The practice of baking bread is universally appreciated, with each culture having developed their own special techniques and traditions over the centuries. This article will delve into the realm of the medieval bakery, highlighting those specific methods used in times gone by and offering a guide on how we can rediscribe and apply these age-old baking techniques today.
Medieval Grains and Flours
Bread was a dietary staple in medieval times. It was predominantly made from locally sourced grains including barley, oats, rye, and millet, but the most esteemed bread was baked from wheat, a grain that was considered a luxury due to its lower crop yield and higher production costs.
Ground in a mill, the flour used in medieval baking was typically coarser than the variety we use today, with a much higher bran content. Depending on the type of bread being baked, the consistency could range from a finer ‘white’ flour to a coarse, brown flour filled with grain particulates.
Leavening: The Original Sourdough
Yeast as we know it today was not readily available during the Middle Ages. Instead, bread was leavened using a homemade sourdough starter, which was a mixture of flour and water left to ferment over a period of days. This method creates a natural leavening agent known as wild yeast, perfect for making hearty and distinctive sourdough loaves. Even though more modern leavening methods are available today, the charm of sourdough baking has seen a resurgence in popularity, with many home-bakers cultivating their own sourdough starters.
Baking Implements and Ovens
Even the ovens and tools used in medieval baking were distinctive. Bread was usually baked in a hearth oven, a large, enclosed space constructed with bricks or stone. To prepare the oven for baking, a fire was kindled within and maintained until the interior reached the desired heat. Afterwards, the embers are removed and the oven’s retained heat is used to bake the bread.
Unlike our present-day baking sheets and loaf pans, medieval bakers used wooden peels to slide the loaves into the oven, often baking directly on the oven’s stone floor. This gave the bread its characteristic crispy bottom crust.
Baking Processes: From Mixing to Serving
The first step involved grinding the grains to produce flour followed by sifting it, depending on the desired bread type. As mentioned, the leavening process relied heavily on a sourdough starter, made by mixing water and flour and allowing it to ferment over a few days, hence, producing a bubbly mixture.
With their sticky, leavened dough prepared, the bakers then shaped it into substantial round loaves. These loaves were scored with a sharp knife to allow for the bread’s expansion in the oven and to create a distinctive pattern on top of each loaf, which not only served an aesthetic purpose but also helped to identify the baker.
Once baked, the bread was left to cool on an open rack, allowing the crust to harden while the hot center slowly cooled to the consistency of fresh-baked bread. Commonly, the bread was sliced horizontally and used as a trencher, a form of edible plate, upon which the other meal elements were served.
Fresh Insights and Modern Applications
Rediscovering medieval baking techniques doesn’t just provide insight into the past; it offers a renewed focus on the significant role that locally sourced, natural ingredients and methods play in creating wholesome, hearty bread.
One technique modern bakers can adopt is using a wider variety of grains and flours. This not only imparts a richer variety of flavors but can also provide higher fiber content, and other nutritional benefits. Exploring old grains like spelt, emmer, and einkorn can lead to exciting, new flavor possibilities.
Adopting the concept of a homemade sourdough starter can also be a satisfying and rewarding process for modern bakers. The process of nurturing and using a starter infuses the bread with a unique flavor and character that is impossible to replicate with commercial yeast.
Finally, modern bakeries and home bakers can replicate the use of a hearth oven through a baking stone or baking steel, which emulates the conductive properties of the traditional oven, creating that perfect crust and artisan texture.
By embracing these old-world techniques, we provide a nod to the past while enriching our baking practices. In a world where commercial processing and convenience often overshadow traditional methods, there’s something truly soulful and gratifying about returning to these tried-and-true baking techniques that have stood the test of time. Truly, the art of baking has much to learn from the past, if only we take the time to rediscover it.
