Table of Contents

Bread Making

Name: Anna Christensen

Date and Time: 

2021.May.14, 2:15 pm

Location: My kitchen

75F outside, about 70F inside

Subject: Bread

Working from Manchet bread recipe from The Good Huswifes Handmaide in the Kitchen (1594). Interpreted here: https://williamrubel.com/2011/09/12/manchet-bread-from-huswifes-handmaide-in-the-kitchen/

I calculated amounts based on the baker’s ratios provided, “flour: 100%, 39.7% water, 4.3% fresh ale barm or 1.4% fresh yeast dissolved in 4.3% luke warm water.” Though my conversions were not exact.

Materials:

2 cups organic all-purpose flour

⅘ cup lukewarm water

¼ oz dry active yeast mixed with ¾ oz water

Step 1: Mix yeast and ¾ oz water into a paste

I didn’t leave the yeast paste to sit for more than a minute or two before mixing everything together

Step 2: Mix yeast paste, flour, and water

Step 3: Knead the dough “as hard as ye can handle it”

I kneaded the dough for about 5 minutes. The consistency is very thick and stiff, definitely harder to work than other breads I’ve made. (Note: this was probably the bare minimum amount of time to work the dough)

Step 4: Let rest for half an hour

I placed the dough in a glass bowl with a tea towel over it, held on with a rubber band. I put the bowl out on my back porch in a spot alternatively in sun and shade. It is 75 degrees F outside with 24% humidity. There was a very brief (1 min or so) sunshower while the bread was outside.

Step 5: Forming the loaf

The dough did increase in size, not too much but noticeably. I shaped the dough into a round and slightly flattened loaf, and cut five lines on the top and four along the sides. After rising, the dough was softer and easier to work with.

Step 6: At this point I decided to let the dough rise for another hour indoors.

Step 7: Bake at 250F for 40 minutes, then increase to 300F and bake another 15 minutes

The bread was relatively soft and white all around, except at the bottom where it was harder and had browned. This recipe wasn’t meant to have a crust.

Step 8: Cut loaf in half and press in objects to be molded!

I did this right away while the bread was still hot. I ate some extra bits of the bread at this point, it tasted pretty decent.

Step 9: I decided to remove the objects and let the bread dry out for the next four days until we cast our molds.

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