SC - Candied Spices???

[grasse@mscd.edu]

At 11:30 PM -0500 11/24/98, Stefan li Rous wrote:
>I just tried my hand at making Rastons using the following message posted
>here recently:
....
>I started with a nine inch round sourdough loaf from the deli area of my local
>grocery. It was several days old when I got around to making it. I would think
>this would actually be more likely than a freshly baked loaf, anyway.
...
>I cut off the top. I had originally thought I could crumble the bread inside
>the crust, but ended up scooping it out into a bowl first, crumbling it there
>and mixing it back into the bread while adding margarine (I didn't have any
>butter). I first cooked it for six minutes at 400 degrees. When I checked it,
>the center was still cool and the margarine unmelted. So I put it back in
>the oven at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes more. I cooked it in a cake pan
>on the top rack of a gas oven.
>
>The end result was good, but not great. When I tried to cut it, the crust
>burst into pieces. I don't think that is what I wanted.
>
Here is the original recipe plus our version out of the Miscellany. Note
that the bread dough has sugar and eggs in it, which your sourdough bread
probably lacks. Note also that since you are told to bake the bread and
then to cut it, etc, with no indication of a break, several-day-old bread
is probably not more accurate.

Rastons
Two Fifteenth Century p. 52/63

Take fayre Flowre, and the whyte of Eyroun, and the yolk, a lytel; than
take Warme Berme, and putte al thes to-gederys, and bete hem to-gederys
with thin hond tyl it be schort and thikke y-now, and caste Sugre y-now
ther-to, and thenne lat reste a whyle; than kaste in a fayre place in the
oven, and late bake y-now; and then with a knyf cutte yt round a-boue in
maner of a crowne, and kepe the crust that thou kyttyst; and than pyke al
the cromys with-ynne to-gederys, an pike hem smal with thyn knyf, and saue
the sydys and al the cruste hole with-owte; and than caste ther-in
clarifiyd Botor, and mille the cromes and the botor to-gederes, and keuere
it a-gen with the cruste, that thou kyttest a-way; than putte it in the
ovyn agen a lytil tyme; and than take it out, and serue it forth.  [end of
original; thorns replaced by th]

2 1/4 c flour
2 egg whites
1 egg yolk
1/2 T dried yeast (mixed with 1/2 c water)
1/2 c sugar
1 c butter

After mixing all ingredients except for butter, let the dough rise 45
minutes to an hour. Mold the dough on a greased cookie sheet, let rise a
little more. Bake at 350° about 1 hour. Cut off top as described, mix
insides of loaf with melted butter, and replace top. Second baking is about
5 minutes at the same temperature.

Elizabeth/Betty Cook


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