Did you watch the first of three episodes of Victorian Bakers on the BBC this week? It inspired me to try to make a Victorian cottage loaf – something that would have been a rural family’s staple back then. Apparently this bread was eaten for breakfast, lunch and evening meal.
On the programme, the loaves were made using brewers’ yeast – not something readily available in the supermarket. I used fresh yeast instead, which you can buy very cheaply in Morrisons.
I took a recipe from Country Bread by Linda Collister & Anthony Blake as inspiration. It’s called ‘Clive Mellum’s Favourite loaf’. Clive is a master baker at Shipton Mill Organic Bakery in Tetbury. The very same Shipton Mill whose bread flour I currently use.
I slightly adapted the recipe using wholemeal instead of white bread flour. We like the flavour & goodness of wholemeal, and it’s perhaps the more authentic country loaf as white or refined flour was something that only the upper classes would have been able to afford.
You need to start this Victorian cottage loaf the day before, making the ‘sponge‘… a mix similar to a starter, and leaving it to prove overnight. So a bit of forward planning is required!
The resulting loaf was delicious – no wonder the Victorians ate it 3 times a day!
- 5g/⅕oz fresh yeast
- 130g/4½oz lukewarm water
- 150g/5¼oz wholemeal flour
- 225g/8oz wholemeal bread flour
- 4g/⅙oz salt
- 12g/½oz fresh yeast
- 110ml/4fl oz lukewarm water
- Crumble & stir the yeast into some of the water before adding this to the flour with the rest of the water
- Mix until the thoroughly combined
- You don't need to knead the sponge as time will develop the gluten sufficiently
- Put the sponge into a bowl that's large enough to allow it to expand to at least 3 times its original size
- Cover with a lid, polythene bag or cling film and leave it at room temperature for 12-18 hours
- Mix the flour and salt together and make a well in the centre
- Crumble the yeast into the water and stir to combine
- Pour the yeast liquid into the well
- Bring the flour from the sides of the bowl towards the centre
- Add in the sponge and continue mixing to form a smooth but not sticky dough
- Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes
- Form the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rest in a warm place for 15 minutes
- Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knock back
- Divide it into two balls - one with ⅓ of the dough, and the other with ⅔ of the dough
- Place the balls of dough onto a greased baking sheet. Cover with inverted bowls or lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in size
- Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF
- Gently flatten the top of the larger round of dough and, with a sharp knife, criss-cross the centre about 4cm across
- Brush or sprinkle with a little water and carefully place the smaller round on top of the larger
- Gently press a hole through the middle of the top ball, down into the lower ball, using your thumb and first two fingers of one hand
- Cover with lightly oiled cling film and leave to rest in a warm place for about 10 minutes
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the base
- Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing or serving