These are two of Townsends\u2019 videos on how 18th century people prepared food that we take for granted \u2013 get it at the grocery store, for example \u2013 are really interesting. I think he makes it clear, without saying anything specific, that we are over dependent on \u201cother\u201d to fill our needs for food and shelter.<\/p>\n
For anyone looking for a way to make sourdough bread, pay attention to what Townsends says: the “leaven” is not the same as the packaged leavening (yeast cake) that is available at the grocery store today.\u00a0 This is about making bread with no yeast, on Townsend\u2019s videos.\u00a0 He defines “leaven” as opposed to “leavening”. He also tells you how to make your own dough starter, which can become sourdough starter.<\/p>\n
The the crust is so hard it will nearly break your teeth. The crust itself was not eaten, but was crumbled and used in other recipes. This bread is not the soft-crusted stuff that is available at the grocery store. In some cases, it might be called artisan bread. The trencher bread used as a food bowl in history is made in essentially the same way: hard crust, softer, absorbent interior that did not leak when filled with a thick liquid such as stew. Gives new meaning to the term “trencherman”.<\/p>\n