Making Bread

 

Her Scottsh Legacy | Universal Book Links Help You Find Books at Your Favorite Store! (books2read.com)

            I recently binge watched a series, as many of us have probably done during this pandemic. It was a historical drama and at least once in every episode, the female characters were in the kitchen kneading dough. Given the time period – 1750 – it was certainly a normal enough occurrence, at least for the more common folk. The wealthy, of course, would have cooks and kitchen maids making their daily bread or in some cases would order it from commercial bakers.

            Unknowingly, I used this same daily activity in my latest historic romance – “Her Scottish Legacy”. As I wrote, I found my characters quite often in the kitchen where the housekeeper seemed to spend her days making bread. When the heroine asked about it, the woman replied – “Have you seen the two giants I’m cooking for?” – referring to the housekeeper’s husband and the hero, both of whom were large, hard working men. The thing is, some action needs to be occurring while a conversation is being held that moves the story forward. In addition, having information about foods, and/or the method of preparing them, in a novel gives readers insight into the daily life of whatever time period the story is set.

            For example, in the medieval period baking was a luxury few were able to enjoy. Ovens were not a standard fixture in any household, so bread-baking never really entered the home in the medieval period. It was a commercial activity, such as bread-bakers in London. But those who could afford a wood-burning stove (and to heat it) would start with bread. The better the quality, the higher up the social order you were. Rich people ate fine, floured wheat bread. But if you were poor you might have only rye or black bread. Only the very wealthy ate the cakes we tend to think of today.

        It’s fun to add texture to your stories with bread-specifics of the time. In my story, the Scottish bannock is a flat, round bread, larger than the scones and not to be confused with the medieval trencher. In medieval times, people used thick bread rounds as plates, called trenchers, with meat and sauce heaped on top. Then we have the French baguette, developed in the 18^th century; the pretzel by European monks in the 6^th century and the bagel by Ashkenazi Jews in Poland in 1400. And of course you’ve heard the story of the “invention” of the sandwich by John Montagu, the 4^th Earl of Sandwich in the 18^th century.

        Another surprising fact is that yeast breads have been around since 1350BC, possibly first created by the Egyptians who used yeast in making beer. It is not clear as to which came first – beer or bread.

        I love baking bread. Punching and kneading dough has always been a great stress relief. It’s unfortunate that in the last few generations the art of bread making has been lost. It is so much more convenient to purchase and of course much less time consuming. I believe a “benefit” of the pandemic is that bread making has made a comeback although at the beginning of 2020, yeast and flour were difficult to find.

        Would you like to try your hand at bread making? Here’s one of my favorite recipes for delicious coarse-textured bread your family will love.

Bulgur Honey Bread

1 cup bulgur wheat (dry)

3 cups boiling water

½ cup honey

2 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp salt

2 packages dry yeast

½ cup warm water

6 ½ to 7 cups flour

            Combine bulgur, boiling water, honey, oil and salt in a large bowl. Cool to lukewarm. Add yeast to ½ cup warm water and stir to dissolve. Add to cooled bulgur mixture. Blend in flour in 3 parts, beating after each addition until dough leaves side of bowl. Turn onto lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic and doesn’t stick when pinched with fingers. Put in a greased bowl and let rise until double (about 2 hours). Punch down, divide in half and shape in loaves. Put in two loaf pans, cover and let rise until double. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Brush with butter.

While you’re waiting for your dough to rise, download and enjoy “Her Scottish Legacy” at Her Scottish Legacy | Universal Book Links Help You Find Books at Your Favorite Store! (books2read.com)

Barb Baldwin, who often judges the quality of a restaurant on whether they serve fresh, home made bread and biscuits or brown-and-serve.

http://www.authorsden.com/barbarajbaldwin

https://bookswelove.net/baldwin-barbara/