Subject: Raising-stuff for bread at 1400th century?

From: [email-masked] (Lena Bolander)
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1993 08:10:14 GMT

Anyone who can help with other suggestions than leaven (sour) dough
for raising bread at the 1400th century?
Was any kind of baking-powder used? 
The bread I plan to make will have to be som kind of flat or small  bread,
prepared over open fire at the bottom of a large iron-kettle.

Thanks for all earlier advices for medeavel sailing food. We take off in a few days now. I have found APICIUS in a recent Swedish translation and also a modernized issue of  an old Swedish cookbook from the 1700th century, which have been to some help, specificly with ingredients and spcices.

    Thanks,

	Lena B.

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From: [email-masked] ()
Date: 29 Jul 1993 16:42:58 GMT

>Was any kind of baking-powder used? 

You could try hartshorn, ammonium carbonate.  I've never used it with
a dough to be baked on a griddle.  I've baked cookies with it which are
basically a shortbread dough (butter, sugar, flour) plus the hartshorn
raises it and makes a very nice delicate cookie--which is supposedly
Swedish in origin, come to think of it, or so I was told.  Called
_Dro"mmer_, which means "Dreams", am I right?

The cookie recipe called for a very slow oven, 200 Fahrenheit if I
recall correctly.  (I haven't baked them in years and don't know if
I've still got the card.)  How this would adapt to griddle-baking I
don't know.  I think I'd try not too hot a griddle and find out by
experimentation whether I wanted to make the cakes thick or thin.

One more bit of advice.  Ammonium carbonate breaks down easily into
(I think) ammonia and carbon dioxide and sublimes away.  Store your
ammonium carbonate in a tightly sealed jar, and _label_ it clearly
so that you never find yourself saying, "Now, what's in this jar?
Is this the ammonium carbonate?  I'll sniff it to see--" because if
you do, it will clear out your sinuses for a week.

>prepared over open fire at the bottom of a large iron-kettle.

There's always unleavened bread, which is perfectly period and takes
less trouble when you're traveling.  Undoubtedly you've already thought
of this, and I know I don't need to give a Swede any advice about
flatbread!

Have a nice trip.  Let us know how it all comes out.

Dorothy J. Heydt
UC Berkeley
[email-masked]

Disclaimer:  UCB and the Cozzarelli lab are not responsible for my
opinions, and in fact I don't think they know I have any.

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From: Gretchen Miller <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1993 11:56:25 -0400

>Was any kind of baking-powder used? 

I believe (and I'm sure that those more expert than myself will [and
should] correct me if I'm wrong) that, besides the rising agents already
mentioned, that ale barm was also a common raising agent.  Ale barm is
basically the skummy stuff in your ale as it brews (i.e. natural yeast).
 I can't remember whether it forms on the top or the bottom, being
merely a collector of trivia and not a brewer...

If you don't make your own beer, you can fake it by just using a good
strong beer in your batter.

Good luck!

toodles, gretchen

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From: [email-masked] (David Friedman)
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1993 18:02:36 GMT

> >Was any kind of baking-powder used? 

Various people suggested hartshorn. I have been unable to find any evidence
that it was used as a leavening agent prior to about two hundred years ago.
If anyone does have evidence, I would be interested.

Leavening of some sort was certainly used at that time. I would expect it
to be either sourdough, ale barm, or wine yeast (presumably from sediment).

David Friedman
Visiting Professor, Cornell Law School
As of the beginning of next quarter

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From: [email-masked] (Julie Kangas)
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1993 18:01:57 GMT

>merely a collector of trivia and not a brewer...

Ales generally use top fermenting yeast and some strains can have
the tendency to "jump out" of the fermenter.  After fermentation
is done, the yeast settles down and forms a nice sediment on the
bottom of the jug.

>strong beer in your batter.

I doubt this will raise your bread.  Most beer that you buy has been
pasturized or filtered and the yeasties killed.   If the beer does
have yeast present you'll probably need to culture it first or
else it just won't be active enough to do anything in the batter.

Julie
DISCLAIMER:  All opinions here belong to my cat and no one else