{"id":1100,"date":"2018-07-13T17:46:38","date_gmt":"2018-07-14T00:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/becomingbeathog.com\/?p=1100"},"modified":"2018-07-13T17:46:38","modified_gmt":"2018-07-14T00:46:38","slug":"why-flatbread","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/becomingbeathog.com\/?p=1100","title":{"rendered":"Why Flatbread?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For most Highlanders of the 14th century, food varied very little from day to day, commonly including a pottage, bread and ale.\u00a0 Cereals remained the most important dietary staple in Scotland, throughout the Middle Ages, specifically oats, barley, and rye, which all grew well in the cool climate.\u00a0 Bread made from wheat would have been eaten only by people of rank or wealth, as it grew poorly in the north throughout most of the medieval period and would have to have been imported from the warmer climates to the south or from France.\u00a0 Flours made from dried peas and beans, or nuts (such as acorns) were also consumed in small amounts, and seem to do best when mixed with other flours (see recipe, below).\u00a0 Rice was a late arrival to Europe, and potatoes were not introduced until the mid-16th century,– and for centuries, were used almost exclusively as animal feed.<\/p>\n

When speaking of early bread-making, the question of whether yeast,– or a sourdough starter method– was used as leavening, always comes up.\u00a0 Yeast was available in Scotland, there is no doubt about that.\u00a0\u00a0As a general note, in regard to the use of yeast vs. sourdough, it is important to know that the precondition to using yeast was, for centuries, the presence of brewers. One reason sourdough was the main method in France for so long is that beer there began as a regional specialty, whereas wine was, if not universal, far more widespread.\u00a0\u00a0In general, beer-drinking cultures have been associated with bread made with barm<\/em> (the yeast “foam” that forms on top of fermenting beer), while wine-drinking cultures have preferred sourdough.<\/p>\n

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But, even with the wide availability of yeast in Scotland, the low gluten content of the available cereal grains resulted in dense, flat loaves.\u00a0 Even if the wheat flour (necessary to produce lighter, well-risen loaves) was available, people who had no bread ovens (or were far from the city, where central ovens would have been available to them) baked small, flat loaves, referred to as “bannock”.\u00a0 Small loaves,–each serving one individual person, were cooked on an open fire, on a girdle, skillet, or hot stone, and eaten immediately.\u00a0 Fresh bannocks would have been made each day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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My flatbread was made, simply, using a combination of barley and chickpea flours, salt and water.\u00a0 I did add a small amount of yeast and allowed the dough to “rest” overnight.\u00a0 I did not achieve a “rise” to speak of, but I believe the addition of the yeast produced a lighter product.<\/p>\n

I have also experimented with using leftover whey (from cheese making) and buttermilk (which would have been available from making butter) in place of the water, with satisfactory results.\u00a0 The barley and pea flour combination makes a delicious, nutty tasting bread!<\/p>\n

MY RECIPE:<\/p>\n