The Great Wheat Shortage of 1797 - Bread for the Commoners

Instagram ➧ townsends_official

[townsends]

We kept this loaf in the oven for 25 minutes.

[mariajukejax]

"Bread for the commoners" nowadays you would find it in the "Artisan Bread" section. And it's double the price. Funny how attitudes change.

[cowyemrsox]

It's nothing compared to the Great Toilet Paper shortage of 2020...

[geraldinemcguire]

You were supposed to mash the potatoes with the water they were boiled in.. hence mashed to oulp. Potato water has elements that help dough to rise beautifully. After potato mashed in the water, you add the flour and salt and yeast and let it rise

[SammytheStampede]

“For an empty stomach there is no hard bread.” Old Spanish proverb.

[Abluemoon]

Funny how time have change. White bread is now the cheap "poor people" bread.

[cosmicpolitan]

If you could just send that loaf through the screen, that would be great thanks

[baronvandragon]

I made some potato bread once. The first loaf out of the oven never even made it to the counter. It had been heisted by my wife and never seen again. Such a good and simple recipe.

[robotontheinternet]

He’d make the Worlds best History Teacher

[misteropinion]

A new oven! The first oven is how I found Townsend's in the first place! Yay!

[judya.shroads]

My Mom made potato bread every week. The buns were done as I got off the school bus. I ran home to have the hot buns, soup beans and fried potatoes. I love it. Thank you

[quittenfee]

This might come in handy for the wheat shortage now.

[prokesuk]

On this weeks program, John teaches us how to counterfeit bread.

[JimNH]

Irishman reading that book 40 years later: "you got to be kidding me"

[fightingman]

I love how passionate this guy is about this stuff. He manages to grab the attention of both the historian and the cook within me.

[terry]

The leftover potato water can be made into a yeast starter, too. Allow it to cool and for every two cups of water add one cup of flour and one Tablespoon of sugar. Keep it in a warm and draft/dust free area for 24 hours. It should be frothy and yeasty. Then use a couple of Tablespoons as the barm in the video. The rise time may take longer. This can be kept and fed as sourdough starter, but it won’t be sour…

[rymaracabre]

I made something similar except I used sweet potatoes. One of the best breads I have tried in my life. Slightly sweet because of the sweet potatoes but quite savory. Incredibly soft and fragrant too. Goes very well with butter and jam, or you can eat as is.

[lausdeandl]

In Bavaria we call beer „liquid bread“ for lent; same ingredients.

[JohnCraig]

Here's my Granny's recipe for Ulster potato bread. Called fadges in Derry. Take whatever leftover mashed potato you have from last night. Add enough flour to make it like a dry dough. Season it, but only if you didn't season last night's mash. Roll it out about a half inch thick. Use a cup to cut it into round pieces. Fry in oil or butter until golden brown both sides. Add more butter. When you think you added too much butter, add a bit more butter. Serve with bacon, eggs and Irish sausage. 😀

[Kareszkoma]

In my country, Hungary, when potato first arrived, the king tried to popularize it. Many places resisted, but when people tasted it, they fallen in love with it. In the Alföld region, the Székely baked it into the bread, and are baking it into it ever since. Nowadays, it's a Hungarian tradition to bake food things into the bread, that you like. Sausages, ham, fruits, veggies, or the pot handle if forgotten.