Bread Project

Rycheza presents the first loaf baked on the Baronial Brazier Junefaire Opening Court 2003

Bread baking has remained a staple of our demos, below a golden loaf, 2003

 Since setting up a permanent oven at our Junefaire site is problematical, we resorted to baking under a cloche, a method certainly available in period and even today.  The main oven is a large thick-walled unglazed terracotta pot. A saucer prevents heat escaping from the drainage hole.
Process: a good hot fire is built on the brazier, this fire is then swept out and the dough is placed directly on hot brazier. The pre-warmed cloche is placed over it and hot coals are stacked around the cloche. Here Theodorick is removing the coals after a sufficient baking time. The cloche is lifted and voila bread.  Pictures of the cloche in use are from Sept Crown 2004 (That's Charles handling the hot and heavy stuff)
For more details of our Bread Baking experiences see An Experiment in Bread Baking, Junefaire 2003

 More of our demo recipes are available at JuneFaire Recipes.

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