What's the best stone fr a bakestone?
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I've used both methods, kneaded for years, and find I prefer the long raise of this method. I think the flavour is stronger.
Anyway, no reason not to cook a kneaded loaf in a Dutch oven. That way you keep the moisture in.
Bob on. I confess I love baking when out - but I tend to use baking powder above yeast purely for time.
We used to make a lot of sourdough bread when out. It was very good.
Tbh, soda bread is quick and easy, especially when milk turns really fast without refridgeration.
cheers,
Toddy
Tbh, soda bread is quick and easy, especially when milk turns really fast without refridgeration.
cheers,
Toddy
I've found out there is a stone masons at Baxenden so on the off chance I'm not the only looney around, I've sent them a message to see if they have previously or can now supply me with a bakestone of the local gritstone. Hopefully a mason will have a interest in geology and the history of his trade and will be able to advise me about this. I can't see a simple 20 by 14 inch flag costing much. I have my beeeeg Launditch trivet to put it on.
atb
tom
atb
tom
The base of my (commercial) Bread oven is in effect paved with unglazed ceramic slabs, in effect pizza stones. We stone bake a lot of loaves every day.Mostly 2 lb sourdoughs risen in baskets but occasionally much larger loaves of 6 - 8 lbs. I do know of a bakery whose oven base was made from gravestones which had cracked during the lettering.
If you are going to use it over a fire ceramic tiles/pizza stones have the advantage of being relatively light, heat up quickly and don't have the potential problem of hidden pockets of moisture or faults in stone or terracotta.If you are car-camping get a terracotta pot as big as possible to use as a cloche over your loaf.Increasing the hydration of the dough by 10% will improve the rise too, and save you using any water baths in the oven to provide steam.
I like the idea of a locally sourced stone for baking though.Good luck with that.
Cheers, Simon
If you are going to use it over a fire ceramic tiles/pizza stones have the advantage of being relatively light, heat up quickly and don't have the potential problem of hidden pockets of moisture or faults in stone or terracotta.If you are car-camping get a terracotta pot as big as possible to use as a cloche over your loaf.Increasing the hydration of the dough by 10% will improve the rise too, and save you using any water baths in the oven to provide steam.
I like the idea of a locally sourced stone for baking though.Good luck with that.
Cheers, Simon
Cheers! Always greet to hear from a professional, thanks! If I wasn't being a history nerd I'd definitely go with ceramic tiles. If the local mason can't help I will look for a big flat stone of the local rock and flatten it off myself!
With any luck ( I'm posting a cheque to Orkney tomorrow am ) we will be making bere barley oat cakes and bannock on a stone bakestone sooner rather than later.
ATB
Tom
With any luck ( I'm posting a cheque to Orkney tomorrow am ) we will be making bere barley oat cakes and bannock on a stone bakestone sooner rather than later.
ATB
Tom
I picked up a bag of Bere flour from the mill when I was in Orkney last year - it makes the best bannock ever -not surprisingly realy ... the HBC hired Orkneymen in preference to any other worker, (they filled up their water barrels in Stromness on their last port this side of the Atlantic) and it was Orkneymen who took Bannock to the Americas. What flour did the Orkneymen use at home? - Bere!
I think I may try and find a good slab of Orkney stone to make into a bakestone when we visit this year. We are driving up not flying this time
I think I may try and find a good slab of Orkney stone to make into a bakestone when we visit this year. We are driving up not flying this time
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Now that would be cool. I wonder what they use for fuel up there? Peat? I will google it later.
If we like it Herself has seriously suggested we get a 20lb bag and split it down and pass what we dont want for cost.
Since it is a lovely day and housework appeals not a jot I have wandered over to Accrington Library, the one nearest Baxenden with a excellent local history section. I'll see what I can find out about the local bakestone trade, if owt.
ATB
Tom
PS looked it up and of course it was peat!
If we like it Herself has seriously suggested we get a 20lb bag and split it down and pass what we dont want for cost.
Since it is a lovely day and housework appeals not a jot I have wandered over to Accrington Library, the one nearest Baxenden with a excellent local history section. I'll see what I can find out about the local bakestone trade, if owt.
ATB
Tom
PS looked it up and of course it was peat!
well that was a bit of a washout, It would seam they dont have much on the early history of Baxenden. The only dedicated book was on of those villages in old photos jobs. Fortunately i know someone who will know whre to look or who to ask at Rawtenstall.
I did find a excellent book, "Traditional Food East and West of the Pennines", Ed C. Anne Wilson which covers the later period using iron girdles, so I blew a couple of quid on photocopies.
ATB
Tom
I did find a excellent book, "Traditional Food East and West of the Pennines", Ed C. Anne Wilson which covers the later period using iron girdles, so I blew a couple of quid on photocopies.
ATB
Tom
It never entered my big fat head! Feel free to shift any of the others that would fit, the candle and rushlight ones would definitely belong here if I was starting them now.
I'm bit spaced out from hard graft in the garden I'm not used to and juggling meal times to fit around antibiotics, or rather skipping meals.
Cheers!
Tom
I'm bit spaced out from hard graft in the garden I'm not used to and juggling meal times to fit around antibiotics, or rather skipping meals.
Cheers!
Tom
Just received a surprise present from herself, a pristine copy of " Traditional Food East and West of the Pennines" ed C. Anne Wilson 1991. Good stuff! According to it, iron bakestones could be up to 26 inch in diameter, which makes me feel quite inadequate at 15, which I considered large up to now, and that the larger farms had what were called backstones which were built into the domestic rooms. " standing at table-height in a convenient corner, the horizontal top was formed by two large flat iron sheets about 30 inches square. These were heated by a fireplace below, the vertical freestone slab forming the front of the backstone having suitable holes pierced in it for the insertion of fuel and the extraction of the ash" "These large backstones were utilised to make oatcakes in very large batches; a number of women earned their living by travelling from one house to another to do the baking. One lady from Bootle in Cumberland charged 1/6 and a glass of gin each day for this service around 1900. Perhaps baking up to 20 stones of meal in a single session."
Any one got a picture of a backstone thus described?
i need to make me sen a spurtle, not the porridge stirring sort but the oatcake turning flat job. Also need to pick up a brandreth, Launditchs excellent folding tripod is a bit high for this job on a fireplace where you can't push the legs into the earth to adjust the height and I've seen quite a few of the low tripods for not much in junk shops.
Not heard from the stonemason who probably wrote me off as a crackpot! It will probably be Easter before I see my local history expert. She's the sort of person who will probably know exactly which quarry was used and tell me where some discarded bakestones are piled!
ATB
Tom
Ps, searching for images I discovered the glory that is a bannock spade!
http://www.oldandinteresting.com/bannock-flat-bread.aspx
If I can find some dimensions I think I could make one of those easy enough, better than the plastic egg slice I'm using now!
Any one got a picture of a backstone thus described?
i need to make me sen a spurtle, not the porridge stirring sort but the oatcake turning flat job. Also need to pick up a brandreth, Launditchs excellent folding tripod is a bit high for this job on a fireplace where you can't push the legs into the earth to adjust the height and I've seen quite a few of the low tripods for not much in junk shops.
Not heard from the stonemason who probably wrote me off as a crackpot! It will probably be Easter before I see my local history expert. She's the sort of person who will probably know exactly which quarry was used and tell me where some discarded bakestones are piled!
ATB
Tom
Ps, searching for images I discovered the glory that is a bannock spade!
http://www.oldandinteresting.com/bannock-flat-bread.aspx
If I can find some dimensions I think I could make one of those easy enough, better than the plastic egg slice I'm using now!
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