Bara Haidd Croyw (Unleavened Barley Bread) is a traditional Cymric (Welsh) recipe for a thin griddle bread that's the forerunner of crumpets and pikelets. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Welsh version of: Unleavened Barley Bread (Bara Haidd Croyw).
Bara Croyw, a elwir hefyd yn fara crai yw bara heb lefen Cymru. Mae bara croyw gwreiddiol yn cynnwys blawd, dŵr a halen ac mae’n gyffredin yng Nghymru i ychwanegu rhyw fath o fraster (neu olew). Roedd bara croyw yn llawer mwy cyffredin yng Nghymru yn y gorffennol nag ydyn nhw heddiw, oherwydd yr arferiad o ddefnyddio carreg bobi ar gyfer coginio (yn hytrach na ffwrn).
Hyd y gwelaf i, nid oes unrhyw ryseitiau wedi goroesi (neu o leiaf wedi'u cyhoeddi) ar gyfer Bara Llechen Cymreig. Rydym wedi ail-greu ryseitiau oes haearn yn ogystal â ryseitiau Llychlynnaidd cynnar a chan mai’r garreg bobi oedd y brif ffordd o goginio bara/crempogau yng Nghymru am genedlaethau mae’n rhesymol i ddamcaniaethu fod (o leiaf dros y cyfnod canoloesol (a chynt a hwyrach)) bara fflat croyw yn cael ei goginio ym mhob cartref. Yn ôl pob tebyg, mae bara ceirch (yn llythrennol bara haidd, ond mewn gwirionedd bara ceirch) yn estyniad o'r bara gwastad hyn wedi eu gwneud allan o geirch ac yn dod yn fwy tebyg i fisgedi. Yn wir, mae bara pyglyd traddodiadol Cymreig yn fath o fara gwastad gyda ychwanegiad burum. Felly, os gadewch y burum allan, beth gewch chi? Ac a allech chi alw'r canlyniad yn fara gwastad Cymreig?
Yn dilyn fy nghais cuntaf i ail greu y rysáit es i adref dros y Nadolig a chael cyfle i holi o gwmpas wrth i mi ymweld â ffrindiau a theulu. Yno cefais fy mhwyntio at y rysáit hwn ar gyfer bara haidd yr oedd fy hen nain ar ochr fy nhad yn arfer ei wneud (a dyma syt mae nifer o ryseitiau traddodiadol Cymreig wedi goroesi; ar lafar). Mae'n eithaf agos at y rysáit a wnes ail-greu, ac eithrio ychwanegiad saim cig moch (fel wrth wneud bara ceirch). Mae'r canlyniadau'n rhoi bara fflat go iawn, nid fersiynau haidd o fara ceirch caled.
Cynhwysion:
450g blawd haidd
120ml o ddŵr cynnes
1 llwy fwrdd o saim cig moch wedi'i doddi, poeth
1/4 llwy de o halen
Dull:
Gosodwch radell neu badell ffrio fawr ar y stôf dros wres canolig-uchel i gynhesu.
Mesurwch y blawd a’r halen mewn powlen fawr a chwisgwch i’w cyfuno. Wedyn, gan gymysgu’n gyson gyda fforc arllwyswch y saim cig moch wedi toddi i mewn, gan weithio nes ei fod wedi’i gyfuno.
Nawr trowch y dŵr cynnes i mewn nes i chi gael toes garw. Bydd hyn yn weddol anystwyth; ond peidiwch â phoeni.
Trowch y toes allan ar arwyneb gwaith â blawd arno a'i dylino am ychydig funudau nes ei fod yn llyfn ac yn wastad. Rhannwch y toes yn ddau ddogn a, gan weithio un ar y tro, rholiwch yn denau a thorri cylchoedd mawr ohono (defnyddiwch blât neu gaead pot fel templed).
Rhoddwch y rowndiau toes cyntaf yn ysgafn ar y radell boeth a gadewch i goginio am tua 2 funud ar yr ochr gyntaf, ac yna trowch nhw drosodd a choginiwch am funud neu ddwy arall ar yr ail ochr.
Dylent fod ychydig yn grensiog ar ôl eu gorffen, gyda darnau brown euraidd yn amlug. Efallai y byddan nhw'n cyrlio ychydig tra byddwch chi'n eu coginio, sy'n iawn (gallwch eu cadw'n gynnes mewn popty isel).
Ailymadroddwch y broses nes eich bod wedi coginio'r toes i gyd. Bwytewch nhw fel y mae, neu eu trochi mewn mêl ac iogwrt neu eu taenu gyda menyn a jam. Maent hefyd yn gweithio'n dda gyda chaws.
Fel unrhyw fara mân maen nhw hefyd yn gweithio'n dda gyda chig, stiwiau a chyrri.
Gallwch hefyd ddefnyddio cymysgedd 50:50 o flawd haidd a blawd grawn cyflawn (gwenith cyfan) i wneud y bara gwastad, ynghyd â chymysgeddau sy'n defnyddio blawd rhyg neu geirch. Mae’n debyg mai’r enw cywir ar y bara fflat traddodiadol Cymreig hwn fyddai Bara Haidd Croyw (dwi bellach wedi newid enw’r rysáit i adlewyrchu hyn).
English Translation
Bara Croyw, also known as bara crai, is Welsh for unleavened bread. A basic unleavened bread contains flour, water and salt and it’s common in Wales to add some form of fat (or oil). Unleavened breads were much more common in Wales in the past than they are today, due to the practice of using of a bakestone for cooking (rather than an oven).
As far as I can see, there are no surviving (or at least published) recipes for Welsh Flatbreads. We have reconstructed iron-age recipes as well as Viking recipes and as the bakestone was the main way of cooking breads/pancakes in Wales for generations it stands to reason that throughout the medieval (and earlier and later) periods unleavened flatbreads were cooked in every home. In all likelihood, bara ceirch (literally barley breads, but actually oatcakes) are an evolution of these flatbreads to be made out of oats and to become more biscuit-like. Indeed, traditional Welsh bara pyglyd is a yeast-leavened form of flatbread. So, if you leave the yeast out, what do you get? And could you call the result a Welsh flatbread?
Following on from my reconstructed recipe I went home for Christmas and had a chance to ask around as I visited friends and family, and I was pointed to this recipe for bara haidd (barley bread) that my paternal great grandmother used to make (and this is how many traditional Welsh recipes have survived, by word of mouth). It’s pretty close to my reconstructed recipe, except for the substitution of bacon grease (as in the making of oatcakes) for the honey. The results give real flatbreads not barley versions of stiff oatcakes.
Ingredients:
450g (1 lb or 3 3/4) cups barley flour
120ml (1/2 cup) warm water
1 tbsp melted bacon grease, hot
1/4 tsp salt
Method:
Set a griddle or large frying pan on the stove over medium-high heat to warm up.
Measure out the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine then, whilst mixing constantly with a fork pour in the melted bacon grease, working until combined. Now stir in the warm water until you get a rough dough. This will be fairly stiff; but don’t worry.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead it for a few minutes until it becomes smooth and even.
Divide the dough into two portions and, working one at a time, roll thinly and cut large circles from it (use a plate or a pot lid as a template).
Gently place the first of your dough rounds onto the hot griddle and allow to cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, and then flip them over and cook for another minute or two on the second side. They should be a bit crispy when finished and have golden brown patches. They may curl up a bit while you’re cooking them, which is fine (you can keep them warm in a low oven).
Repeat until you’ve cooked all of the dough. Eat them as is, or dipped in honey and yoghurt or spread with butter and jam. They also work well with cheese. Like any flatbreads they also work well with meat, stews and curries.
You can also use a 50:50 blend of barley flour and wholegrain (whole-wheat) flour to make the flatbread, along with mixes that use rye or oat flour. I suppose the correct name for this traditional Welsh flatbread would be Bara Haidd Croyw (I’ve now changed the name of the recipe to reflect this).
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