Traditional and Medieval bread recipes

Pliny describes a number of leavens, including dough left to ferment from the previous day’s mix, as well as cakes made of wheat bran and the fermenting barm of wine. According to Storck & Teague the superiority of Roman breads was not due to leavens, but to the wheats used and to the greater attention given to sieving. (Stock & Teague, p. 87)

There are many ways to make sour leaven (Luomuleipojan käsikirja). All grain can be leavened. Different methods are rye leavening, honey leavening, oat sour and sour of salt and honey (Luomuleipojan käsikirja, p 49-50). Simonetti writes that hops can also be used to leaven bread (p.154). According to Israelsson vehka (swedish missne) leavens the bread by itself.

Leaven raises the bread and no yeast is needed. Leavening is slow work: at least one day for raising after the leavening is made. Leavening changes strongly the taste of the ingredients: long leavening makes an aromatic and a strong taste. Salt or other flavors are not needed. Leavening effects baking, preservation and forming of taste. (Luomuleipojan käsikirja, p. 106). Under right preservation leavening stays well a long time. If the water is replaced with sour milk leavening happens more quickly. Leavening makes the bread more coherent; that is why leavening is mostly connected with rye flour.

Good leaven base can be centuries old. According to Luomuleipojan käsikirja (p. 49) somewhere in Finland a leaven from 18th century is still in use. The older, the better taste. New leaven working its first times can taste a little too bitter. Always a good leaven has been appreciated. It was the pride of the mistress of the house. I think that it is possible that a daughter getting married took a piece of the leaven base from the home of her birth with her.

Honey leaven is based on natural yeast of the nectar of the honey, which starts to ferment by the effect of water and warmth. To continue, the temperature should never go over 40 Celsius (about 80F), otherwise the yeast activates itself and is no longer of use. Only unheated honey can start the fermenting process, so when you buy honey make sure it has not be heated! Honey leaven is often used for wheat, because it has milder taste than an ordinary leaven. Anneli Schöneck recommends honey leaven especially when using barley flour (p. 50).

Oat leaven was invented long ago when the leftovers of porridge were left into the sun for a day or warmth during the night. After a day and night the porridge bubbled and started to smell as yeast and its color changed. The good flavour and taste-giving substances of the former porridge were soon noticed (Luomuleipojan käsikirja).

Salt and honey leaven raises with spontaneous yeast, which grows into the leaven during the long raising time. No special leaven base is used, the baking is started from scratch every time. Fermentation goes through all dough making maybe the best tasting wheat bread. A long heating time changes the starch into sugar and the bread gets dark color and a sweat taste. Salt and honey bread is as its best after a couple of days and stays soft a very long time. (Luomuleipojan käsikirja, p. 50 and 129).

Before making the dough, when baking dark bread, often a part of the flour is separated and mixed with hot water. The mixture is to left overnight. Then the starch sticks, the flour dissolves into the water and the bread becomes succulent. The mixture can also be used soon after it has cooled, not in the following morning, when it usually is mixed into leaven dough. This method can be used also when baking with other flour than rye. (Schöneck, p. 48).

The best temperature for fermenting rye leaven is 28-30 Celsius, that is, the warmth of your hand. If the water used  is warmer than that, lactic acid will be formed. If the water is too cold, acetic acid will be formed. A strong, bitter taste becomes when fermenting is processed in lower temperature using a tight dough (flour 65-70 % from liquid) (Luomuleipojan käsikirja, p.107). The leaven starts to ferment, if the leaven ferments longer than 4-5 days.

This is how to start:

3 tabs fresh rye flour
3 tabs lukewarm water

Mix the ingredients and put into small pot covered with a towel. Leave for 2 days into a warm place. On the third day add 2 tabs rye flour and 2 tabs water. Mix carefully. Leave for one day. On the fourth or fifth day you can make a dough for rye bread. You need 8 dl water that is 37-Celsius warm , 6 dl flour and 2 tabs of the leaven mixture from your pot. Mix the ingredients in a tub. Leave for 12-14 hours. Remember to save rest of the mixture for the next baking time. (Luomuleipojan käsikirja, p. 111).
The leaven preserves best when dried in a wooden tub. You can also put it into the fridge. A few days as a loose leaven, for longer use harden the leaven with flours and soften it in liquid when you bake next time. (Luomuleipojan käsikirja, p.111). You can also attach the mixture to a linen towel and let it dry. Next baking day just wash the towel in the liquid in the baking tub.

Here is a quick sour oat recipe: mix 3 dl water and 2 dl oat flakes together. Put the mix to a pot with some kind of cover, non- aluminium one. Heat the oven to 50 Celsius, take the heat off and put the pot into the oven for overnight. Light bubbling will perform or your mix will get a white cover, other changes of color should not exist. If there are, try again. (Luomuleipojan käsikirja, p. 119).

The process of making a honey leaven takes three days. On the first day put into jar made of glass:

0.5 dl water, 40 Celsius
2 tabs fine graham flour
1 tap honey
Let it stay covered with towel for 24 hours in the warmth of 25-35 Celsius.

On the second day add:

almost 1 dl water, warmth of 40 Celsius
1 dl fine graham flour

Mix them well and on the third day add:

almost 1 dl water, warmth of 40 Celsius
1 dl graham flour

If everything goes as planned, the mixture will bubble in half an hour. Put the cover for the jar on carefully and let it stay in the fridge. The leaven is useful for several months. Some gray color will appear into the top of your mix. It is yeast fungus. The water will fade away little by little. (Luomuleipurin käsikirja, Schöneck).

To increase your honey leaven:

1 brimful tap honey
1 tabs honey leaven
1 dl graham flour
1 dl wheat flour
1.5 dl water, warmth of 40 Celsius

Mix all flour to warm water, add honey and leaven. If the the warmth is 25-35 Celsius, the mixture is usable in 12 hours. (Schöneck).