[Sca-cooks] Another bread question - bakeries

[AEllin Olafs dotter]

While we're discussing bread... I was talking about baking  in period 
with someone a while ago, and a question arose.

I was under the impression that bakers made all or almost all  bread, as 
a general rule, from scratch and by their own recipes, and people simply 
purchased it.

The person I was speaking to believes that the individual household 
would prepare their own loaves, and then bring the risen loaves to the 
baker to bake. A communal oven, so to speak, but not a single baker.

Of course, I'm looking mostly at later period, urban situations... and 
she has looked largely at somewhat earlier, more rural settings, 
villages, rather than large cities - would that be the difference? Or is 
one of us mistaken? Or is this just another case of that messy word 
"period" - covering a thousand years and an entire continent (with 
extras,) of course there are differences?

I'm interested in this... Bear? *G* Anyone else?

AEllin