Welsh baking sits somewhere between bread, cake and griddle bake, and the line between them is not always clear. This guide covers the best-known Welsh “breads” you can make at home, with two full recipes: a tea-soaked bara brith and classic Welsh cakes. It also touches on some older, simpler breads and griddle bakes.
What counts as Welsh bread
In Welsh, bara simply means bread. Not everything below is bread in the strict sense, but these are the loaves and bakes most people mean when they look for Welsh bread recipes:
- Bara brith: a fruited loaf, either yeast-raised or a simple tea-soaked loaf
- Welsh cakes: small spiced griddle cakes, closer to a scone
- Bara ceirch: oatcakes, historically a staple
- Crempog: thick Welsh pancakes, often yeast- or buttermilk-raised
- Bara planc: a griddle-cooked flatbread
Bara brith: what the name means
Bara brith is usually translated as “speckled bread,” with brith meaning speckled or mottled, a reference to the dried fruit through the loaf. Older versions were yeast-raised and enriched, like a fruit bread. The tea-soaked version is quicker and very popular today: dried fruit is soaked in tea, then mixed with flour, sugar and egg and baked as a tea loaf.
Bara brith recipe (tea-soaked loaf)
This is a forgiving, no-yeast recipe. Quantities are approximate and can be adjusted to taste.
Ingredients
- 350 g mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants, peel)
- 250 ml hot, strong black tea
- 150 g soft light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 350 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- Butter or oil for greasing the tin
Method
- Put the fruit and sugar in a bowl, pour over the hot tea and stir. Cover and leave for several hours or overnight.
- Heat the oven to about 150 C fan (170 C conventional, gas 3). Grease and line a 900 g loaf tin.
- Stir the egg into the soaked fruit, then fold in the flour and spice until just combined. The batter should be thick and dropping.
- Spoon into the tin and level the top.
- Bake for roughly 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until risen and a skewer comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.
Serve sliced and buttered. It keeps well wrapped for several days, and many people find it improves after a day.
Welsh cakes
Welsh cakes (pice ar y maen) are cooked on a bakestone or heavy griddle rather than in the oven. They are often dusted with caster sugar and eaten warm or cold.
What flour do you use for Welsh cakes?
Plain flour with baking powder is the usual choice. Self-raising flour also works if that is what you have; just leave out the baking powder.
Ingredients
- 225 g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 85 g cold butter, cubed (or a butter and lard mix)
- 85 g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 50 to 75 g currants
- 1 egg, beaten
- A splash of milk, if needed
Method
- Mix the flour, baking powder and spice. Rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the sugar and currants, then the egg, adding milk a teaspoon at a time until you have a firm dough.
- Roll out to about 5 mm thick and cut into rounds of around 6 cm.
- Heat a lightly greased griddle or heavy frying pan over medium-low heat. Cook the cakes for about 3 minutes per side until golden and cooked through.
- Dust with caster sugar while warm.
Other Welsh breads and griddle bakes
Bara ceirch is a thin oatcake baked on a griddle, historically important where wheat was harder to grow. Crempog is a thick pancake, sometimes made with buttermilk or yeast, usually served with butter and sugar. Bara planc and similar griddle breads are simple flatbreads cooked in a pan. Regional names and methods vary, so you will see different versions in different parts of Wales. For a thinner, crepe-style cousin of crempog, try the pönnukökur in our Icelandic breakfast recipes.
Tips for better results
- Strong tea: for bara brith, use a robust black tea, as weak tea gives a duller flavour.
- Soak long enough: overnight soaking plumps the fruit and keeps the loaf moist.
- Griddle heat: Welsh cakes burn easily on high heat. Aim for steady, moderate heat.
- Storage: keep bara brith wrapped and Welsh cakes in a tin; they are best within a few days.
Frequently asked questions
What does bara brith mean in English?
It means “speckled bread,” from bara (bread) and brith (speckled).
What is the best recipe for bara brith?
There is no single best version. The tea-soaked loaf above is the easiest, while yeast-raised versions are closer to older fruit breads. Using strong tea and good dried fruit matters more than the method.
What are five traditional Welsh foods?
Commonly named examples include bara brith, Welsh cakes, cawl (a lamb and vegetable broth), Welsh rarebit and laverbread (a seaweed paste).