[Sca-cooks] Bread question

[Mark.S Harris]

Vicente asked:
> A question for all the baker types out there...

Well, it's been years since I baked bread but let's see...

> I'm considering baking bread for an upcoming feast.  The last time I tried
> this, I baked the bread ahead of time and froze the finished loaves.  I
> wasn't exactly happy with the results, needless to say.
>
> I'm looking at doing a very simple bread: flour, water, yeast, salt, rise
> once, shape, rise again and bake.  Can the dough be frozen after the first
> rise without killing the yeast?  Or should I try to mix it up onsite the
> night before and let it rise in the walk-in fridge?

We have discussed freezing bread before on this list, either as raw
dough, partially baked loaves or after it is done. I remember
seeing comments on this in this file in the FOOD-BREADS section of
the Florilegium when I was editing it earlier this week:
breadmaking-msg  (206K) 11/15/01    Period bread recipes and
re-creations.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-BREADS/breadmaking-msg.html

> Of course, we have some very good Italian bakeries in town...

Well, buying your bread already baked, as well as taking your bread
to be baked in the bakers oven, was not uncommon in period.

How many loaves are you trying to bake?

Stefan li Rous