Survival Bread?

[WAB]

When you read stories of medievel times, they always talk of taking bread,cheese and meat on a trip( travel rations). Would anybody know of bread recipes for this type of bread? Maybe it has a hard crust and a rougher inside texture? It would be a good thing to be able to bake bread once a week or every two weeks and have enough to last until the next time.

Any ideas?



WAB

[MariaAZ]

My guess would be the bread taken on the road back then was unleavened.

[culpeper]

Check out these sites.

http://www.whirlwind-design.com/madbaker/breadfaq.html

http://www.medievaldiet.com/page56.html

http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/sea...medieval+bread

http://www.history.uk.com/recipes/index.php?archive=13

The bread taken on such trips would be the same bread they ate every day. Breads were almost always made with leavening. You can make yeast out of potatoes, or peach leaves, or you can use ale (beer) as the rising agent.

In this modern age, we expect the bread we eat to be fresh, but in those days, as the bread got harder and harder, it wasn't a problem to them - all they had to do was to break off a piece and dunk it into whatever liquid you happened to be drinking at the same time. At the end of your journey you'd be eating something as hard as a rock, but it still offered something to fill the belly.

In any case, travellers could always call in to a house in a village, or a farm, or an inn, or a church and be provided with food in return for a little labour.

Remember, in England, even in Medieval times, the distances between one village and the next weren't great, although of course since you'd be using Shanks' Pony (walking) to get there, it could take some time. Besides, people didn't travel as much as they do today. A journey of 50 miles was then a monumental undertaking.

[Use Less]

Check out old-style German rye and grain breads. We buy something made by Maierbaer in Germany, but available at Aldi's (as well as the two local traditional German butcher shops.) The loaf is rectangular and it is sliced thin. It is more like smashed grain with a little something to hold it together than what most of us call bread today. It keeps for months in the fridge. It will keep for some days on the counter. In those olden times, w/ little in the way of house heat, foods could be stored at room temp much of the year, since the storage room was at outside temps. Sue

[WAB]

Originally Posted by culpeper

Check out these sites.

http://www.history.uk.com/recipes/index.php?archive=13

Trencher Bread sounds like what I am describing.

Thanks,

WAB

Originally Posted by culpeper

Check out these sites.

http://www.whirlwind-design.com/madbaker/breadfaq.html

http://www.medievaldiet.com/page56.html

http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/sea...medieval+bread

http://www.history.uk.com/recipes/index.php?archive=13

The bread taken on such trips would be the same bread they ate every day. Breads were almost always made with leavening. You can make yeast out of potatoes, or peach leaves, or you can use ale (beer) as the rising agent.

In this modern age, we expect the bread we eat to be fresh, but in those days, as the bread got harder and harder, it wasn't a problem to them - all they had to do was to break off a piece and dunk it into whatever liquid you happened to be drinking at the same time. At the end of your journey you'd be eating something as hard as a rock, but it still offered something to fill the belly.

In any case, travellers could always call in to a house in a village, or a farm, or an inn, or a church and be provided with food in return for a little labour.

Remember, in England, even in Medieval times, the distances between one village and the next weren't great, although of course since you'd be using Shanks' Pony (walking) to get there, it could take some time. Besides, people didn't travel as much as they do today. A journey of 50 miles was then a monumental undertaking.

What Culpepper said. If I were going to dry it into journey bread I'd make it without milk or eggs, but other than that you can use most any bread recipe.

I'd probably roll it thin and make it into a form of hardtack myself.

.....Alan.

[hunter63]

Good topic, I have been following with intrest:

Here is a recipe for bannock, one of many I'm sure.
http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/bannock/

I have been on a quest to find the recipe for mixing the ingredients right in the flour bag.
I saw it years ago in a book by I thought Bradford Angier, or John Muir, but have ever found it again.

Lots of references to mixing in a ziploc bag, rather than a bowl (less to carry), but not "THE" reference I have been looking for.

[newfieannie]

What i have in my preps is hard bread and sweet bread. purity makes it. lasts forever. i think the hard bread is the same as what alan calls hard tack. ..Georgia

[FalconDance]

The manchet bread mentnioned in the "fooddownunder" link sounds an awful like what I make for everyday! I have a couple additions - blackstrap molosses and an egg - but otherwise, it's the same thing.