One of my 1930's cookery books gives a wonderful description of a typical farmhouse kitchen - huge old flagstones, white scrubbed tables and brightly shining grate, delicious pots of food simmering on the fire.
Once a week bread (plain, spiced, fruited, wholemeal) Yorkshire teacakes, pies, cheesecakes, tarts and great big fruit cakes would be baked. All the work of one capable and efficient pair of hands, the farmer's wife.
The author could see the flames of the fireplace travelling under the brick built bread oven and enquired about how she managed to maintain the heat, did she use coal?
No, she used only wood, didn't trust coal at all. She knew wood, and could manage the heat very well with it.
The table was laden with delicious-looking bread and pies. When asked whether she used scales to weigh out her ingredients, she said she just knew how much flour, butter, lard, milk, water and eggs were required.
As you can see, I use my trusty scales, but then I am not a real cook. I don't enjoy cooking, but I do enjoy baking bread.
Further on in the book there is a paragraph of the practicalities of using a brick oven, the work involved in firing up and cleaning one and that is before the baking can begin. However, despite all these drawbacks, the writer says that no bread, spice loaves, or fruit cakes ever taste as wonderful as those baked in a brick oven...
I have asked that George build me an outdoor bread oven. He can call it my birthday present.
We have plenty of old bricks around the place and Owl Wood is the perfect place for me to get the wood to make into faggots for burning under the oven. I know he will enjoy the build, in fact he is busy doing the research right now.
I will enjoy the bread-baking experiments. No doubt there will be many failures. I will post them on here.
Not sure how long this build will take but it has certainly got him fired-up (if you will forgive the pun) and energised. Now that he no longer works it is all too easy for him to fall into the doldrums. This should keep him happily occupied for a week or three.
Sounds like a fun plan for both of you!
ReplyDeleteIt may take some time, Sue. He wants to locate in one place, I think it would be better suited to another area...
DeleteA bread oven sounds a good idea!
ReplyDeleteMy grandad used to make hot cross buns each Easter we visited....no recipe! Tasty too.
Good old grandad! Food associated memories are some of the most powerful. A good hot cross bun, slathered with butter - food heaven!
DeleteAn oven with firebricks is a great idea! We have in the village, it bakes amazingly not only bread but also food in the pan!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Katerina. That information makes me even more determined to get this oven built and to begin the baking.
DeleteThat sounds like a very exciting project. I like the idea of baking the bread outside and gathering the wood for the fire. My ex's mother baked every Friday (farmer's wife) and carried on well into her 90s. My own mother baked every week. I have never taken much interest in baking although I did learn from her. In the Azores there was a lot of cooking done outdoors in the ground in the volcanic soil. I thought that was exciting.
ReplyDeleteThey were strong women, Rachel. You share those same qualities, although they are expressed differently. Not many women would do the solo travels which you took - and we enjoyed through blogworld. I must check out your posts on the Azores. I wonder how long it will be before outdoor wood fires are banned. We had best get cracking with the project!
DeleteWhat a wonderful project for both of you. Your bread looks so tasty. I still can't get enthusiastic about gluten free bread although the spicy fruit loaf I make from a local flour mix is pretty good. I look forward to hearing how the oven and then the bread in it is progressing.
ReplyDeleteHe is a happy man, at the moment, Susan. The whistling gives it away!
DeleteHow wonderful that you are able to buy a local flour. We used to buy ours from the windmill in Alford, about 4 or 5 miles away. Unfortunately it has been closed for several years now, although there are plans to reopen at some stage.
The old farmhouse ways sound wonderful but what a lot of work. Disk till dawn, and longer.
ReplyDeleteA bread oven, marvellous. We've had a few overcooked loaves but they still get eaten. Now there's a real photo op!! Bread going in and out of a woodfire oven. Soon I hope
The pigeons and jackdaws will no doubt get fat on all the failed attempts, Linda! It will take him a while to get it constructed, but I am really looking forward to the challenge of producing a decent loaf from it. I will photograph the burnt offerings, as well as any successes I may have. May as well share the laughter!
DeleteLooking forward to sharing your adventures via here. I should dearly love a bread oven, but think I'm already spoiled with the Aga!
ReplyDeleteI would say stick with the Aga, WER. As you know, we eventually decided to get rid of our wonderful workhorse, the Rayburn because it was becoming too difficult to keep lifting the extremely heavy top to clean out every month (solid fuel) so we sold it on and it went out to New Zealand, of all places! The brick oven will bring back some of the fun element which was lost when it went.
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