Bara Pyglyd (Pitchy Bread)

Bara Pyglyd (Pitchy 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: Pitchy Bread (Bara Pyglyd).

prep time

40 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

60 minutes

Serves:

6

Rating:

Tags : Bread RecipesMilk RecipesBritish RecipesCymric/Welsh Recipes

Original Recipe

Dyma cyndaid Cymreig i bicedi cyfoes. Bara radell gweddol denau yw, a all hefyd fod yn rhagflaenydd crympedi. Mae'r cytew yn syml, fel cytew crempogau lefain trwchus. Yn wreiddiol, bara gwastad wedi'i seilio ar haidd fel prif fynhonell starts i o gartrefi heb afael i ffwrn hyd at y 19eg ganrif. Erbyn hynny, byddai haidd traddodiadol wedi cael ei ddisodli gan flawd gwenith. Mae'r enw wedi'i gyfieithu i'r Saesneg fel ‘pitchy bread’, gyda ysyur ‘pitchy’ yn ‘dywyll’ a ‘gludiog’ (gallai'r cytew fod naill ai'n denau ac wedi'i goginio fel crempog neu ychydig yn fwy trwchus a'i goginio'n debycach i grympedi neu fara gwastad). Yn ystod y 19eg ganrif, daeth y rysáit hwn yn debycach i gacennau, gan gynnwys cyrens (cri yng Nghymraeg) a sbeisys. Roedd hollbresenoldeb poptai yn golygu fod y bara pyglyd gwreiddiol yn ddarfodedig. Er fod y bara ei hunan yn mynd yn ôl i'r hynafiaeth Ganoloesol, mae ryseitiau'n seiliedig ar rai o'r 18fed a'r 19eg ganrif. Cyn i radellau ddod yn gyffredin, byddai'r rhain yn wreiddiol wedi'u coginio ar blanc (trawst haearn wedi'i osod dros dân agored). Gallwch chi goginio ar radell, sgilet haearn bwrw neu badell ffrio â sylfaen drom. Lard fyddai'r cyfrwng iro cyffredin. Defnyddiwch hwnnw ar gyfer dilysrwydd, er y gallech roi menyn yn ei le.

Cynhwysion:

15g o furum ffres (neu 7g burum sych wedi'i doddi mewn 60ml o ddŵr cynnes gyda 1 llwy de o siwgr)
1 llwy de o siwgr mân (dim ond ar gyfer y burum ffres)
450g o flawd plaen (i gael dilysrwydd canoloesol defnyddiwch flawd haidd neu gyfuniad o flawdau rhyg a blawd gwenith)
1 llwy de o halen
400ml o lefrith
2 wy mawr
Lard ar gyfer iro

Dull:

Fe fyddwch angen powlen fawr, chwisg, rhadell, carreg bobi neu badell ffrio haearn bwrw trwm. Os ydych chi'n defnyddio burum ffres, hylifwch trwy ei gymysgu â'r siwgr. Os ydych chi'n defnyddio pecyn o furum sych toddwch 1 llwy de o siwgr mewn 60ml o ddŵr cynnes yna ychwanegwch y burum a'i guro â fforc i'w doddi. Rhowch o'r neilltu am tua 10 munud, nes yn ewynnog Mewn powlen, curwch yr wyau a'r llefrith gyda'u gilydd. Hidlwch y blawd a'r halen gyda'u gilydd mewn powlen arall, ffurfiwch twll yn y canol ac arllwyswch i fewn y cymysgedd llaeth ac wy, ynghyd â'r burum. Cymysgwch y blawd i'r cynhwysion gwlyb, gan ffurfio cytew trwchus. Chwisgiwch y cytew am 10 munud, nes ei fod yn ysgafn ac yn ewynnog, gorchuddiwch â lliain sychu llestri glân a'i roi o'r neilltu mewn lle cynnes am awr i brofi. Rhowch radell (maen/llechwan yng Ngogledd Cymru neu maen/planc yn Ne Cymru) neu badell haearn drom i gynhesu. Pan fydd yr arwyneb coginio yn boeth, irwch gyda darn o lard wedi'i ddal mewn clwt. (Ar gyfer y cogydd modern gallwch gynhesu hambwrdd pobi wedi'i iro'n dda mewn popty poeth.) Arllwyswch lwy fwrdd o'r cytew ar yr arwyneb poeth. Coginiwch ar wres heb fod yn rhy ffyrnig ar ben y stôf neu mewn popty wedi'i gynhesu ymlaen llaw i 190°C (375°F) am 20 munud. Trowch y bara pyglyd drosodd unwaith, pan fydd tyllau wedi ffurfio ar yr wyneb uchaf ac mae'n edrych yn sych. Gweinwch yn boeth, wedi'i wasgaru'n rhydd gyda digon o fenyn hallt Cymreig, wedi'u pentyrru mewn desgil boeth fel bod y suddion menyn yn rhedeg trwy'r pentwr. Mae'r bara dros ben yn flasus wedi'i dostio. Er fod arferau coginio modern yn dueddol o weini'r rhain ar gyfer brecwast neu de gyda jam, maent hefyd yn flasus wedi'u torri mewn menyn a'u gweini â stiw neu gyri.

English Translation

This is the Welsh forerunner to modern pikelets. It’s a thin griddle bread, which may also be the antecedent of crumpets. The batter is simple, like a thick leavened pancake batter. Originally it would have been a barley-based flatbread that was the starchy staple in many households with no access to an oven right up to the 19th century. By then, traditional barley would have been replaced by wheat flour. The name is translated into English as pitchy bread, with pitchy meaning both dark and sticky (the batter could either be thin and cooked as a pancake or slightly thicker and cooked more like a flatbread). During the 19th century, this recipe became more cake-like, with the inclusion of currants (cri [curranted] in Welsh) and spices. Ubiquity of ovens made the original bara pyglyd as a staple irrelevant. Though the bread itself goes back into Medieval antiquity, recipes are based on those from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Before bakestones became commonplace, these would originally have been cooked on a planc (an iron beam set directly over an open fire). You can cook on a bakestone, a cast iron skillet or a heavy-based frying pan. Lard would have been the common greasing agent. Use that for authenticity, though you could substitute butter.

Ingredients:

15g (1/2 oz) fresh yeast OR (7g [1/4 oz] dry yeast dissolved in 60ml [1/4 cup] warm water with 1 tsp sugar)
1 tsp caster sugar (only for the fresh yeast)
450g (1 lb/3 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour (for more medieval authenticity use barley flour or a blend of rye and wheat flours)
1 tsp salt
400ml (1 2/3 cups) milk
2 large eggs
Lard for greasing

Method:

You will need a large bowl, a whisk, and a griddle, bakestone or a heavy cast iron frying pan.

If using fresh yeast, liquefy by mixing it with the sugar. If you are using a package of dry yeast dissolve 1 tsp sugar in 60ml (1/4 cup) warm water then add the yeast and beat with a fork to dissolve. Set aside for about 10 minutes, until frothy

In a bowl, beat together the eggs with the milk. Sift together the flour and the salt in a warm bowl, form a well in the centre and pour in the milk and egg mixture, along with the yeast. Mix the flour into the wet ingredients, forming a thick batter. Whisk the batter for 10 minutes, until it is light and frothy, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for one hour to prove.

Put a griddle (a maen/llechwan in North Wales or a maen/planc in South Wales) or a heavy iron pan on to heat. When the cooking surface is good and hot, grease with a piece of lard held in a rag. (For the modern cook you can heat a well greased baking tray in a hot oven.) Pour tablespoons of the batter onto the hot surface. Cook on not too fierce a heat on top of the stove or in an oven pre-heated to 190°C (375°F) oven for 20 minutes.

Turn over the pitchy bread once, when holes have formed on the upper surface and it looks dry. Serve hot, liberally spread with plenty of Welsh salted butter, piled in a hot dish so that the buttery juices run right through the stack.

The leftovers are delicious toasted. Though modern cookery tends to serve these for breakfast or tea with jam, they are also delicious slathered in butter and served with stew or a curry.