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