[Sca-cooks] medieval bread loafs

[Stefan li Rous]

'Lainie said:
> But I'm not sure that manchet are what they mean by 'loaf' of bread- at
> least I've never seen them called such.
>
> Standard loaves are shown in teh illos as round, about 14" across.
> Somewhere (read that- 'in the boxes of notes and papers in the garage 200
> miles away') I have a copy of the standardized measures for bread bakers-
> the ones that if your loaves were found too small/light, they would hang
> one around your neck and put you in the stocks. If I can think of where to
> find it online, I'll dig it up- if I can get the computer to cooperate...

Well, the Florilegium is one place to check. But I think I only have
some info about the Assize of bread, which varied by the quality and
type of bread and not any actual copies of any Assizes themselves.

However, here are a few snippets from my bread-msg file:
-------
A 'caste' of bread was either two or three loaves according to
size, two manchets being reckoned as one loaf.  In this recipe
there would have been two loaves (four manchets) to the caste,
each manchet weighing eight ounces.  One hundred manchets could
be made from one bushel of flour.
-------
To get back on subject, the penny loaf was the price of a loaf of bread
under the Assize of Bread established in 1266.  There were three
qualities of flour listed and three different weights of loaf.  In terms
of 17th and 18th century recipes, what is usually meant is the penny
white loaf (a manchet) which weighed between 6 and 8 ounces.  A wheat or
brown loaf would weigh 12 to 16 ounces.
-------
Well, okay a little of an Assize:
>From the Assize of Bread and Beer:

"Assisa Panis (Assize of Bread): When a Quarter of Wheat is sold for 12d.,
then Wastel Bread of a farthing shall weigh =A36 and 16s. But Bread Cocket of
a farthing of the same grain and bultel, shall weigh more than Wastel by 2s.
And Cocket Bread made of grain of lower price, shall weigh more than Wastel
by 5s. Bread made into a Simnel shall weigh 2s. less than Wastel. Bread made
of the whole Wheat shall weigh a Cocket and a half, so that a Cocket shall
weigh more than a Wastel by 5s. Bread of Treet shall weigh 2 wastels. And
bread of common wheat shall weigh two great cockets.

When a quarter of wheat is sold for 18d., then wastel bread of a farthing
white and well-baked shall weigh =A34 10s. 8d...."

The Assize of Bread and Beer was first codified in the 12th Century and
became fixed in its form in the 14th Century, although changes were made
from time to time in regards the weights and costs.  It remained in law
until the 19th Century.

--
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
   Mark S. Harris            Austin, Texas          stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****