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The illustrated article below was produced some years ago by Dafydd Price for educational purposes. The bakery was an important part of life in Aberffraw - the smell of baking bread in Bodorgan Square was memorable feature. Aberffraw.org would like to thank Dafydd for providing the text (in Welsh and English) and the now historical photos of making bread in the traditional way by a master baker in Becas Berffro. We hope that the pictures will bring back happy memories.
Buaswm yn ddiolchgar pe byddech yn cynnwys brawddeg (Cymraeg/Saesneg) tebyg i'r canlynol gyda'r set :
This material may be freely copied for educational purposes provided that the original source is acknowledged : D.Price.
Yr Hen Fecws / The Old Bakery
Dyma stori am sut yr oedd bara yn cael eu pobi yn y becws hynafol ym mhentref Aberffraw ar Ynys Môn. Fe awn yn ôl i’r flwyddyn 1969, ychydig ddyddiau cyn i fy nhad ymddeol wedi oes o bobi bara ar gyfer y gymuned leol. Roedd y popty hynafol yn hen iawn a dysgodd fy nhad ei grefft fel popydd gan ei dad o’i flaen.
This is a story about how bread was baked in an old fashion bakery in a village called Aberffraw on Ynys Môn (Isle of Anglesey) in North Wales. We will go back in time to the year 1969 just a few days before my father retired after a lifetime of baking bread for the local community. The traditional oven was very old and my father learnt his trade as a Master Baker from his father before him.
1. Aberffraw :
Dyma ni yn edrych i gyfeiriad y Berffro a’r hen bont ganoloesol yn arwain i fyny’r bryn i sgwâr y pentref ble safai’r becws.
Here we a looking at Aberffraw and the old medieval bridge leads up the hill to the village square where the bakery stood.
2.Y Becws / The Bakery :
Heddiw mae’r adeilad yn parhau ond mae’r popty wedi mynd a cheir yno siop groser; ond rwy’n sicr pe codech rai o’i styllennod llawr y byddech yn canfod blawd o’r hen ddyddiau! Dyma’r becws yn 1969.
Today the building is still there but the oven has gone and it is now a grocer’s shop; but I’m sure if you lifted the old floorboards, underneath you would still find flour dust from days gone by! This was the bakery in 1969.
3.Y newyddion diweddaraf / The latest news :
Diwrnod o haf oedd hi pan dynnwyd y llun hwn ac mae rhai o’r pentrefwyr yn sefyllian y tu allan i’r becws yn trafod newyddion a storiau’r dydd. Yn ystod dyddiau oer y gaeaf fe fyddent yn y becws yn eistedd neu sefyll o flaen lle tân y gegin. Dyddiau cyn gwres canolog yn y rhan fwyaf o dai oedd y rhain ac os oeddech yn byw ar ben eich hunan, roedd y becws nid yn unig yn le cynnes ond hefyd yn fan cyfarfod cymdeithasol ar gyfer rhannu newyddion a chewdleua. Yn wir gellid galw’r becws yn llywodraeth y pentref!
It was a summer’s day when this photograph was taken and some of the villagers are standing outside discussing the day’s news and stories. On cold winter days they would have been inside the bakery sitting or standing in front of the old kitchen range inside the bakehouse. These were the days before central heating in most houses and if you lived alone, the bakery was not only a place of warmth but also a place for social gathering, the sharing of news and of story telling. Indeed you could call the bakery the parliament of the village!
4.Y drws cefn / The back door :
Er fod y siop fara ym mlaen yr adeilad i’r cefn y deuai’r rhan fwyaf o’r bobl i brynu eu torth. Yno gallent brynu’r bara fel ag yr oeddent yn dod allan yn boeth o’r popty.Byddai pawb yn gwybod pan fyddai’r bara’n barod, gallech arolgi’r bara ffres ledled y pentref pan agorid y popty. Roedd yn arogl arbennig … unigryw yn wir!
Although the Baker’s Shop was at the front of the building most people came to the back door to buy their bread. They could buy the bread hot as it was coming out of the oven. Everyone would know when the bread was ready; you could smell the beautiful freshly baked bread all over the village when the oven door was opened. It was a very special smell… totally unique!
5.Yr hen bopty / The old oven :
Roedd drws hearn bwrw mawr i’r popty ac i’r dde gellwch weld drws y ffwrnais. Nid addurn oedd y llif fawr. Fe’i defnyddid i lifo’r coed yn ddranau rhyw fedr o hyd ar gyfer y tân i gynhesu’r popty.
The oven had a big cast iron door to it and to the right you can see the furnace door. The large saw was not there for show. It was used to cut logs into one metre lengths to burn and heat the oven ready for baking.
6.Y tu mewn / A look inside :
Roedd y popty oddeutu 4 medr wrth 4 metre a’r llawr wedi’i i orchuddio â theils chwarel.
The oven was about 4 metres by 4 metres and the floor was cover in quarry tiles.
7.Coed y bore /Wood for the morning :
Er mwyn sicrhau bod y tân yn cynnau’n dda yn y bore fe roddid coed y bore yn y popty dros nos.
So that the furnace fire would burn well tomorrow morning’s wood would be placed in the oven over night.
8.Llwyth berfa o gôcs /A barrow load of coke :
Fe losgid côcs yn y ffwrnais; ond coed a ddefnyddid gan amlaf. Y llosgi coed yma oedd yn gwneud bara’r becws mor arbennig. Deuai pobl o bell ac agos i brynu bara o fecws y Berffro. Rhoddai’r coed flas arbennig a lliw crystyn euraidd a dynnai ddŵr i’r dannedd. Y coed a ddefnyddid amlaf oedd onnen, llwyfen, derw a rhododendron.
Coke was burnt in the furnace; but it was mostly wood that was uset. It was this wood burning that made the bakery’s bread so special. People from far and wide came to buy bread from the bakery in Aberffraw. The wood gave the bread a very special taste and a fantastic golden crust that made your mouth water. The wood used was usually ash, elm, oak and rhododendron.
9.Blawd / Flour :
Beth yw’r cynhwysion a ddefnyddir i wneud torth? Blawd yw’r cyntaf. Deuai’r blawd mewn sachau; rhai tunnelli ar y tro ar lori o Lerpwl.Dywedai fy nhad mai gwenith Canada oedd y gorau; a byddai bob amser yn defnyddio’r blawd gorau.
What are the ingredients for a loaf of bread? The first is flour. The flour came in sacks, a few tons at a time by lorry from Liverpool. My father always said that Canadian wheat was the best; and he always used the best flour.
10.Halen / Salt :
Rhydd halen flas arbennig i dorth. Pe byddech yn anghofio rhoi halen yn
y toes fe fyddai lliw melyn i’r crystyn a byddai’r dorth yn eitha’
di-flas.
Salt gives the bread a special taste. Should you forget to add salt to
the dough, the crust after baking would have a yellowy colour and the
loaf would be quite tasteless.
11.Dŵr / Water :
Ie, dyma’r tap a gyflenwai bwcedi o ddŵr. Cyn dŵr cyhoeddus o bibelli fe gyrchid y dŵr o fynnon y pentref.
Yes, this was the tap that supplied the water in bucketsful! Before mains water, the water was carried from the village well.
12.Burum / Yeast :
Er mwyn i’r toes godi rhaid ychwanegu burum. Mae’r pecynnau hyn yn
cynnwys burum “byw” a phan y’i cymysgir gyda’r blawd, halen a’r dŵr
mae’n cynorthwyo i gynhyrchu carbon deuocsid sy’n gwneud i’r toes godi.
In order to make the dough rise you must add yeast. These packets
contain what is called “live” yeast and when mixed with the flour, salt
and water it helps to produce carbon dioxide which makes the dough rise.
13.Y tylinwr / The mixer :
Byddai sacheidiau o flawd yn mynd i’r tylinwr mawr. Toddid y burum mewn
pwcedaid o ddŵr a’i dywallt i’r blawd a dilyn hynny gyda sawl pwcedaid
arall o ddŵr gyda’r halen wedi’i doddi yn un ohonynt. Byddai’r tylinwr
mawr yn troir cynhwysion yn does. Byddai’r ddysgl fawr yn troi tra bo’r
fraich grafangog yn symud i fyny ac i lawr.
Sacks of flour were emptied into this big mixer. The yeast was mixed in
a bucket of water and poured in followed by more buckets of water with
the salt dissolved in one of them. The mixer would then mix the
ingrediients into dough. The large bowl went round and round whilst the
hooked arm moved up and down at the same time.
14.Y toes yn codi / The dough rising :
Wedi’r tylino rhoddid gorchudd dros y toes a’i adael i godi.
When all the mixing was done the dough was covered and left to rise.
15.Y cam nesaf / The next stage :
Pan yn barod byddai’r toes yn codi hyd erchwyn y ddisgl. (Ac fe wyddom bellach beth sy’n achosi i’r toes godi?)
When ready the dough would reached the very top of the bowl. (And we know now what was causing the dough to rise?)
16.Ei godi ar y bwrdd / Moving on to the table :
Tywelltid y toes o’r ddisgl a’i gario ar y bwrdd.
The dough is tipped out of the bowl and carried on to the table.
17.Pwyso’r toes / Weighing the dough :
Yma mae’r toes yn barod ar gyfer ei bwyso.
Here is the dough on the table ready to be weighed.
18.Y glorian a’r pwysau / The scales and weights :
Dyma’r glorian. Roedd dau wahanol bwysau. Roedd torth fawr yn pwyso 2
bwys a thorth fach yn un pwys. Ellwch chi ganfod beth yw hynny yn
system fetric y dyddiau hyn?
This was the weighing scales. There were two different weights. The
large loaves weighed 2lbs and the small loaves 1lb. Can you find out
what those weights would be in today’s metric system?
19.Pwyso â llaw / Weighing by hand :
Gwneid yr holl bwyso yn gyflym a chywir â llaw.
All the weighing was done quickly and accurately by hand.
20.Y mowldar / The moulder :
Âi’r toes deubwys ar gyfer y tuniau dau bwys i’r mouldar yn gyntaf.
The 2lbs pieces of dough for the 2lb tins went through the moulder first.
21.Toes y tuniau deubwys / The dough for 2lb tins :
Roedd y mowldar yn osgoi’r angen i dylino’r toes i’w siâp â llaw.
The moulder did away with the need to mould the dough into shape by hand
22.I’r tuniau / Into the tins :
Rhoddid y toes yn y tunau deubwys â llaw.
The dough was placed in the 2lb tins by hand.
23.Gorchuddio a gadael i godi / Covered and left to rise :
Wedi llenwi’r tuniau i gyd; rhoddid gorchydd drostynt a gadaeli’r toes i godi yng ngwres y gegin.
When all the tins were full they were cover and the dough was left in the warmth of the kitchen to rise.
24.Barod i’r popty / Ready for the oven :
Sylwch fel mae’r toes, ar ôl rhyw awr o amser, wedi codi i frig y tuniau.
Notice how the dough has risen, after an hour or so, to the top of the tins.
25.Tylino’r cobiau / Moulding the cobs :
Rhaid oedd tylino’r cobiau a’r bara dan badell â llaw.
Cobs and pan loaves had to be moulded by hand.
26.Barod i’r popty / Ready for the oven :
Megis y bara tun roedd rhaid gorchuddio’r toes crwn a’i gadael i godi hefyd.
As with the tin loaves the round dough was also covered and left to rise.
27.Fesul pedwarawd i’r popty / Four by four to the oven :
Pan oedd y toes i gyd wedi codi rhaid oedd cario tuniau i fwrdd rhwng ddrws y gegin a’r popty.
When all the dough had risen the tins were then carried to the hatch to be place in the oven for baking.
28.Popty poeth / A hot oven :
Mae’r popty wedi cyrraedd ei wres cywir ac yn barod ar gyfer pobi’r toes.
The oven is now up to the correct temperature and ready for the dough to be baked.
29.Y pîl / The peel :
Defnyddid y pîl i osod y tuniau a’r bara cob/dan badell mewn rhesi
taclus yn y popty. Defnyddid pîl bren ar gyfer y cobiau/dan badell a
pîl fetel ar gyfer y bara tuniau. Mae’r pîl fel rhaw wastad a chanddi
goes hir. Roedd y goes yn ddigon hir i’r pîl gyrraedd cornel bellaf y
popty.
The peel was used to place the tins and cob loaves in tidy rows in the
oven. A wooden peel for cobs and a metal sheet peel for the tin loaves.
The peel is like a long handled flat spade. The handle was long enough
for the flat blade to reach the very far corners of the old oven.
30.Barod i gau’r drws / Ready to shut the door :
Fawr o le ar ôl! Rhaid oedd gweithio’r gyflym i lwytho’r popty, o achos
fel y gwelwch, mae’r rhai cyntaf yn y cefn wedi dechrau crasu’n barod.
Looks very crowded in there! Packing the tins into the oven had to be
done very quickly, because as you can see here the first ones in at the
back are already beginning to cook.
31.Awr o grasu / One hour of baking :
Gadewid y toes yn y popty am awr. Dyma gloc ffyddlon y becws; fe’i
rhoddwyd i fy nhad gan Alec Thompson. (Hwn oedd ei gloc yn ei swyddfa
yn Leeds ac ar ei ymddeoliad fe ddaeth ag ef i’r becws.)
The dough would be left in the oven for one hour. This was the faithful
bakery clock. It was given to my father by Alec Thompson (This was his
office clock in Leeds and when he retired he brought with him for the
bakehouse.)
32.Cyfle am sgwrs / Time for a chat :
Os mai hwn oedd llwyth olaf y dydd roedd amser am sgwrs. Deuai’r gŵr
bonheddig hwn i eistedd yng nghynhesrwydd cegin y becws bob dydd. Yn
wir, ei gadair ef ei hun oedd hon, wedi’r cyfan roedd rhaid bod yn
berffaith gyfforddus!
If the lot that went in was the last batch for the day there was always
time for a chat. This kindly gentleman came daily to sit in the warmth
of the bakehouse kitchen. Indeed the chair in which he is sitting was
his own chair; after all he wanted to be as comfortable as possible!
33. Ym mhen yr awr / One hour later :
Gallwch glywed arogl y bara ffres! Dyma nhw’n barod i ddod allan.
You can smell the freshly baked bread! They are now ready to be taken out.
34.Y pîl bren / The wooden peel :
Y cobiau gyntaf gyda’r pîl bren. Roedd tipyn o wres wrth ddrws y popty.
The cobs first with the wooden peel. It was very hot work in front of the oven door.
35.Y pîl bren eto / A better look at the wooden peel :
Fel y dywedais roedd y pîl bren fel rhaw wastad.
As I said earlier the wooden peel looks like a flat spade.
36.Allan fesul pedwar / Out in fours :
Mae coes llawer hirach gan y pîl fetel er mwyn cyrraedd y tuniau pellaf yn y popty.
The metal peel has a much longer handle in order to reach the very furthest tins in the oven.
37.Un neu dwy arall / Just a few more :
Gwelir yma ba mor ofalus yr oedd rhaid gosod y tuniau yn y popty.
This shows how carefully the tins had to be packed into the oven.
38.Gwaith poeth / Very hot work :
Cofiwch ein bod yn trafod tuniau a bara poeth iawn yn y becws, ac ie,
roedd damweiniau yn digwydd o dro i dro yn y brys i dadlwytho’r popty
yn gyflym.
Remember we were handling very hot tins and bread in the bakery; and
yes accidents did happen from time to time when rushing to empty the
oven quickly.
39.Sachau llaw / Hand rags :
Sachau maint llaw wedi’i gwneud â ddefnydd sach oedd y rhain. Roeddent
yn eich galluogi i drafod y tuniau a’r bara peoth heb losgi eich dwylo.
These were hand size sacks made from sacking material, they enabled you
to handle the hot tins and loaves without burning your hands.
40.Mae bara ffres yn boeth / Fresh bread is hot :
Hyd yn oed wrth wisgo’r sachau llaw roedd rhaid gweithio’n gyflym i
osgoi rhag rhoi cyfle i’r gwres dreiddio drwy’r defnydd. Mewn
gwirionedd, fel y dywed unrhyw gogydd proffesiynol wrthyf, mae eich
dwylo yn cledu gyda phrofiad ac fe ddeuwch yn gyfforddus i drafod
pethau poeth y byddai pobl eraill heb yr un profiad yn eu canfod yn
boenus i’w cyffwrdd. Rydych angen blynyddoedd o arfer i allu gwneud hyn
a’r ffordd orau yw cymryd gofal ac osgoi llosgi. Gall for yn boenus
iawn!
Even when wearing hand rags you had to work quickly otherwise the heat
would creep through sacking. In actual fact, like any professional chef
will tell you, your hands do harden and you become comfortable handling
hot things that other people without the same experience would find
painful to the touch. But you need years of handling to be able to do
that and the best way is to take great care and avoid being burnt. It
can be very painful!
41.Arogl hyfryd / It smells lovely :
Dyma bara a welsoch yn gynharach fel toes gyda chroes arnynt.
These are the loaves you saw earlier as dough with a cross marked on them.
42.Digon i dynnu dŵr i’r dannedd / A mouth watering smell :
Dyma ddewis o fara un pwys.
Here is a selection of 1lb loaves.
43.Dewis pellach /A further selection :
Yma gwelwn dorth dan badell, cob, torth tin dau bwys a thorth Hovis pwys.
Here we have a round pan, a cob a 2lb tin load and a 1lb Hovis loaf.
44.Barod i’w dosbarthu / Ready for delivery :
Dyma’r fan fara wedi’i llwytho â bara ffres ac yn barod i fynd ar ei
rownd i alw yn y siopau lleol, y pentrefi a’r ffermydd gwledig. Roedd y
fasged fara wedi ei phlethu ac o faint a llai gario dwsin o fara mawr.
Gwerthid bara i’r siopau fesul dwsin.
Here is the delivery van loaded with freshly baked bread ready to do
the rounds calling on local shops, villages and outlying farms. The
bread baskets were woven to a size that enabled you to carry a dozen
loaves. Bread was always sold to shops in dozens.
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