The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

"Medieval" recipes

Drew Childers's picture
Drew Childers

"Medieval" recipes

That's odd, thought I had written the message already, but it didn't post.

I have offered to bake bread for an 8th grade "medieval festival" at the school where I work.  Its a small school, and its not a public festival, just the class and maybe some parents, so not looking at large batches.  I am looking for recipes that are fairly authentic with readily available modern ingredients.

 

Thanks!

Drew

BrianK's picture
BrianK

Here is a site with some information, and a recipe link is at the bottom of the page.

http://www.medieval-recipes.com/recipes/bread/

And here is a site with information about barley flour.

http://www.bobsredmill.com/barley-flour.html

I hope this helps.

Drew Childers's picture
Drew Childers

Thanks BrianK. 

I read those links before posting my question, I thought the brain trust here might have some of their own intel they could share.

Drew

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

made with whole flour and sourdough will get you what you want.   :)

clazar123's picture
clazar123

One of our Fresh Loafers in the UK did this a few years ago and had some great info. Try a  search "medieval" here and see what pops. I believe there was also a German heritage post. 

Such a worldly site!

gerhard's picture
gerhard

You probably don't want to be too authentic, flour quality and contents weren't always what it is today.  I have read that lots things such as chalk and sawdust where used to stretch the flour.  Also back then northern European wheat was not the same as today and most people ate much more rye flour than we do, well in North America anyway.

Gerhard

Drew Childers's picture
Drew Childers

Thanks to all for responding.

Gerhard, I would like for some of the bread to be a little less than appetizing by today's North American standards, that's part of the history lesson.  I also plan to make some white loaves, as from my reading, the late middle ages is when the wealthy started eating white bread. 

Again, thanks to all for commenting!

 

gerhard's picture
gerhard

In the summer of 2011 we went on a holiday to Cape Breton and there is a restored French fortress there.  It is a place where the do reenactments including a restaurant that serves food appropriate for the 17th or 18th century.  It was probably more of a tourist trap than anything but it was a lot of fun as well.  They seat the customers at communal tables and we ended up sitting with people that lived about 30 miles from us even though we where at a place 2,000 km away.

Gerhard

Tal's picture
Tal

You can try this site. It specializes in 18th century cooking. There are some bread recipes.

 http://www.jas-townsend.com

Tal

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Apparently there are different definitions.  I have just read one description of "early 19th century!" (What???)  

For me (and I'm sure many others)  "medieval" is Europe's "middle ages"  from the fall of the Roman Empire to 1453, before the Renaissance.  Before Christopher Columbus in America... (pre-columbian  ;)

...So if including North America (a fun twist to think about) native Americans were eating corn, acorn, arrow root and cattail cakes to name a few starches.  Other seeds, berries and animal fats would be added by season fresh or dried out of season.   Amazing enough there are cattail bread recipes but they are combined with wheat so therefore a later date than "medieval" but interesting non the less.  Wouldn't surprise me if some of the European settlers combined cattail starch with wheat to make bread.

MonkeyDaddy's picture
MonkeyDaddy

the middle ages in Europe.  From what I can remember, the fall of the Roman Empire is conventionally dated at the year 476.  And interestingly, there is speculation that a massive tropical volcano eruption in 536 and a secondary eruption in 542 caused conditions like a volcanic winter from the amount of ash in the atmosphere. This would have decreased the amount of sunlight able to make it to Earth, making the "Dark Ages" actually literally dark.  The diminished sunlight would most certainly have affected cereal crops like wheat, which would have prompted creative peasants to explore alternative starch sources as Mini noted.  

Drew Childers's picture
Drew Childers

Again, thanks for all the input.

My definition of the "medieval" or "Middle Ages" would be the same as Mini's, between the fall of Rome and the start of the Renaissance.  That's the reason it's called the Renaissance, right?  Later historian's considered it the "rebirth" after the so called "Dark Ages".

Anyway, again, thanks for all your input.