Welsh Cakes #Recipe from Guest Jane Willan

Please welcome our guest Jane Willan!  Jane is the author of the very charming Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn mysteries.

 

My novels are set in Wales and my Welsh characters love to eat—especially, Sister Agatha whose favorite treat is a crispy Welsh cake with a cup of Welsh Brew tea.  I didn’t know how great Welsh cakes were until I attended the National Festival of Wales this past summer.  At the three-day festival, in addition to incredible singing, talks about Wales, and everything Welsh, there was a table set with endless Welsh cakes and tea.  And all-you-can-eat-Welsh Cake experience.  I came home wanting to make my own Welsh cakes.  Since I am not really much of a baker, I went to the internet to find the perfect recipe.  This recipe is from a BBC website “BBC Food Recipes” at  https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/welsh_cakes_16706

I have modified it a little for easier baking.

Recipe

Preparation time   

less than 30 mins

Cooking time

less than 10 mins

Makes 6-8 welsh cakes

What you'll need:

4 cups flour

6 tablespoons salted butter, diced

1-2 cups sugar, plus extra for dusting

A handful of cranberries or currants

1 egg, beaten

A little milk

What to do:

Sift the flour into a bowl and add the diced butter.

Rub with your fingertips, or pulse in a food processor, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 

Add the sugar, cranberries and beaten egg and mix well to form a ball of dough, using a splash of milk if needed. 

Roll the dough out on a floured board to a thickness of about ½in. 

Cut into rounds with a 3-4in plain cutter.

Rub a bakestone or heavy iron griddle with butter, wipe away the excess and place on the hop until it is heated through.

Cook the Welsh cakes a few at a time for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown. 

Remove from the griddle and dust with sugar while still warm.   Serve with a cup of tea!

 

 

Praise for The Shadow of Death: A Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery (#1)

“Sprightly… The rich life and personalities of this religious community, coupled with Sister Agatha’s devotion to the sage advice of a retired inspector turned podcaster, guarantee reader impatience for the next installment.”

―Publishers Weekly

The Hour of Death: A Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery (#2)

"Charming… Peopled with plenty of interesting characters and local color.”

—Kirkus Reviews

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Bio:

Reverend Jane Willan is a parish minister and author in Paxton, Massachusetts. She serves the First Congregational Church of Paxton and lives in the church parsonage with her husband Don and their two rescue dogs, Magi and Moses.

Before moving to Paxton, Jane served congregations in the Iowa Conference of the United Church of Christ in the small town of Creston and the larger-but-still-small town of Burlington, Iowa.

Before becoming an ordained pastor, Jane worked in Boston as a science editor, a freelance science writer, a teacher, and a brief stint in biological research at Harvard. In 2003, she became a full-time pastor and took her first church in Iowa.

Jane completed her undergraduate work at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. She has a Master of Science degree from Boston University, and a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School.  

She has published two Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn mysteries:  The Shadow of Death and The Hour of Death. 

Website:  janewillan@gmail.com

Face Book: @authorjanewillan

Twitter:  @jane_willan