[Sca-cooks] manchets

[Carol Smith]

Thank you, Bear.   That makes a lot of sense.  And the Honey Brown Ale sounds like a delicious addition to the bread.

Thankful regards,
Brekke

> From: t.d.decker at att.net
> To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
> Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 14:50:30 -0600
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] manchets
> 
> Corn meal was what I had handy and is usually what is available in most 
> kitchens these days.  Besides, it's inexpensive.  I have used semolina, 
> crushed millet and just plain ole flour.  They all work.
> 
> Rather than replacing the water (which is called for in the recipe) with 
> ale, leave out 1 1/2 oz of water and replace it 1 1/2 oz of something like 
> Dundee's Honey Brown Ale.  This will be roughly equal to 1/10 of the pint of 
> ale barm called for in the recipe.  Using ale for all of the liquor will 
> darken the crumb considerably.
> 
> Bear
> 
> >
> > You might want to try coarse semolina flour instead of corn flour next 
> > time.  Would using ale instead of water as your liquid make the flavor 
> > closer to what it would be using real ale barm?
> >
> > Regards,
> > Brekke
> >
> > <snipped>
> >> Interesting.  I don't think you have my latest experimentation with 
> >> manchets
> >> from the recipe in The Good Huswife's Handmaide for the Kitchen in the
> >> Florilegium.
> >>
> >> I have tried to determine the actual weight of the flour in the recipe
> >> because bushels used in trade varied in weight between 56 and 60 pounds
> >> avoir. depending on what measures were used.  Using these weights in the
> >> recipe did not produce the expected results.  Research brought me to the
> >> Tower pound, which was in use at the time the recipe was written.  A 
> >> bushel
> >> would have weighed 64 Tower pounds.  A Tower pound was roughly 350 grams,
> >> which means a bushel weighed 22.4 kg or 49.25 lb avoir.
> >>
> >> By using the Tower pound, which would likely be the common measure, as 
> >> the
> >> measure produced results that I believe are more in keeping with the 
> >> recipe.
> >> While this is home recipe, the weights also mean that the heavier bushels 
> >> of
> >> flour would produce a few more loaves, an advantage for a commercial 
> >> baker.
> >>
> >> Using a half bushel of 32 Tower lbs, subtract 8 Tower pounds of chesill,
> >> leaving 24 Tower lbs of fine flour (8.4 kg).
> >>
> >> Liquid measure is the Elizabethean wine gallon of 128 fluid ounces which 
> >> is
> >> also the modern U.S. gallon measure.
> >>
> >> A handful of salt is estimated to be 1/2 cup or 24 teaspoons.
> >>
> >> Translating this to 1/10th of the original recipe:
> >>
> >> 29.5 oz avoir (or 840 g) flour
> >> 14.5 fl. oz. water (includes the additional fluid of the ale barm)
> >> 2.5 teaspoons salt
> >> 1 scant Tablespoon of dry active yeast (approx. 1/4 oz avoir. or one 
> >> packet)
> >> Additional flour for kneading
> >>
> >> Proof the yeast in the liquor (which emulates an ale barm), then add the
> >> liquor to the mixed dry ingredients.
> >>
> >> This makes a very stiff dough that is hard to knead by hand, so I used 
> >> the
> >> Kitchenaide to do most of the kneading and finished it by hand, adding a
> >> little flour to keep the dough from sticking..
> >>
> >> Divide into 6 equal pieces.  Scatter coarse meal (I used corn meal) on 
> >> the
> >> baking sheet to keep the dough from sticking.  Shape dough and place on
> >> baking sheet.  Let rise 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake
> >> for about an hour.
> >>
> >> Unbleached flour will produce a white crumb.  Whole wheat pastry flour 
> >> will
> >> produce a light brown crumb.
> >>
> >> Bear
> 
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