breadmaking-msg

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breadmaking-msg – 3/20/08

Period bread recipes and re-creations. Useful breadmaking hints.

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NOTICE -

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.

Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

Thank you,

Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous

Stefan at florilegium.org

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From: "ysabeau" <ysabeau at mail.interquest.de>

Date: Tue, 22 Apr 1997 10:26:30 +0000

Subject: Re: SC - Turnips a la Beauce

<snip>

And a tip for bread bakers, to get that hard crunchy crust with a

soft inside, either mist the bread with water every 10- 15 minutes

or put a heat-proof bowl of water in the bottom of the oven. This

simulates the steam that builds up in stone hearth ovens (according

to my Germany bread baking class). Also I was told that our whole

wheat flour is too fine. Look for the whole wheat or grain flours at

health food stores to simulate what they use over here.

Ysabeau of Prague

Vielburgen, Drachenwald

Baumholder Germany

Ysabeau at interquest.de

From: Ray at amygdala.demon.co.uk (Ray Almond)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Recipe for scones?

Date: Tue, 29 Jul 97 19:19:53 GMT

akela at charleston.net "Bill Martin" writes:

> Does anyone have and, more importantly, wish to share a good recipe for

> scones?

Well it depends on what type of scones you want.

If you want oven baked scones then I would suggest:

8oz flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 or 2 oz butter or margarine

5 fl oz milk

mix the dry ingredients, rub in the fat and then add enough milk

to give a soft dough. Turn on to a floured board, knead lightly

if needed to remove cracks, roll out to about 3/4 inch thick, cut

into two inch rounds with a pastry cutter or into triangles with

a sharp knife. Brush with milk then bake at 450 F for 8-10 minutes

until brown and well risen.

If you want you can add raisins or chopped dates after the fat and

before the milk.

For cheese scones add 1-2 oz grated mature cheese and 1 teaspoon

of mustard powder to the mixture and once cut out brush with milk

then top with 1-2 oz grated cheese. Bake at 425 F.

If you want drop scones then try:

4oz self raising flour

2 oz caster sugar

1 egg

5 fl oz milk

mix flour and sugar, stir in beaten egg and enough milk to make

a batter the consistency of thick cream. Drop the mixture in

spoonfuls on a hot lighlty greased griddle or heavy based frying

pan. Keep the griddle at a steady heat and when bubbles rise to

the surface turn over and continue cooking until golden brown on

the other side.

Serve hot with jam and whipped cream.

Ray Almond

From: The Kirby's <yarak at mcs.net>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: scone recipe

Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 12:34:11 -0500

Here's a scone recipe I use. I use golden raisins, but you can use

other fruits as well.

2 1/4 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c butter (chilled)

1/2 c raisens

1/2 buttermilk

2 eggs (room temp, beaten)

1 tblsp honey

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter then mix in the rest of the

ingredients. Flour your hands and form (gently) 1/2" circles and place

on a cookie sheet. Brush with milk and bake at 450 degrees for approx.

12-15 minutes.

Laura

Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 13:30:44 -0500

From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>

Subject: SC - Manchet (LONG POST)

I said I would post this when I finished experimenting. Since I'm going

to switch to experimenting with French and Spanish breads (panacea for

depression, the State of Oklahoma has scheduled me into an all day

meeting on the day I would be driving to St. Golias for their yearly

feast), I think I better post this before my notes disappear into my

home singularity.

Commentary on my experiments follows the recipe and notes.

Fine Manchet

Recipe By : The Good Huswife's Handmaide for the Kitchen, 1594

Serving Size : 4-6 Preparation Time :1:00

Categories : Medieval

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

- -------- ------------ --------------------------------

8 ounces water, warm

1 ounce yeast barm

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 pounds flour, mixed

Proof 2 teaspoons dry active yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm (90 to 110

degrees F) water with a pinch of sugar. After 15 - 20 minutes, add 1

1/2 cups lukewarm water. Let stand for 1 hour. Pour into a clean jar.

Refrigerate. This is used as a substitute for ale barm.

Decant 1 ounce of the liquid from the yeast barm. Add to the warm water

in a medium bowl.

Add salt.

Sift 1 pound unbleached white flour and 1/2 pound whole wheat pastry

flour together.

Stir in flour 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. Knead in the

remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough becomes stiff. Knead

the dough into a ball. Cover.

Let rise for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : Take halfe a bushell of fine flour twise boulted, and a gallon

of faire luke warm water, almost a handful of white salt, and almost a

pint of yest, then temper these together without any more liquor, as

hard as ye can handle it: then let it lie halfe an hower, then take it

up, and make your Manchetts, and let them stande almost an hower in the

oven. Memorandum, that of every bushell of meale may be made five and

twentie caste of bread, and every loaf to way a pound besyde the

chesill.

From David, Elizabeth; English Bread and Yeast Cookery.

A bushel weighs 56 to 60 lbs. A pint is 20 fluid ozs. A gallon is 160

fluid ozs. A caste is 2 to 3 loaves of bread, each loaf equal to 2

manchets. Chesill is the finer dross seived out in the second boulting,

1 peck (14 lbs.) to the bushel.

Commentary: The recipe is approximately 1/20 of the original. All

baking was done on a terracotta baking stone in an electric oven. Each

batch was divided into 4 loaves.

The first test was undertaken with 2 pounds of Hodgeson Mills 50/50, 1/4

teaspoon of dry active yeast and 10 ounces of water (the flour was very

dry). The flour is unsuitable, containing too much bran. The yeast

failed to activate properly. The dough was too stiff for much rising.

The result was what I refer to as Francis Drake's Bowling Balls.

I created the barm as a replacement for ale barm, so that I would have a

fully proofed yeast liquor.

The second test used 1 1/2 pounds of whole wheat pastry flour, 1 ounce

of decanted yeast liquor, 8 ounces of water. I used wet hands to form

the loaves and smooth the crust. These were baked at 400 degrees F for

45 minutes. These produced beautiful brown whole wheat loaves which

split across the top during baking.

The third test I replaced the whole wheat flour with 1 1/2 pounds of a 2

to 1 mix of all purpose flour and whole wheat pastry flour. This

required nine ounces of water as the all purpose flour was drier than

the whole wheat flour. Two loaves were formed and allowed to rise

before baking, two loaves were allowed to rise then formed. No

appreciable difference was found in the end product. The loaves were

formed with dry hands and scored around the middle to allow for rise in

baking. These were baked a 350 degrees F for 1 hour. The results were

very pale loaves with a hard crust and a some what doughy interior.

All of the loaves had an interior which resembled a heavy muffin rather

than what we currently think of as a loaf of bread.

Manchet was made from the next to finest white flour, twice bolted. The

whole wheat pastry flour I used would have been the finest flour, but it

isn't white. Mixing it with all purpose flour makes what I believe to

be a reasonable substitute for fine period flour with its lower germ

extraction ratio.

The goal appears to have been to create a "white" loaf (visually) with a

finer texture than most coarse breads. Unfortunately, taste appears to

have taken a back seat in this recipe. This particular recipe should be

served hot from the oven for maximum flavor.

I am of the opinion that these loaves should be formed with wet hands,

as it helps close any fissures in the stiff dough and forms a more

disticntive crust which in turn helps retain moisture in the bread. The

bread will rise during baking, splitting the hardening crust. The crust

splits at the weakest points and the wet formed bread will tend to slpit

where it is scored rather than at random.

To improve the bread in keeping with other manchet recipes, I would

triple the yeast barm and increase the rise to 1 hour (ala Gervase

Markham) and replace the water with warm milk or an equal mix of warm

water and warm milk. I might also add an egg (ala Lady Arundel's

Manchet). My personal addition would be to add 1/2 teaspoon of salt

rather than 1/4 teaspoon.

To soften the crust, brush melted butter on the loaves before baking.

Bear

Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 14:37:52 -0500

From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>

Subject: RE: SC - Manchet (LONG POST)

>adding the salt to the liquid...wouldn't that kill the yeast and prevent

>the bread from rising? I have always mixed the salt into 1/2 of the flour

>and used that first then added the remainder of the flour..

>Dragonfyr

I've never had any problems from the salt, but then I normally use

exceptionally hard to kill dry active yeast, which I usually proof to

get it started. If I add the salt to the yeast, it is immediately

before I start adding the flour.

Technically, I should have sifted the salt into flour. Since I am

working with a yeast liquor rather than dry active yeast, it would have

been better to add salt to the flour. I will correct this point on my

recipe for future use.

The failure of the first batch was not due to the salt, which I had

forgotten until I had already stirred in the first half cup and quickly

added to the flour. I goofed the proof using such a small amount of

yeast. It was the yeast failure which got me to try making a barm.

When I try this again, I'll follow Markham's technique of mixing the dry

ingredients together and then adding the liquor to the dry mix.

Thanks for catching my faux pas.

Bear

Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 23:29:45 -0500

From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>

Subject: RE: SC - Manchet (LONG POST)

><< e: adding the salt to the liquid...wouldn't that kill the yeast and

>prevent the bread from rising? >>

>Adding the salt to the recipe would slow down the growth of the yeast. This

>is good. Fast growing yeast produces unwanted compounds which could, for

>instance, cause a decided bitter flavor in the finished product.

>Ras

Good point. Salt is generally added to improve the flavor of the bread,

which is why I'll increase the salt the next time I make manchet. It

does slow yeast activity and by doing so "sweetens" the bread. The

ratios of yeast/salt/flour differ based primarily on the length of the

rise.

In the case of the recipe for manchet, the major rise of the bread is

during baking and the rise times are so short that you really don't

worry about fast growing yeast. Standard bread recipes usually call for

1 teaspoon of salt to one or two teaspoons of dry active yeast and about

two pounds of flour with a two hour first rise and a one to two hour

second rise.

The place where the balance gets tricky is when you create a slow rise

bread or a starter. Either of these may rise for as much as twelve

hours. Some of the recipes I've seen call for tablespoon of salt to a

teaspoon of yeast and two pounds of flour.

Bear

Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 13:09:19 -0400

From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

Subject: SC - Long-Period food, bread, etc.

James & Melody Mahanna wrote:

> Anyway ...(big deep breath) is there anyone with a GOOD yeast bread

> recipe. I have a wonderful Russian Round Bread recipe, but I am not

> quite sure how "period" it is. Thanks!

There aren't a heck of a lot of period bread recipes that have survived.

This is probably because much of the bread that was eaten in period

would have been baked by professional bakers, in a bakery, which had

little or nothing in common with the kitchens whose recipe collections

have come down to us.

A simple "white" bread recipe, as suitable for most of period Europe,

would be something like this:

2 packets dry yeast, or equivalent in sourdough starter, barm, etc.

1 Tbs salt

1 Tbs sugar

~1 cup lukewarm water (~100-110 degrees F.)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

Various things like a couple of tablespoons of butter or an egg could be

added, and something like milk or ale could be substituted for the

water, but I find technique to be more important than non-essential

ingredients, especially when you are dealing with potential

ovo-lacto-vegetarians, to say nothing of period dietary laws regarding

animal products.

If you're using dry yeast follow the directions on the package. Anything

else you might use, be it fresh cake yeast, barm, sourdough, or

whatever, would end up being mixed with the sugar, the salt, and the

liquid. Start with a cup of the liquid, but you may need a bit more. You

don't want to use any more liquid than is absolutely necessary.

Add the flour and mix to make a stiff dough. Use only enough liquid to

absorb all the flour into the mass of dough. Knead the dough until it is

smooth, elastic, and not sticky. It may actually have a slight shine to

it. This should take around ten minutes, but whole wheat doughs might

take longer, so you're better off with the above signs. Put the dough on

a floured board, and cover it with a _slightly_ oiled bowl, or put it

into the oiled bowl, roll it around a little until it is coated with

oil, and cover with a piece of plaswrap. Leave it to rise in a warm,

draft-free room. Preheat your oven to around 425 degrees. If your

kitchen wasn't warm enough to be a warm, draft-free room, it probably

will be in a few minutes after you light your oven. Let the dough rise

until double in bulk, probably around 45 minutes. Punch it down, give it

a quick knead of one or two turns, and return it to the board or bowl,

and let it rise again until almost double in bulk. This time it will be

faster, probably around 30 minutes.

Now form your loaf. The easiest way to do this that I have found is to

flip the dough over, so that the domed top is now on the bottom as the

dough lies on the board. Gather the edges up and together, pressing them

together like drawstring pouch. Keep repeating this process until the

top is a small knot of compressed dough in the middle, and the rest of

the surface (the bottom) is a tightly stretched elastic membrane of

extended gluten. Now flip it back over, tucking the knot into the center

as you flip. Now your stretched membrane, which is the foundation for a

good crust, is on top, where it belongs. Place it on a baking sheet, or

in a greased pan (I'm extremely fond of using a cast-iron skillet), or

on a wooden baker's peel, or whatever you plan to use to get ead into

the oven. You may want to slash the surface of the dough with a sharp

knife, razor blade, etc. A cross is nice, and very common, but you might

want to experiment with, for example, the Gervase Markham trick of

slashing a circular cut around the waistline of your round loaf, which

will give you a sort of hatbox shape to your baked loaf. Let the loaf

rest one more time, for 20 or 30 minutes. Again, it will have risen

somewhat. Put the loaf in the oven.

Beep. Beep. Certified professional baker's trick alert! Keep handy a

clean plant mister filled with plain water. Spray the loaf with a fine

mist of water just before putting it into the oven. After five minutes,

do it again. After another five minutes, do it a third, and final time.

This helps develop a good, baguette-like, crust. (If you miss and hit

the back or bottom of the oven, instead of the loaf, it really doesn't

seem to make a difference, provided you don't extinguish the oven flame.

Electric ovens are shielded from this type of thing, and should pose no

problem.)

Bake for anywhere from 25-45 minutes, depending on the size and shape of

the loaf. If, after half an hour or so, it shows no signs of browning,

you might consider a wash or glaze of some kind. An egg beaten with a

little water and some salt is the industrial standard, but you can use

whites only, with water and salt (which gives a shine, but no browning),

yolks with water and salt, or even milk or cream and salt, for both

browning and sheen.

The bread is done when it produces a hollow sound when rapped on the

bottom. If you have it in a loaf pan, you can do the old bit with

sticking a skewer in it, or try tapping it on the top.

I'm sure there are others on this list, who bake more than I do, and who

might have different methods, or favorite special recipes. But, this one

works well, and provides a good all-purpose period-type loaf, and is

almost universally acceptable to anyone who eats bread at all, so even

those who don't eat eggs, or milk products, or who want assurances that

no yaks were molested during the production of this loaf, should have no

problems. The only real problem I can think of would be for those who

don't eat processed sugar, but then the yeast will have eaten most of