Not only was bread the backbone of a meal, the type of bread provided to guests at a table (in terms of quality, quantity and freshness) assisted them to gauge their importance to their host. Made from a course grain, barley bread was considered appropriate fare for the working class but not for nobles or the wealthy, whose digestive systems were too "aristocratic" for such vulgar food. (Henisch, p155). According to Pollington, barley bread, as a low grade dietary item, was also associated with penance in monastic houses. Barley meal was also used in preparation of a thick pottage.
Barley bread referred to by Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales.
"Lat hem be breed of pured whete seed,
And lat us wyves hoten barly-breed;
And yet with barly-breed, Mark telle kan,
Oure Lord Jhesu refresshed many a man" - The Wife of Bath's Tale
Henisch wrote of the frugality experienced in 14th century households - when the master of the household was away, the household was battened down in full economy mode. While Ralph Shrewsbury, bishop of Bath and Wells, was in residence, such luxuries as fresh game, beef and veal appeared on the table, but when he was away during the month of November 1337, the servants lived on bread, ale, bacon and mutton, with a heavy emphasis on bread and ale (Hensich, p114).
There are few recipes available within medieval texts for bread. The only (credible) recipe for barley bread which we could find was Elizabeth David’s, from English Bread and Yeast Cookery.
David referred to barley bread recipes using both yeast and leaven. Therefore, we tried a form of both types of bread (although the yeast versions are the only ones available for tasting on the day of the competition). David’s description of leaven (p198) was derived from ‘Cornish recipes ancient and modern’, compiled by Edith Martin for the Cornwall Federation of Women's Institute in 1930. To make the leaven, a small quantity of the barley flour is mixed with warm water forming a dough. It needs to be molded into a round shape with a dent in the centre (down to halfway through the ball). The dough is placed on a plate, with the top cut twice (like a hot cross bun), and the dent is then filled with warm water. The dough is set aside for a few days until the dough ferments and splits like overripe fruit. It is then ready for use instead of yeast to "plum" the bread, which is mixed in the usual way with warm water and a little salt.
Barley bread referred to by Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales.
"Lat hem be breed of pured whete seed,
And lat us wyves hoten barly-breed;
And yet with barly-breed, Mark telle kan,
Oure Lord Jhesu refresshed many a man" - The Wife of Bath's Tale
Henisch wrote of the frugality experienced in 14th century households - when the master of the household was away, the household was battened down in full economy mode. While Ralph Shrewsbury, bishop of Bath and Wells, was in residence, such luxuries as fresh game, beef and veal appeared on the table, but when he was away during the month of November 1337, the servants lived on bread, ale, bacon and mutton, with a heavy emphasis on bread and ale (Hensich, p114).
There are few recipes available within medieval texts for bread. The only (credible) recipe for barley bread which we could find was Elizabeth David’s, from English Bread and Yeast Cookery.
David referred to barley bread recipes using both yeast and leaven. Therefore, we tried a form of both types of bread (although the yeast versions are the only ones available for tasting on the day of the competition). David’s description of leaven (p198) was derived from ‘Cornish recipes ancient and modern’, compiled by Edith Martin for the Cornwall Federation of Women's Institute in 1930. To make the leaven, a small quantity of the barley flour is mixed with warm water forming a dough. It needs to be molded into a round shape with a dent in the centre (down to halfway through the ball). The dough is placed on a plate, with the top cut twice (like a hot cross bun), and the dent is then filled with warm water. The dough is set aside for a few days until the dough ferments and splits like overripe fruit. It is then ready for use instead of yeast to "plum" the bread, which is mixed in the usual way with warm water and a little salt.
To Make a Bread of Barley
Approximately five days prior to baking, the leaven was made by mixing approximately 200 gram barley flour with warm water to make a soft dough. Following Martin’s instructions, the dough was placed on a plate, dented in the middle of the ball and then the top was cut. This dough was then covered with a towel and sat aside in the kitchen. After four days the dough had created a thin hard crust which had fallen wide open around a very fermented centre. I added warm water again on day two.
For the test bake, four loaves of bread were made: barley with leaven; barley with yeast; mixed flour (barley and wheat) with leaven; and mixed flour (barley and wheat) with yeast. The mixed flour blend was used to assess whether adding wheat flour (wholewheat) would make a difference to the texture of the bread.
The results were interesting. The barley loaves were dense and heavy (although the one with yeast less so) and were rather grey in colour. However, they were pleasant to eat fresh, not so much when the bread went stale: these two loaves also only lasted three days before they started to go mouldy.
The mixed flour loaves were much lighter in both weight and texture. The yeast-based loaf was much lighter and less dense than the leavened loaf, and was a sweeter bread to eat. These loaves took six days to go mouldy.
Some of the pure barley bread was sliced and burnt for additional medicinal presentations with this submission.
Version 1 – Barley bread with leaven.
This was a full loaf: it was then decided then the next 3 test loaves would only be half the recipe:
Version 2 - Barley bread with yeast:
Version 3 - Mixed barley/wheat bread with leaven
Version 4 - Mixed grain with yeast:
For the test bake, four loaves of bread were made: barley with leaven; barley with yeast; mixed flour (barley and wheat) with leaven; and mixed flour (barley and wheat) with yeast. The mixed flour blend was used to assess whether adding wheat flour (wholewheat) would make a difference to the texture of the bread.
The results were interesting. The barley loaves were dense and heavy (although the one with yeast less so) and were rather grey in colour. However, they were pleasant to eat fresh, not so much when the bread went stale: these two loaves also only lasted three days before they started to go mouldy.
The mixed flour loaves were much lighter in both weight and texture. The yeast-based loaf was much lighter and less dense than the leavened loaf, and was a sweeter bread to eat. These loaves took six days to go mouldy.
Some of the pure barley bread was sliced and burnt for additional medicinal presentations with this submission.
Version 1 – Barley bread with leaven.
This was a full loaf: it was then decided then the next 3 test loaves would only be half the recipe:
- 470 gm barley flour
- 120gm barley bran
- A pinch of salt
- Mixed all dry ingredients together
- Add a half of the leaven to this along with approximately 350 ml of warm water and 2 tbs buttermilk.
Version 2 - Barley bread with yeast:
- 235gm barley flour
- 60 gm barley bran
- 1tbsp buttermilk
- 7 grams of yeast
Version 3 - Mixed barley/wheat bread with leaven
- 225 whole meal flour
- 60gm barley meal (30gm barley bran and 30gm barley flour):
- 1/4 of the leaven
- Pinch of salt
- 170ml warm water
- 1tblspoon salt
Version 4 - Mixed grain with yeast:
- 225 whole meal flour
- 60gm barley meal (30gm barley bran and 30gm barley flour)
- 7gm yeast
- Pinch of salt
- 170ml warm water
- 1tblspoon salt
To make a Barley Flour
Some of the barley flour for this competition entry was made with barley flour ground from the grain by the team. However, the flour ground by the team is much coarser than the bought barley flour and will make a difference to the bread texture. 250 gm of barley was ground to obtain 242 gm of flour, which had to be ground twice to achieve a fine enough texture. Some of the ground flour is available for assessment.