Lady Margaret of Buckrode

Documentation for The making of manchets after my Ladie Graies vse

Recipe:
(Original The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin by unknown author1)
TAke two peckes of fine flower, which must be twice boulted, if you will haue your manchet verie faire: Then
lay it in a place where ye doe vse to lay your dowe for your bread, and make a litle hole in it, and put in that
water as much leauen as a crab, or a pretie big apple, and as much white salt as will into an Egshell, and all to
breake your leuen in the water, and put into your flower halfe a pinte of good Ale yest, and so stir this liquor
among a litle of your flower, so that ye must make it but thin at the first meeting, and then couer it with flower,
and if it be in the winter, ye must keepe it verie warm, and in summer it shall not need so much heate, for in the
Winter it will not rise without warmeth. Thus let it lie two howers and a halfe: then at the second opening take
more liquor as ye thinke will serue to wet al the flower. Then put in a pinte and a halfe of good yest, and so all
to breake it in short peeces, after yee haue well laboured it, and wrought it fiue or sixe tymes, so that yee bee
sure it is throughlie mingled together, so continue labouring it, till it come to a smoothe paste, and be well ware
at the second opening that yee put not in too much liquor sodenlie, for then it wil run, and if ye take a litle it will
be stiffe, and after the second working it must lie a good quarter of an hower, and keep it warme: then take it vp
to the moulding board, and with as much speede as is possible to be made, mould it vp, and set it into the Ouen,
of one pecke of flower ye may make ten caste of Manchets faire and good.
(Redaction my own)
Take two pecks of fine flour, which must be twice bolted if you will have your manchet very fair. Then lay it in
a place where you do use to lay your dough for your bread and make a little hole in it and put in that water as
much leaven as a crab or a pretty big apple and as much white salt as will into an eggshell and all to break your
leaven in the water and put into your flour half a pint of good ale yeast and so stir this liquid among a little of
your flour so that you must make it but thin at the first meeting and then cover it with flour and if it be in the
winter you must keep it very warm and in the summer it shall not need so much heat for in the winter it will not
rise without heat. Thus let it lay two hours and a half then at the second opening take more liquid as you think
will serve to wet all of the flour. Then put in a pint and a half of yeast and so all to break it in short pieces after
you have well labored it and kneaded it five or six times so the you are sure it is thoroughly mixed together so
continue kneading it until it comes to a smooth paste and be well aware at the second opening the you dont put
too much liquid in suddenly for then it will run and if you take a little it be stiff and after the second working it
must lay a good quarter of an hour and keep it warm. Then take it up to the molding board and with as much
speed as possible to be made mold it up and set it into the oven of one peck of flower you may make ten cast of
manchets fair and good
Origin:
The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin is an English cookbook published in 1594.
Explanation:
I am using significantly smaller proportions to recreate this recipe since it indicates that 2 pecks of flour will
produce 20 loaves. I assume that the loaf weight is about a pound so I am opting to make 4 pounds of bread instead of
20.
While I do not have a period oven I did attempt to recreate the conditions in my gas oven with the use of a
ceramic tile placed on the oven grates with the loaves places on it and I also misted the oven occasionally during the
baking process to mimic the steam from the breads moisture that would have been caught in the medieval ovens and
assisted in the loaves cooking that modern ovens dissipate before the steam would have an effect on the loaves which
creates a drier loaf than what would have been created in period.
I have chosen to use a mix of whole wheat and unbleached bread flour in a 1:1 ratio in an effort to simulate
period flour. I used a mix because with modern whole wheat flour gluten is added to make bread unlike period flour
which did not have the gluten removed during processing.
The recipe calls for 2 kinds of yeast, an unspecified leaven which could be a yeast cake given the instructions to
break the leaven up and ale yeast which is added twice once to create a sponge and then after the sponge has risen
second larger portion is added to wet the remaining flour. So I am using ale yeast and dried yeast because yeast cakes
were unavailable at my local grocery stores so I am using dried yeast in its place. I proofed the yeast in a cup luke-
1) The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin, unkown author, England, 1594
 Lady Margaret of Buckrode
warm water for approximately 10 minutes. The bread uses 3 different yeast methods to rise suggesting the at least for
this household there was an issue with consistent results from using ale barm, fresh yeast and cultivation of wild yeast
in.
I formed and slashed the dough based on the following paintings.

14th century Baker with apprentice unknown artist

Still Life, Pieter Claesz, 1625

1) The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin, unkown author, England, 1594