Posted: Fri Jul 31, 09 5:30 pm Post subject: Bara Plank ..Anyone have the old recipe?
I was asked if I knew anything about an old traditional flatbread called Bara Plank.
Having not heard about it we rang several older local people, one knew part of the recipe Flour and margarine, but then her memory failed her.
Just wondered if anyone knew or if their parents, maybe grandparents (Welsh) could find out for me.
Our friends grandmother used to make it if unexpected guests turned up at a meal time and she had run low on bara.
It was cooked as a flat bread on the griddle stove (plank), did not take long just griddled both sides until brown.
Anyone with archive access to historical recipes (especially Carmarthenshire) I have a feeling similar breads may have been called something different in other areas, would really help.
.
Jonnyboy
Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 23956 Location: under some rain.
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 09 5:35 pm Post subject:
I have an old recipe for Teisen planc, which is half fat to flour pastry, rolled out very thin, cut into rounds, spread with jam and then baked slowly on the bakestone. Sprinkle with sugar then serve.
Nothing on bara planc though, maybe it was a very local thing?
450g self-raising flour
140g hard margarine
60g butter
150g golden caster sugar
80g currants
1 egg
80ml milk
Method:
Sift the flour into a bowl then cube the fats and add to the flour, rubbing in with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcurmbs. Stir-in the sugar and currants then add the egg and milk and bring the mixture together as a dough.
Turn onto a lightly-floured work surface and roll out to about 6mm thick. Cut into rounds with a 6cm diameter pastry cutter. Heat a griddle pan or heavy-based frying pan over medium heat then add the Welsh cakes and fry until lightly-browned on both sides (about 6 minutes per side). Take out of the pan and sprinkle with caster sugar. Serve warm with butter and jam.
Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 23956 Location: under some rain.
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 09 6:55 pm Post subject:
Frewen wrote:
Is this it?
450g self-raising flour
140g hard margarine
60g butter
150g golden caster sugar
80g currants
1 egg
80ml milk
Method:
Sift the flour into a bowl then cube the fats and add to the flour, rubbing in with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcurmbs. Stir-in the sugar and currants then add the egg and milk and bring the mixture together as a dough.
Turn onto a lightly-floured work surface and roll out to about 6mm thick. Cut into rounds with a 6cm diameter pastry cutter. Heat a griddle pan or heavy-based frying pan over medium heat then add the Welsh cakes and fry until lightly-browned on both sides (about 6 minutes per side). Take out of the pan and sprinkle with caster sugar. Serve warm with butter and jam.
They are welsh cakes, or bakestones as my Gran would have called them. Delicious though.
Wonderful thanks Gil, have passed this on to my pal with a little suggestion that he bakes and we taste .. That will make his partner smile as he usually is chief taster!
Many thanks for the other suggestions too, but this bread was, as said, used as a quick fix to hungry and unexpected mouths in times when their was not much money about but it is nice to try some of the historic foods (maybe just the once!)
Glad it was useful, moonwind. Thought that was the kind of recipe you needed.
There's a girdlestone baking tradition in Scotland, but I didn't know about the Welsh bakestone breads and cakes/scones. Will have to give some of them a try on my girdle [=griddle]
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