The History of Bread and Cakes

The first bread would have been hard and flat, made from the local ground grain, and baked on hot flat hearthstones by the fire. The flat metal griddle or girdle, which is suspended over the fire, is an example of this method. The word is thought to come from the name for hot stones in the Celtic language, greadeczl, and the use of the implement is common to all the Celtic countries, from northern France to Ireland and Scotland. Today, the northern bannock or oatcake is the nearest equivalent to that earliest type of bread.

Quite early on, the leavening or raising power of ‘barm’, consisting of fermented liquor containing airborne yeasts, was discovered, and so a lighter bread could be baked, either directly on hot hearthstones or in the hot air under a clay dome set over the stones, the earliest oven. Ovens, however, were not common, and for centuries small, plain, yeasted and non-yeasted bread continued to be the most common. The much later sweetened descendants of these are drop scones, pancakes, crumpets, muffins and the Welsh pikelets.

Bread of this type were still made at home. For bread which needed to be baked in an oven, doughs would have to be taken to the manorial oven or to a public baker. The rich would have white breads, made from the finest wheat flour. This was the ‘manchet’, for eating, whereas the ‘trencher’ (a slice of bread used as a plate) would be of less fine brown bread. These trenchers were always a few days old, so would have been fairly hard, thus more able to absorb fats and liquids. By the end of the sixteenth century, wooden and metal plates had been introduced — as well as the fork — so the trencher ‘plate’ was discontinued. Bread was still used, though, as sops in the bottom of soup or as sippets, little pieces of bread or toast arranged on top of or around a dish. Breadcrumbs, too, were added — and still are — to sauces as a thickener, and to sausages, stuffings, drinks and desserts.

The poor, however, would have to make do with the husks of wheat in their inevitably coarser brown bread, or use other local grains such as rye and barley. These both contained much less natural gluten than wheat so were dense, dark and hard bread, making a much less digestible product.

For special occasions from the Middle Ages on, basic doughs were often enriched by honey, spices or dried fruits, and these mark the beginnings of tea bread, loaves and buns — as well as cakes. In later years, eggs and butter were often added to the dough, the beaten eggs allowing enough air to be incorporated without the addition of yeast. When chemical raising agents were introduced in the nineteenth century, many yeast-raised doughs were abandoned. Bread evolved into cake.

As far as biscuits are concerned, the earliest were rusks, pieces of baked bread put back into the oven to dry out. Later, finer mixtures would be used and baked in an oven or dried. Biscuits like these, cut into animal and human shapes, were known as ‘fairings’ because they were sold at local fairs.

The baking tradition in Britain seems to have always been at its strongest in the north and west, and in Ireland. This may be because these areas were furthest from outside influences, including France and elsewhere, and bread recipes and traditions were able to be retained. High tea, for instance, demands a variety of baked goods, and high tea is a tradition that is quite rare in the south. But the fuel needed for baking was at one time more plentiful in the north than in the south, and this may be another contributing factor. The glory of English cakes, however, is entirely due to the gentry’s adoption of the new meal, afternoon tea. Happy baking!

Simnel Cake

Simnel is a traditional British cake made during Lent, and for a while became associated with the fourth Sunday of that period — Mothering Sunday. Many years ago, young women away from home, probably in service, were allowed home to visit their parents on that day, and would take this cake with them as a gift. It’s basically a rich fruit cake baked with a layer of marzipan running through it, and topped with almond paste too. Traditionally it is then garnished with eleven small marzipan balls arranged in a circle on top of the cake, which are lightly toasted to a golden brown. These balls represent the eleven faithful disciples.

MAKES A 20 CM (8 IN) ROUND CAKE
225 g (8 oz) plain flour
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
175 g (6 oz) butter
175 g (6 oz) light brown soft sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon golden syrup, warmed
175 g (6 oz) sultanas
175 g (6 oz) currants
50 g (2 oz) glacé cherries, chopped
50 g (2 oz) mixed peel, chopped
2-3 tablespoons brandy
Milk, if necessary
600 g (1 lb 5 oz) marzipan
1 tablespoon warmed apricot jam, strained
1 egg, for glazing

This recipe will need a 20 cm (8 in) diameter, deep, round cake tin, greased and double-lined with greaseproof paper. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Roll 200 g (7 oz) of the marzipan into a 20 cm (8 in) disc.

Sift the flour with the dried spices and salt. Cream together the butter and soft brown sugar until light and fluffy. The eggs can now be poured from a jug slowly while being beaten into the butter mix. Add the golden syrup, with the sifted flour. Add all of the fruits and brandy. The cake mixture should not be too loose. If very thick, soften with milk. Spoon half the cake mix into the lined tin. Smooth completely flat, making sure there are no air bubbles. Place the marzipan disc on top. Pour on and smooth the remaining cake mix. Because of the long cooking time it’s best to wrap and tie brown paper around the tin. The cake can now be baked in the pre-heated oven for 1 1/2 -2 hours. After 1 ½ hours, check every 10 minutes by pressing in the centre; the cake should feel firm when it’s ready. (The cake should not be tested with a skewer. This will simply lift the warm marzipan and give the impression the cake is not cooked.)

When the cake is done, remove from the oven and rest for 30 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack. The cake must be absolutely cold before topping with more marzipan. Once cold roll another 200 g (7 oz) of marzipan into a 20 cm (8 in) disc. Brush the top of the cake with the warm, strained apricot jam. Place the marzipan disc on top and trim around for a neat finish. The top can now be score-marked for a criss-cross pattern or left plain. Brush with some of the beaten egg and colour under a pre-heated grill to a light golden brown. The remaining 200 g (7 oz) of marzipan can now be shaped into eleven small balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet, brush with egg and also glaze under the grill. Sit the balls on top and the simnel cake is ready. The cake can now be left as it is or finished with a ribbon tied around it and some small marzipan flowers or leaves arranged on top. Happy Easter!

Twelfth Night Cake

Twelfth Night, 6 January, is the last night of the Christmas feast, and long ago there were always festivities before the work of the New Year began in earnest. This cake — very like a Christmas cake, in fact — was made as part of the celebration, and often a bean would be inserted into the mixture. Whoever was given the slice containing this was named King of the Bean, which meant good luck was theirs for the coming year.

The cake is usually covered with royal icing, but I prefer to keep it plain or top it with a fondant icing, the recipe included here. This whole recipe is very quick and easy to make. l’ve also added chopped dates to give the mixture a fuller fruit flavour. It’s not essential to include these; simply replace their weight with extra dried fruits.

MAKES A 20 CM (8 IN) CAKE

175 g (6 oz) butter
175 g (6 oz) caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
175 g (6 oz) plain flour
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
175 g (6 oz) currants
175 g (6 oz) sultanas
175 g (6 oz) dates, preferably Medjool, chopped
50 g (2 oz) blanched almonds, chopped
4 tablespoons brandy

For the Fondant
50 ml (2 fl oz) warm water
350 g (12 oz) icing sugar, sifted

This recipe requires a 20 cm (8 in) round or square cake tin. The tin needs to be greased and double-lined with greaseproof paper. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Pour the beaten eggs from a jug a little at a time, mixing them into the sweet butter. Stir in the flour and spices, followed by the fruits and chopped almonds. Mix all together well, adding the brandy. Spoon the mix into the cake tin, smoothing and levelling the top. The cake can now be baked in the pre-heated oven for 1 hour. If the cake is not quite ready, this can be checked by inserting a skewer or small sharp knife; once almost totally clean, the cake is ready. lf not, return to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes. It’s important to keep an eye on the cake while it’s cooking. If it’s becoming dark, cover with foil. This will prevent it from burning.

Leave for 20-30 minutes to relax in the tin before turning out and leaving to cool. For the fondant icing, sift the icing sugar into a large bowl. Stir in the warm water a little at a time until the sugar has reached a thick, coating, fondant consistency. Most cakes are decorated on the base, turning it over for that flat finish. This cake is best left sitting on its base, with the fondant poured and spread on top. I like to see the fondant just falling around the sides and not completely covering the cake.

Note: Classically, the top is decorated with glacé cherries and angelica.

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