[Sca-cooks] Re: easy bread recipe?

[Stefan li Rous]

Aoghann asked:
> I am contemplating making bread for the feast. I would need about 45
> medium size
> loaves. I am looking for a fairly simple recipe, preferably including
> oats,

Any particular reason you are wanting a bread recipe using oats? I  
really seems like non-wheat, non-white bread was really looked down  
upon in the later Middle Ages and not something you would serve at a  
dinner for nobleman. Although perhaps this wasn't the case in Anglo- 
Saxon era England.

I don't remember any, of the few, surviving medieval bread recipes  
using oats. However, you can find a number of period-esque bread  
recipes using some oats in the FOOD-BREADS section of the  
Florilegium. I assume you are talking about a mixture of oats and  
wheat, rather than all oats. Otherwise I don't think the bread rises  
much and you get oatcakes. There is a file for those as well.

> that could be taken on by a couple of willing and relatively competent
> helpers.
> >
> > Question: How big of a batch of dough can you make at once. I
> > fairly OK
> with single and double batches, but have never ventured beyond that.

Perhaps this file in the FEASTS section might of use:
bread-for-fsts-msg (16K)  1/25/05    Baking and buying bread for SCA  
feasts.

I do have a bunch more stuff for this file as well, since we  
discussed this not too long ago.

Several folks mentioned needing space to spread out and make the  
bread. If you are cramped for space or time or people, you might also  
consider making the dough up ahead of time and freezing it and then  
just baking it on-site. I believe that option is discussed in the  
above file.

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