SC - Bread things

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Stefan li Rous wrote:
> 
> Marian said:
> > [1] The grocery store didn't have any rolling pins for sale and I'm in the
> > process of starting a brand new kitchen so didn't have one . . . the wine bottle
> > worked pretty well.
> 
> Hmm. Were rolling pins a period kitchen instrument? It would seem to be
> very likely, but I can't remember seeing any pictures.

I seem to recall seeing several 14th-century English recipes calling for
the cook to drive a paste as broad and as thin as he may, or words to
that effect. Now, considering that when making a pie shell, these
recipes also speak of raising a coffin, I guess the _possibility_ exists
that some type of mallet is used (ask the armorers, folks!). Possibly
something along the lines of those flat little mattock-looking thingies
the butcher uses to pound cutlets. The fact that beaten biscuits are
made with a hammer not long after period would suggest it as a
possibility, too.
  
That said...I could be wrong, but I do think at least some of the above
recipes that call for driving the paste abroad do specify using a
rolling pin of some kind -- especially the later ones. The early
post-period sources such as Markham and Plat almost certainly do.

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com