Medieval Horsebread Recipes

MEDIEVAL HORSEBREAD

Steps:

• Place barley in a jar and cover with water. Seal jar and let stand 24 hours.
• Drain, saving the liquid, rinse and place back in the jar. Cover with a towel and let stand, turned upside down, overnight. Repeat the rinse / drain process three times more, saving the water each time.
• Wash dried yellow split peas and place them in a medium sized bowl. Cover with water and leave overnight to soak.
• Mix together the starter, flours, salt and 350 mL barley water (drained from step 2) until a thick wet dough forms. Leave in the fridge, covered, overnight. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour to warm up before proceeding.
• Drain split peas and add to a food processor with the barley. Pulse to coarsely chop, set aside.
• Knead rested dough for 10 minutes with the dough hook or 20 minutes by hand, adding flour as necessary to achieve a slightly sticky, but not wet, dough.
• Knead in the chopped split pea mixture.
• Form into a ball and place on a heavily floured tea towel.
• Place towel-wrapped loaf in a basket, bowl or banneton and leave to rise 24 hours at cool room temperature (don't try to shortcut this step - it's a heavy loaf and needs a *long* rise).
• Place a large baking tray or pizza stone in the oven and heat oven to 450F (preferably convection).
• Turn loaf out onto a parchment lined rimless baking sheet or pizza peel and transfer to the hot pan or baking stone.
• Score loaf with a sharp knife and place in the oven.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven to 425F (preferably convection) and bake another hour.
• Turn out on a wire rack to cool.