[Sca-cooks] German Breads

aldyth at aol.com aldyth at aol.com
Mon Mar 31 17:35:20 PDT 2008


I wll put my two cents in.? I have been doing research on grains available for bread in various parts of the world at certain times.? My eventual aim is to be able to give a cook doing a feast an idea of what grain and fermentation process would be used for their bread.? So.? I have to ask what part of Germany are you re creating, and when?

I can swag, with a reconstructed recipe.? It started with a reference in Through Finland in Carts Ethel B Tweedie 1898.? I am trying to find it on fiche or as an interlibrary loan to see the real thing.? 

Takes two days for the starter, and about 3 hours to mix, let rise and bake.

Starter
1 small nugget of yeast
1/2 cup rye flour
4 tablespoons warm milk

Mix these ingredients together and leave in a warm place for 2 days.? I have used a zip lock bag, and also one of the glass canisters with the locking lid. (which needs to be not locked, and the bag open a very little during the 2 days)

Bread
2 pounds rye flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm water or milk
3/4 of the starter

Put the flour and salt into a warm bowl, mix the starter, the warm water or milk in another bowl.? Make a well in the flour and salt and pour the starter mix into it.? Stir together.? If you use an electric mixer, it needs to be a sturdy one.? This recipe will kill the little handheld mixers.? If you use your hands, flour or pam them because rye really sticks to hands.? The dough will be wet.? Cover and let it double in size.? Punch it down and form it into a loaf by rolling it out and rolling it up like a carpet.? Leave it to rise on the baking pan for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 375.? Bake the loaf for 30 minutes and turn the oven down to 325 and?bake for 1 1/2 hours.? You can take it out and tap the base to see if it sounds hollow.? If it does it is done.??If not, back to the oven and check every 15 minutes.? I found that rye bread takes forever to cook.? Let the bread set?for a day before you cut it.? 

If you use half rye and half wheat, the bread will be lighter in color and texture and not take as long to cook.

Aldyth

-----Original Message-----
From: Robin Carroll-Mann <rcarrollmann at gmail.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 9:08 am
Subject: [Sca-cooks] German Breads



've been asked to provide bread for an upcoming event.  It's a tavern
event, and the theme is German.  The head cook would like some "hearty
peasant bread".  I gather from searching the Florilegium, that rye
bread was eaten, but couldn't find details.  I assume there are no
extant recipes; I'd be happy just knowing what modern recipes come
close.   I know molasses is out, but what about caraway seeds?  Light,
medium, or dark rye flour?

-- 
Brighid ni Chiarain
My NEW email is rcarrollmann at gmail.com
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