Bread Molding Reconstruction
Table of Contents
To cast neatly in <m>sulfur</m>, arrange the pith of <m>bread</m> under the brazier, as you know. Mold whatever you want into it & let it dry & you will have very neat work.</ab>
<ab> <margin>left-top</margin>
Try <m>sulfur</m> passed through melted <m>wax</m>, because it will no longer ignite & and make eyelets.</ab>
</div> <div> <id>p140v_2</id> <head>Molding and shrinking a large shape</head>
<ab> Mold it with the pith of bread just out of the oven, or like that aforementioned, & in drying out it will shrink & consequently so will the medal that you will cast. By these means - lengthening out or enlarging the imprinted bread - you can vary the shape & from one face make several different ones. The <m>bread</m> straight from the oven is best. And the one which has been heated twice contracts more. You can cast <m>sulfur</m> without letting the imprint on the <m>bread</m> dry, if you want to cast it as large as it is. But, if you want to let it shrink, let it dry to a greater or lesser extent.</ab>
The first step of this reconstruction was baking the bread for the molding procedures described in the manuscript. Although the author-practitioner does not specify the recipe for the bread, a contemporaneous recipe from John Evelyn (1620-1706), an English writer, provides us with an account of "The Several Manners of making Bread in France: Where by universal consent the best bread in the world is eaten." From his records, I followed the below excerpts:
{Excerpt re: Water}
Water is so principal an ingredient to the making of Bread that the goodness of that much improves it….That water is esteemed best wh[ich] is (lightest?); or you may make a good experiment by tryals w[ith] several waters; as that [to? Of} the River, fountaine, well, or rains.
{Excerpt re: Knowing when the dough has risen}
The mass well-kneaded, you shall turne it in the Trough, lainy the bottom upmost; then thrust {your?} fist in the middle of the dow to the very bottom of the trough in 2 or 3 paces then cover it well with meale-sack, clean blankets. Having let it stand thus awhile (longer in Winter than Summer) you find those holes clos’d or swell’d up; the rising is pefect.
Pain Bourgois or Citty Bread
Take the 6th part of the quantity you intend to make, and put Levin into it; making a hole in the dow as you were directed. When the mass is risen, cover it with as much more flower as there was at first; and leave it to rise againe. This ready, add to it the residue of the flower, tempering it with water, kneading, allowing it time to rise in every particular governing the work as has already been describ’d.
- The best wheat flower makes the best bread
- The newer also the bread is, the better
- The whiter the flower the less goodness in taste
- The closer it is wrought, so it be not heavy, the more heavy & nourishing
QUESTIONS:
“The 6th part” seems to refer to the total quantity of flour. Thus, if the total quantity of flour used would be 300 grams, I would add 50 grams of Levin (or sourdough starter) into 50 grams of flour as a first step.
“At first” seems to refer to the amount of flour taken to add Levin to. So the same as in the “6th part”
Although we do not know how much time to wait between the addition of the Levin to the flour, when the holes close up will be the cue, as seen in the excerpt.
Name: Sasha Grafit
Date and Time:
2017.February.15, 20:45 pm
Location: Brooklyn, NYSubject: Post-fridge feeding
Because John Evelyn's instructions were not 100% exhaustive, and because refrigerator's were not available in his time, I followed the instructions on a contemporary website for what to do after removing the starter from the refrigerator. The starter had already been fed once, 7 days ago according to the instructions on the website, which called for an equal amount of starter, flour, and water to be mixed together.
According to the contemporary instructions, the starter had to be fed twice at 12 hour intervals in order to be optimally "active".
At 8:45 pm, I removed the MASTER Starter (once-fed) from the refrigerator and allowed it to stand in a well-heated room.
At 9:22 pm, I opened the jar that contained the starter, The starter was smooth flowing, bubbly, and aerated. It smelled of buttermilk.
I weighed, in a glass beaker, on a small kitchen scale:
130 grams of Whole Wheat Stone Ground Organic Flour;
130 grams of NYC Tap Water (Ionized);
130 grams of MASTER Starter (once-fed) provided by Pamela H Smith.
and mixed them together.
Name: Sasha Grafit
Date and Time:
2017.February.15, 03:40 am
Location: Brooklyn, NYSubject: Batch 1 Baking Procedures
At 03:40 am, I began the process for baking Batch 1, before the Starter would have been fully "activated" after refrigerator hibernation, according to contemporary websites.
BATCH 1.
STEP 1.
Take the 6th part of the quantity you intend to make, and put Levin into it; making a hole in the dow as you were directed.
I weighed, in a glass beaker, on a small kitchen scale:
50 grams of Whole Wheat Stone Ground Organic Flour;
50 grams of MASTER Starter (once-fed) provided by Pamela H Smith.
No water as Evelyn's notes did not call for it.
After kneading the pitiful mass, it was dry and crumbling. I made a small hole to the bottom of it with my finger.
At 09:00 am, the mass had not risen, the pathetic lump looked untouched from the previous night; the holes had not closed and, if possible, appeared to have gotten more pronounced.
BATCH 1.
STEP 2.
When the mass is risen, cover it with as much more flower as there was at first; and leave it to rise againe.
To the mixture in STEP 1, I added (weighed, in a glass beaker, on a small kitchen scale):
50 grams of Whole Wheat Stone Ground Organic Flour;
~53 grams of warm NYC Tap water (Ionized), though Evelyn's notes do not call for it at this step. However, without the water any semblance of kneading would have been impossible. I kneaded until I could not feel any grainy parts. The dough was incredibly sticky and unruly.
BATCH 1.
STEP 3.
This ready, add to it the residue of the flower, tempering it with water, kneading, allowing it time to rise in every particular governing the work as has already been describ’d.
At 11:00 pm the same day, I completed the final step of Evelyn's instructions.
To the mixture in STEP 1, I added (weighed, in a glass beaker, on a small kitchen scale):
200 grams of Whole Wheat Stone Ground Organic Flour;
~210 grams of warm NYC Tap water (Ionized)
I let the mixture stand until it rose, at approximately 02:00 am. The mixture was lumpy, wet, and sticky. I kneaded it on a wooden cutting board*(it is a BIG mistake to knead on a wooden cutting board because the dough sticks to everything) with ~30 grams of additional Whole Wheat Stone Ground Organic Flour until the lump had the consistency of what I imagine is pizza dough. The dough could still stick into itself, but I felt that if I pushed any more flour into it, it would crumble. I shaped the mass into a mini-baguette.
I pre-heated an oven to 350 degrees, as recommended by Ken Albala for medieval cookery, and placed into it a cast iron skillet. When the skillet was hot, I lined it with parchment paper on which I placed my raw mini-baguette. This was at 02:38 am, the next day, February 16, 2017.
I watched until the rising seemed done and the crust seemed hardened enough. At 03:00 am, the crusty top had separated from the spongy bottom. I poked the crusty top and felt a soft fluffy interior.
I removed the bread from the oven at 03:08 am, and let it cool until 03:18 am.
Name: Sasha Grafit
Date and Time:**
2017.February.16, 03:18 am
Location: Brooklyn, NYSubject: Batch 1 Molding
I opened up my mini baguette at the tip, and scooped out the pith with a large silver spoon.
It was warm and almost too hot to handle, almost. Its texture and feel was not terribly different from dough itself, but firmer. I formed a stretch of breadpithe, and keeping it quite thick, firmly pressed a tin soldier figurine into it. The figurine had been cleansed with an isopropyl alcohol wipe beforehand.
I made a similar, thick lump of breadpith and used it for the back half of the figurine and pressed the figurine back, as it protruded from the first breadpith lump, into the second half. I pierced two corners with toothpicks in order to mark the position of the soldier figurine. I slid the halves apart slightly, removed the soldier, and pressed the halves back together, attached by toothpicks, with a slice of parchment paper in between the impressions. The toothpicks would be necessary for the mold halves to align perfectly when the mold will be formed. I placed the whole contraption in a Ziploc bag to dry slowly.
At 03:47 am, ate warm bread and butter.
Name: Sasha Grafit
Date and Time:
2017.February.15, 09:35 am
Location: Brooklyn, NYSubject: Batch 2&3 Baking Procedures
At 03:40 am, I began the process for baking Batch 1, before the Starter would have been fully "activated" after refrigerator hibernation, according to contemporary websites.
BATCH 2&3.
STEP 1.
Take the 6th part of the quantity you intend to make, and put Levin into it; making a hole in the dow as you were directed.
At 09:35 am, I weighed, in a glass beaker, on a small kitchen scale:
50 grams of Whole Wheat Stone Ground Organic Flour;
50 grams of MASTER Starter (once-fed) provided by Pamela H Smith.
~35 grams of water though Evelyn's notes do not call for it, my experience with Batch 1 proved otherwise.
In order to test Evelyn's theories about water, the water for BATCH 2 was Poland Spring Water; the water for BATCH 3 was a Georgian (as in Eastern Europe) Mineral Water called Ash-Tau (АшТау)
The dough looked small and depleted. But when I came back several hours later, it had filled out the holes I had poked into it.
BATCH 2&3.
STEP 2.
When the mass is risen, cover it with as much more flower as there was at first; and leave it to rise againe.
At 11:20 pm, I weighed, in a glass beaker, on a small kitchen scale:
50 grams of Whole Wheat Stone Ground Organic Flour;
~50 grams of water (the water for BATCH 2 was Poland Spring Water; the water for BATCH 3 was a Georgian (as in Eastern Europe) Mineral Water called Ash-Tau (АшТау)
BATCH 2&3.
STEP 3.
This ready, add to it the residue of the flower, tempering it with water, kneading, allowing it time to rise in every particular governing the work as has already been describ’d.
At 04:05 am, on February 16,2017 now, the dough had risen and I added to it:
200 grams of Whole Wheat Stone Ground Organic Flour;
~150 grams of water (added bit by bit to prevent the mass from getting over sticky)
The Poland Spring Batch (BATCH 2) is much more vigorous in kneading and produces a larger lump of dough. The mineral water (BATCH 3) is smaller and stickier after this round of kneading.
At this point I did realize that I had been adding too much water all along, and that the water should be added bit by bit and not all at once. The dough begins to behave optimally only when the water and flour ratio is perfect.
I let the dough stand until 01:15 pm, when I found it well risen. I formed BATCH 2 & 3 into round bun shapes and placed them into a pre-heated (350 degrees) oven at 01:30 pm, on February 16, 2017.
I removed the two buns, almost identical in appearance, from the oven at 02:25 pm for casting.
BATCH 2 (Poland Spring) had a smooth, even, slightly sour taste.
BATCH 3 (Mineral water) was a bit too sour and slightly bitter.
Name: Sasha Grafit
Date and Time:
2017.February.15, 02:35 pm
Location: Brooklyn, NYSubject: Batch 2&3 Mold Casting
I let the bread cool for 10 minutes and scooped the pithe out of one half of BATCH 2 (Poland Spring) with a silver spoon, and spread it out, 2 inches thick on a wooden cutting board. I took a medal with an impression of a lamp on it, cleaned it with an isopropyl alcohol pad, and placed it face down into the breadpithe. I applied an even pressure, with 6 fingers (3 left, 3 right hand) for 5 minutes onto the medal pressed into the moist, hot pithe.
Then, I wrapped the impression of the medal in the pithe in parchment paper and placed it in a Ziploc bag to dry slowly.
Name: Sasha Grafit
Date and Time:
2017.February.20, 12:30 pm
Location: Making&Knowing Lab (Columbia Campus), NYSubject: Pouring molds
WAX
Placed the medal mold from previous day on a paper towel (spill station).
With help from Donna, melted down wax pellets in a "cezve" (Turkish coffee pot with handle).
When the wax was melted and smoking/steaming slightly, poured it into a pewter or tin casting spoon for easier handling and poured wax into bread mold.
The faster and more uniform the pour, the better.
Something to note is that, because the mold was not perfectly horizontal, there was some spillage.
The wax ended up getting poured in several layers (one layer had already cooled when the next one began to be poured. So, too, the next one). A faster pour would have perhaps made a more uniform impression. The wax cooled into a dull yellow color.
SULFUR
For the sulfur, I considered a few release agents for the double-sided mold of the army man figurine. For the front portion, I brushed a thin layer of tallow on the dried bread. For the back portion, I sprinkled charcoal powder using a linen bundle. After dipping in the charcoal powder, I tapped the linen bundle, like a cigarette, into the impression for an even coating. I turned over the mold to allow all excess charcoal to fall out.
Because the bread pith had dried and cracked in many places, the sulfur would have poured out of its many cavities. As a precaution, I enveloped the mold in a clay outer layer, which I made by soaking clay and forming it in a superstructure around the bread. The final result was that the bread was entirely covered by clay except for a gate hole at the top, which connected to the vacant space in the middle of the bread where the impression was.
With Joel's assistance, I poured melted sulfur, under the vent hood, into the gate at the top of the clay/bread pith with a steady and quick hand. When the sulfur overflowed from the gate, I stopped pouring.
Name: Sasha Grafit
Date and Time:
2017.February.27, 01:00 pm
Location: Making&Knowing Lab (Columbia Campus), NYSubject: Extracting Molds
WAX
The bread is hard and stiff and crumbles like soft stone at the touch of the dental pick I am using as excavation tool. I used a solid wax spill-over as leverage while maintaining slight upward pressure with the thumb and all the while excavating with the pick. The medal came out in small jerky motions, and I worked around its circumference with the pick. Occasionally, I would work my way around the circumference of the medal pulling up loose areas with my finger. Then, all at once, the bread fell away and the medal was revealed. The design of the original medal was almost invisible, though some striations from the book could be seen in the impression. I sprinkled the medal cast with charcoal dust to make the image more pronounced, and it helped slightly.
SULFUR
The sulfur mold was much harder, perhaps due to the clay. The clay and the bread stuck fast together, and I excavated slowly with a dental pick and a plastic butter knife-like tool. At times, the excavation seemed to proceed crumb by crumb. Sulfur, clay, and bread flew asunder. The (front) side of the cast, which had been treated with tallow, finally came out in one piece. Subsequently, the back side came out as well, but it was stained black with the charcoal dust that had been used as a release agent.
Bits of bread were stuck in the crevices of the mold, and I soaked the sulfur cast in water to soften the bread. The cast resembled the original quite well in parts; in other parts, the original shape was obscured by areas of rogue, solidified sulfur and the bottom portion of the legs had failed to cast.
I then painstakingly removed the small grains of dough that still populate the cast's crevices.
Notes: a piece of the sulfur mold figurine's gun snapped off in the excavation process. Also, the 2-sided mold (of the figurine) was not aligned properly, which may have happened during the time when its many cracks were being reinforced with clay. The sharpest features in the mold were those that protruded the most in the original figure, and which cut deepest into the pith.
ASPECTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN MAKING FIELD NOTES
- note time
- note (changing) conditions in the room
- note temperature of ingredients to be processed (e.g. cold from fridge, room temperature etc.)
- document materials, equipment, and processes in writing and with photographs
- notes on ingredients and equipment (where did you get them? issues of authenticity)
- note precisely the scales and temperatures you used (please indicate how you interpreted imprecise recipe instruction)
- see also our informal template for recipe reconstructions