SC - Bread

[david friedman]

At 2:48 PM -0400 9/26/99, LadyCristl at AOL.COM wrote:

>.... I would like anyone's advice on the best way to
>bake bread over an open fire, either wood or charcoal, and any proven recipes
>for such.

Here is a late-period recipe for Indian flat breads we have done in a
frying pan over the fire at Pennsic.

Bread
Ain i Akbari

There is a large kind, baked in an oven, made of 10 s. flour; 5 s. milk; 1
1/2 s. ghi; 1/4 s. salt. They make also smaller ones. The thin kind is
baked on an iron plate. One ser will give fifteen, or even more. There are
various ways of making it; one kind is called chapati, which is sometimes
made of khushka; it tastes very well when served hot. ["s." stands for ser;
1 ser = 2 lb 2 oz.]

1 lb = 3 1/2 c flour
1/2 lb = 1 c milk
2.4 oz ghee (clarified butter) = 3/8-1/2 c
.4 oz salt = 1/2 T

Melt the ghee, stir it into the flour with a fork until there are only very
small lumps. Stir in the milk until thoroughly mixed, knead briefly. Put
the ball of dough in a bowl covered by a damp cloth and leave for at least
an hour. Then knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, adding a
little extra flour if necessary. Either:

Take a ball of dough about 2" in diameter, roll it out to about a 5"
diameter circle. Cook it in a hot frying pan without grease. After about 2
minutes it should start to puff up a little in places. Turn it. Cook
another 2 minutes. Turn it. Cook another 2 minutes. It should be done. The
recipe should make about 11 of these. Or ...

Take a ball of dough about 3" in diameter. Roll it down to a circle about
7" in diameter and 1/4" thick. Heat a baking sheet in a 450° oven. Put the
circle of dough on it in the oven. Bake about 6 minutes; it should be
puffing up. Turn it over. Bake about 4 minutes more. Take it out. The
recipe should make about 5 of these.

Also, does anyone have any simply splendorous dishes that have been
>a hit at a war-feast?  I do so want to impress the encampment.  We will have
>about 40 or so people for the feast.

I have an article on a dinner we did at Pennsic (simple rather than
splendorous, but was appreciated) webbed at :
http://www.best.com/~ddfr/Medieval/Articles/More_Articles.html

Elizabeth/Betty Cook


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