Music Welcome to snoozecast, the podcast designed to help you fall asleep. Find us at snoozecast.com and if you enjoy our show, please share us with a friend. This episode is brought to you by Sourdough Starter. Tonight we'll read about the history of bread making in Europe and America from the history of bread written by John Ashton and published in 1905. Snuescast first aired this story back in 2020. This text mentions windmills, which in the past were structures built to harness windpower to perform strenuousuous tasks, specifically they were well known for milling grain. But one of the earliest working windmill designs was found in ancient Persia and used to both pump water and grind grain. Windmills were adopted throughout late medieval and early modern European times, at their peak, Europe contained an estimated 200,000 windmills in the year 1850. Within industrial revolution, they were eventually replaced by steam mills and internal combustion engines.

Let's get cozy. Close your eyes. Relax your body into the softness of your bed. Now, take a few deep breaths. In the northern countries and many fields of the Visigoths, on that part that lies southward, barley is ripe and moan in 36 days from the date of sowing, that is, from the end of June to the middle of August, and sometime sooner and other grains sown in the beginning of May is reaped in the middle of August by the mutual help of the countrymen, not with any great pains, but with alacrity and willing minds, less cold wind should blow upon it and blast the grain. And they desire no other reward for their daily labor than a merry feast at night, where the young people of both sexes by by reason of their faithful labors in the field, by the judgment, consent, and permission of their provident parents, are made choice of for to be married. The farther north you go, the less wheat is grown, but there is more towards the south. The Swedes having plenty of wheat, but more rye. But the Goths, both east and west, who feed on barley and oats, have an infinite abundance given them by the mercy of God. Yet there is use made of all these sorts of grain in both places, but the Swedes provide most of rye, where their women know so well how to winnow rye, that for color, taste, and for health, it surpasses the goodness of wheat. Early Scandinavian bakeries, in order to preserve their grain, they carefully dried it. On the hottest days, when the sun shines strong, they spread cloths like ship sails, or else the sails themselves upon the ground, or on the tops of mountains where there is no grass, and they lay the grain out to dry for six or more or fewer days as the sun shines hot. Then when it is cleaned, they lay it up in vessels of oak or else they grind it and so The light will lay safe. And when it is dried, it will last good for years. But if it not be ground into meal but grain, it is convenient once a year to set it in the sun to be dried again, and thus new dried grain may be mingled with it prudently. But the meal thrust into the oak and vessels, or tons, by strong ramming it in with wooden mallets and laid up in a place, will last many years and never be warm eaten. We will also discourse on the variety of mills for grinding grain in use. There was the windmill that turned by running water, by horse power, by hands and feet, backwards and forwards, like the prehistoric mealing stones, and also the corn. But we will mostly extoll the windmills of Holland. The grain being ground, it was ready for making into bread. And my newtly is this operation done. It is needed into a round shape, then rolled very thin. And finally, baked on a sheet of iron like a warriors shield, supported by a tripod, and heated by a low, slow fire. In fact, the griddle cakes of North Britain. But there was other bread, which was baked in an oven. And here the artist seems to have drawn somewhat upon his imagination of black beetles. It seems that bread was not sold by weight, and that they were in the habit about Christmas time, of making what we should call doughbabies about the size of a five-year-old child of which they made presents and similar, but smaller babies of wheat flour, which they sold. They also made a gingerbread of flour, honey, and spices, which travelers in the winter made use of. Another bread of flour, milk, butter, eggs, and ginger. Then also they baked biscuits for onboard ships and for feeding fortresses. But these biscuits, if kept for a length of time, especially in a damp place, developed dangerous energy in the shape of weevils which were harmless. Griddle cakes would keep good for twenty or more years, by which time they would be reasonably stale. Scarcely two centuries have passed since rye flower by itself, or mixed with wheat, furnished nearly all the bread consumed by the laboring classes of England. With the exception of wheat, rye contains a greater proportion of gluten than any other cereal. which fact it owes its capability of being converted into spongy bread. And if anyone wishes to try it for themselves, here is a recipe for making grizzlex, surbrud, or bread for the household, which is the ordinary bread for the eastern parts of Norway. Contrary to our expectations, we found white bread everywhere, but the common bread is a heavy bread, the chief ingredient of which is rye. It is always sour, the good wife intends it to be so. They also have flat bread, made of potatoes and rye. It was this kind of bread that the two women who were happened in a pond were making, they were in a little underground room, unlighted except from the door. The women making the bread were seated on either side of a long, low table upon which were huge mounds of dough. The one nearest the door cut off a piece of this and molded it and rolled it out to a certain degree of thinness. Then, the other one took it, and with the greatest care rolled it still more. At her right hand was the fireplace, and upon the coal was a red piece of iron, forming a huge griddledle more than half a yard across. The bread matched this very nearly in size when it was ready to be baked and it was spread out and turned upon the griddle with great dexterity. And as soon as it was baked,

it was added to a great heap on the floor. The woman said she should continue to bake bread For 30 days, she had a large family of men who consumed a great deal and they had to bake very often in consequence. In many places they do not bake bread oftener than twice a year, then it is a circumstance like hayang or harvesting. We heard an Englishman say of this bread of the country, one might eat an acre of it and then not be satisfied. In Denmark, 2. Rye bread is the rule among the peasantry and small farmers. Weed in bread being to them a luxury and used as cake is with us. In Russia, although its chief export is wheat from the black sea and oats and rye from the Baltic, the peasant eats but rye bread dipped in hemp oil, and even then, as but a few years since, famine visits this granary, and the hapless peasants being reduced to mix bark with their wretched bread. Have a time's been unable to procure even this. Although Austria hungry produces wheat, which makes the finest bread flour in the world. Yet throughout the Austrian Empire, the peasantry eat rye bread. We'll stet Vienna, the wheat in bread, especially the Kaiser Semmel, which is what we should term the dinner roll, is simply perfection. The excellence of the Viennese bread is said to be owing to the bakers, the ovens, and the yeast. The men work according to the traditions of the past, which have been handed down to them. The ovens are heated by wood fires lit inside them during four hours. The ashes are then raked out, and the oven is carefully wiped with wisps of damp straw. the paper generated, as well as that produced by the baking of the bread, lies the whole art of the browning and the success of the simal. Announce of yeast and as much salt is taken for every gallon of milk used for the dough. The yeast is a Viennese specialty and its composition is a secret. It keeps two days in summer and a little longer in winter. Viennese bread is noted for the fantastic shapes into which it is made, but concerning the crescent shape, the following legend is told. Many years ago, when there was war between the Austrians and the Turks, the city of Vienna was besieged and so closely invested that famine seemed inevitable, unless the inhabitants yielded and surrendered to the Turks. One day, a baker in his cellar noticed a peculiar noise and looking about, discovered that a boy's drum on the ground in a corner had some marbles on the parchment, which every little while danced about and caused the odd sound. Heprised, he listened intently and found that the noise was repeated at regular intervals. He put his ear to the ground and could distinguish a thumping sound, which, on reflection, he concluded must be produced by the enemy undermining the city. went to the authorities with his story, but at first it was discredited. At last, the general and command made an investigation and found the Baker's suspicions correct. A counter mine was made and exploded and the Turks repulsed. On the restoration of peace, the Emperor of Austria sent for the Baker and expressing his gratitude to him for having saved the city, asked what reward he could claim. The modest baker refused riches or rank, but only asked the privilege of making his bread hereafter in the form of the crescent, which had so long been there terror, so that it might be a reminder to those who ate it of what had happened. So the Imperial Order was issued, granting the Baker and his descendants the soul right to make their bread in the shape of the Turkish crescent. As in Austria, so in Germany, good wheat and bread can be got in towns and cities, though not so fine as in Austria by reason of the flower, and the peasantry or content to have rye and barley bread. Compernichol to wit is one of the oldest varieties of bread. And the first to come into general use, it is made of barley and must be baked in an oven, especially made for the purpose. This kind of bread is considered very nutritious and is of a sweet taste. In many parts of Germany there are large bakeries where Your pumpernickel is baked as a specialty, whence it is sent into the smaller towns and even exported to other countries. The Gauls reaped their wheat and then threshed it out by means of oxen and horses, but They also cut off the ears and then reaped the straw.

To gather in the panic and mill it, they held the stalks by means of a kind of comb

and then cut off the heads with shears. To prevent its being stolen, the grain was hidden in underground storehouses, and often in natural caves which were afterwards walled up. They used milling stones as before described in order to crush and roughly grind their grain, which was made into unleavened cake, dry and thin, which was not cut but was broken when served. They also had a kind of bread called plate bread, which they ate soaked with sauce or meat gravy. The gals made beer from barley and used it instead of water to mix their dough with. Thus, unconsciously, they discovered the secret of leavened bread and buy and buy, noticed that the beer if let alone frothed, and that one used for bread making in this state the bread was lighter. They left off using the beer and only employed the yeast. They called Gru, which in Latin became Grudom.

Grudom. Grulim was husked Barley, which the Gauls ate in soup, and with boiled meat. This is the origin of the French word Groats, which is equally applied to husked oats. Rai was used in the northern part of Gaul, and from the time of Strabo, Millet was in use among the Gauls. They also certainly knew of Buckwheat, which had been cultivated from time immemorial in Africa, for it had been found in several Celtic remains in the camp de Chalones. The Romans brought millstones with them and introduced the water wheel, which saved them the exertion of personally grinding their grain. And with the arrival of the Franks came Christianity, and they were taught the prayer, our Father, which are in heaven, give us this day our daily bread. In the 12th and 13th centuries in France, noblemen, the middle class, and shopkeepers did not eat much white bread, and their best was equal to the household bread of today, whilst whitey brown, brown, and brown breads were to be found on their tables. The common folk fed on bread made of barley, rye,

a mixture of wheat and rye,

brown bread,

black bread,

and enormous pasties

of which the thick crust was composed of rye,

bran,

and flour mixed together. Mays was introduced into France from America in 1560. Champier speaks of it as a plant recently imported and says, Some poor people in default of grain have made bread of it, especially in the Boojole, but it is less fitted for men than for animals, men than for animals, which fatten quickly upon it, and especially for pigeons who love it much. For Michelli, Macaroni, Lasagna's, and other Italian postas were brought into France during the wars of Charles's Eighth and had no other rivals than Rice. this time in making bread, the yeast of beer was partially abandoned and other ferments were made use of the Fleming's boiled wheat and after having skimmed off the froth. used it as a liven, which gave them a much lighter bread. They employed vinegar, wine, and rennet. It would be useless for the labors to take so much pains of his land if he only derived a profit from a sale of the grain which he has harvested. If he could not make himself cakes, pastry, flams, fritters, and a thousand other dainty's, which he can make with a flower from his own grain, and it would be very unbecoming in him, or he to borrow them from his neighbors, or buy them of the bakers or pastry cooks. The farmer's duty is to choose his grain, have it ground, and to keep the flower in the greenery, once he will soon take it in order to make bread. Yn yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n y