Barley Welsh Cakes

by Amy Oboussier June 06, 2024

This twist on classic Welsh cakes uses naked barley flour, a nutritious, versatile and flavoursome alternative to wheat flour. Barley flour is subtly earthy with a delicate sweet aftertaste.

Welsh cakes are a classic bake, also known as picau ar y maen ("cakes on the stone"), pice bach ("small cakes"), cacennau cri or teisennau gradell ("griddle cakes") in Welsh, or bakestones or griddle cakes in English.

Traditionally cooked on a cast iron bakestone (maen) suspended over the fire or cooker, Welsh cakes are a classic example of domestic baking before ovens were universal in homes.

Our wholemeal naked barley flour is stone-milled in small batches through our mill in Suffolk, from barley grown by Jeremy Dickin at Oak Farm in Lincolnshire.

Naked barleys are varieties of barley, Hordeum vulgare, that naturally shed the grain's inedible husk when harvested so that the whole grain can be milled or eaten without losing any of the flavour or nutrition.

Makes 15 to 20 Welsh Cakes

Ingredients

220g Naked Barley Flour
100g Butter, cut into cubes
½ tsp Baking Powder
50g Sugar, plus more for dusting
¼ tsp Mixed Spice
1 Egg
100g Sultanas

Method

Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour, sugar, baking powder and mixed spice until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Mix in the egg with a wooden spoon, adding a little milk if the mixture is too dry.
Add the sultanas and bring together into a rough dough.
Turn onto a floured surface and roll out to around 1cm thickness. Cut into rounds using a 6-7cm cutter.
Re-roll the offcuts of dough and cut into more rounds. Repeat until all the dough is cut.
Heat a heavy-bottomed frying or griddle pan over a low heat for a few minutes. In batches cook the Welsh cakes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
If serving cold, sprinkle with sugar while still hot.
If serving hot, leave plain and eat with a little butter.

Amy Oboussier

Author

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