machine and then bake in the oven. Set bread machine to dough setting. Remove dough, shape into a loaf, cover and let rise in a warm place, until just under doubled in size. This will take about 1 hour. Bake the bread in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 to 45 minutes. Bread will golden brown and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

WELSH SAFFRON BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pour 2 cups boiling water on dried currants and soak for 15 minutes, then drain. Pour remaining water over saffron and steep until cool.
• Cream butter and sugar until well blended, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, blending after each. Add lemon zest and juice.
• Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and add to the sugar-butter mixture, alternately with the saffron water, beating until just blended. Stir in raisins and drained currants. Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake 40 - 50 minutes until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Tip out onto a rack to cool.

WELSH RAREBIT BREAD

Steps:

• select loaf size on bread machine.
• add ingredients to the machine according to the manufacturer's directions.
• select the basic white bread cycle.
• note: I used the "dough" cycle only, put dough in regular bread pan and baked at 350 degrees in oven for 30-35 minutes. (Used 2 tsp of veg oil, garlic flavored worcestershire and garlic salt in place of plain worcestershire and plain salt.).

WELSH BREAD (FOR AUTOMATIC BREAD MACHINES)

Steps:

• 1. Combine the vinegar and milk, and let stand for at least 15 minutes and thickens.
• 2. Add the vinegar mixture, brown sugar, egg, butter, salt and molasses to bread machine. Tope with bread flour and spread to cover all the liquid. Add baking soda and caraway seeds. With the end of a wooden spoon, make a small well in the dry ingredients (being careful not to reach the liquids), and pour yeast into the well.
• 3. Set the bread machine to basic cycle (fruit bread, white bread, etc, depending on your machine). Select medium crust setting. Start the bread machine.
• 4. At the beaper (or after the first kneading in Panasonic, Sanyo and National machines, or after 40 minutes from "start" for Toastmaster), add the raisins. Close lid and allow the bread machine to continue.
• 5. Alternately, this bread can be mixed and kneaded in the machine, and the dough placed in a loaf pan to bake in the oven. To do so, set the bread machine to Dough setting. Remove dough after mixing and kneading, and shape into a loaf, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Bake the bread in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for 30 to 45 minutes. The bread will be golden brown and will sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.