I made this cracker with an Uzbek bread stamp. Etsy is where I buy stamps of this kind. They are used to keep flat breads from fully rising. If you don’t prick flatbreads prior to baking, then they will puff up into a ball — desirable in chapati and pita — not desirable for other … Continue reading Using a Bread Stamp from Uzbekistan
Category: Bread
Cinnamon Buns
Magnus Nilsson’s “The Nordic Baking Book” is a fabulous cookbook. It is far and away the most solid most varied baking book in my library. My daughter and I made these cardamom flavored cinnamon rolls on the last day of this year’s school holiday. They work perfectly as written. The instructions are good, but here … Continue reading Cinnamon Buns
Bread in Japan
I have only been to Japan once. Fall 2019. I fell in love. My plan had been to return one week per month for a while, starting Spring 2020. I live in California forty minutes from an airport with direct flights to Tokyo so this was a practical concept. Week blocks are practical for me. … Continue reading Bread in Japan
Manchet! The Long-time “Best Bread”
There is no question about this. Manchet was the "best bread" in most of Early Modern England, with a comparable bread considered "best" in Continental Europe, as well. This will have been the case for hundreds of years. Precision is not possible, as documentation is so scarce, but there is no reason to suppose the … Continue reading Manchet! The Long-time “Best Bread”
English Muffins circa 1750s
The muffin that the English understood as a muffin -- the muffin of the "muffin man", the widely recognized itinerant muffin seller on the streets of English cities, especially London, from the mid-19th century well into the 20th -- is known internationally as the "English muffin." This differentiates from the American muffin, which is single-serving … Continue reading English Muffins circa 1750s
Bread History Workshop #17: Making Historic Breads for the Holidays
There is no lecture associated with this week's event. The week, what is usually a Bread History Seminar and Workshop will just be a workshop. Also, this week, it is on WEDNESDAY, December 23, (NOT THE USUAL THURSDAY) at 9am Pacific. This is 11 am in Columbia, noon in the East Coast, 6pm in Belgium, … Continue reading Bread History Workshop #17: Making Historic Breads for the Holidays
A Fabulous Horse Bread by Gervase Markham, 1607
The big author for horse breads was Gervase Markham (ca 1568-1637 ). Markham is the horse trainer who perfected the type of breads fed to race horses as part of a structured exercise program for race horses, thus establishing horse training on a modern basis. The custom at the time was for men to agree amongst themselves to a cross country race three months in advance and then to begin a training regime.
Bacon Sandwich, circa 1747
Those who inabit the Mountains of Calabria, which are ver'd with Snow almost the whole Year, toast their Bread, as also t heir Bacon, which they press between two hot Toasts, in order to make the Bread imbibe the Fat expres'd from the Bacon; and they enjoy good Healh by Means of this Nourishment, which … Continue reading Bacon Sandwich, circa 1747
Cock Breads — 18th Century Breads for Fighting Cocks
The following text is from the "Royal Art of Cockfighting" by Robert Howlett, published in London, 1709. The portion of the text I reproduce here concerns the breads fed to fighting cocks -- known in the period as cock-breads. A couple things I'd like you to note. Firstly, in the section, "Of the several Ways … Continue reading Cock Breads — 18th Century Breads for Fighting Cocks
American Pullman Loaf, also called Sandwich Bread circa 1920
A Pullman Dining Car in the late 19th century. The bread on the table, right front, has rounded edges, so, it is not a Pullman Loaf. The perfectly rectangular mold-baked pullman loaf is stored efficiently and cleanly in the limited space of the train carriage kitchen. The Pullman Loaf , also often published under the … Continue reading American Pullman Loaf, also called Sandwich Bread circa 1920
