[Sca-cooks] Bread for 'trenchers'

[Terri Morgan]

>> So we took round bread loaves of dark bread, cut them
>> in half and figured that was a 'trencher' like we'd
>> read about.

> It's a fairly accurate version of an early bread trencher.
> Dark bread would be more likely the further East you went.

Ah! Then I can comfortably use lighter grains, thus increasing the chances
of folks nibbling on the "trencher's" innards.

>>   So what I'm trying to come up with is an edible bread
>> that is dense enough to serve as a 8" or so platter, that
>> I can put some sauced food on without the bread falling
>> apart before the diner is done eating.

> A basic bread of whole wheat, rye or maslin (mixed flours)
> will give you this.  Preferably, they should be staled for
> four days, but since you want people to eat them, I would
> go with a mix of rye and wheat a day or two old. 
> Rye hold moisture better than wheat and makes a denser bread.
> You probably want the crust a little tough, so don't wrap
> the loaves after you bake them.

Thank you! That is exactly the information I was looking for. And as a lucky
coincidence, one of the cooks taking a break from slaving for our group read
this discussion and is donating some rye, wheat flowers, and semolina to the
effort. (I'm glad I'm getting back into baking bread on a project like this
rather than one that is for bread for a standard feast. The bread we'll be
serving for lunch is going to be purchased/donated from a bakery.)

> You haven't said how many plates you plan to serve
> or how much per plate you are willing to expend on
> trenchers.  Both of those are serious considerations
> when determining whether or not to continue.  If you
> have enough bakers willing to help the labor and time
> should not be problems.

It's vague, apparently, since our Autocrat can't be pinned down and I
haven't seen the event budget. However, in the past we've served between 120
+/- 10 so I'm planning to bake 44 loaves and have a friend who is baking 20
more for a total of 64. That should give me enough to serve 128 people. As
long as I can keep the costs to or below $1US a loaf, everything should be
fine. If it costs more than that, it'd be cheaper for me to purchase the
bread from the local store.

> When thinking about mixed grains, remember that blends
> of flours alter texture and taste and that unusual flours
> often cost quite a bit more than wheat or rye flour.
>  Otherwise, the idea sounds fine to me.
> Bear 

Thank you, Bear. I'm going to use the opportunity to mix in the grains I've
managed to gather in my cupboard (every once in a while, one must clean out
the stuff in the back of the cupboard, eh?) and with the donation of some
more, that will really cut down on the costs. As long as the bread comes out
more dense than regular eating bread, it will be a success. Since this event
is 'traditional' for the same group of folks, the serving wenches can easily
match up trenchers with those who like particular flavours or use a
'neutral' one for those unknown.

Thanks for all the help, everyone. This is going to be fun!

Hrothny