[Sca-cooks] Bread and yeast history (Re: Period Pretzels, yet again...)

[JIMCHEVAL at aol.com]

Following up on this:

"The bread of Gonesse is considered good and  yet it is made without yeast."
Traité de la police, où l'on trouvera  l'histoire de son ..., Volume 2
By Nicolas Delamare    page 503

"It is why the large bread of Gonesse, in which there is only simple  
leavening [that is, sourdough],... dries more promptly than any other  bread."
Descriptions des arts et métiers, Volume 1
Dr. Malouin, in Elie Bertrand's series    page 200
 
So no, the bread of Gonesse was not only not made with yeast, it was known  
for being made with the standard leavening (sourdough).
 
These are eighteenth century references, following the introduction of  
yeast into French bread-baking in the late seventeenth century. But from a  
medieval point of view, what is important to know is that, in bread-baking at  
least, the standard leavening - by all evidence, from the Romans on - was  
sour dough.

Jim Chevallier
www.chezjim.com

Newly translated  from Pierre Jean-Baptiste Le Grand d'Aussy:
Eggs, Cheese and Butter in Old  Regime France 

In a message dated 2/17/2013 11:50:36 P.M. Pacific  Standard Time, 
JIMCHEVAL at aol.com writes:
I know quite a bit about Gonesse  (whose water was credited with  the 
excellence of its bread), but I've  never seen it claimed that yeast was 
used  
there. Can you cite a source  that says as much?