SC - Lefse/hleifr

[Decker, Terry D.]

> Thank you for the recipe!  Being a bread-baker and -lover, it is a 
> frustration to me that there are no period recipes for bread.  I do have 
> one question -- what kind of starter would be used?  Would it be wheat-
> based or rye-based?  Or something else?  From what I have read in the 
> FAQ for rec.food.sourdough, and elsewhere, rye starters are common in 
> northern Europe.  I have a nice healthy wheat starter, and could easily 
> convert part of it to rye.
> 
> Brighid
> 
> Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
> 
To my knowledge, there are four pre-1600 bread recipes (which I posted to
the list about a week ago), and a number of 17th Century recipes which
probably originate in the 16th Century.  Since this cook book was published
in 1616 and was describing common practice, the odds are the northern
European seeded ryes mentioned are period.  Now, how far in the past they
can be placed is another question.  Since the book suggests unsalted bread
was common, I would suspect adding seeds for flavoring is a fairly old
practice.

The starter would probably be rye-based, however the yeasts and lactobacilli
required to make a good rye loaf may differ from those in your current
starter.  Give it a try.  If it works, great!  If not, it was a valiant
attempt.

Most recipes for rye use a mixture of rye and wheat (maslin) to get the
flavor of the rye, but the gluten of the wheat.  A period Scandinavian rye
might actually be maslin (wheat and rye grown together by accident or
design) , but the flour would be more rye than wheat given the growing
conditions.  So, a straight light rye flour might be appropriate.

If you do use a straight rye flour, keep in mind it does not have nearly as
much gluten as a wheat flour.  You'll have to knead the dough longer, it
won't rise as much as a good wheat loaf, and you will probably have to
extend the rise to get good aeration in the crumb.

I have done one rye starter from scratch, mixing rye flour and water and
letting it ferment.  I was not particularly pleased with the result.  Given
time, I'll probably experiment more with the process.  

Let me know how your experiments work out.

Bear
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