flipTravel Bread with Rye and Wild Honey
Travel Bread with Rye and Wild Honey
Why this dish? Always on the move to escape the sheriff's men, Robin and his companions needed to carry solid, durable food. A dense rye bread, sweetened with wild honey harvested from Sherwood's hollow oaks, keeps for days in the satchel.
A dense, nourishing bread cake of rye and oats, enriched with wild honey and forest hazelnuts, baked under the ashes. The bread that does not go mouldy and satisfies hunger for a long time on the road.
When we're dashing under the canopy with soldiers at our heels, there's no time for fine fare! Stow this in your satchel: dense rye, honey I stole from the bees of an old hollow oak, and hazelnuts for strength. This bread keeps a week and fills your belly better than a feast. Always keep some on you, friend — freedom often goes hungry.
- •Rye flour — two measures (dense base)
- •Oats — one measure (texture and chew)
- •Wild honey — a good spoonful (sweetness and preservation)
- •Hazelnuts — a handful (energy)
- •Sourdough starter — a piece from yesterday (leavening)
- •Salt — a pinch (flavour)
Travel Bread with Rye and Wild Honey
A dense, nourishing bread cake of rye and oats, enriched with wild honey and forest hazelnuts, baked under the ashes. The bread that does not go mouldy and satisfies hunger for a long time on the road.
Why this dish? Always on the move to escape the sheriff's men, Robin and his companions needed to carry solid, durable food. A dense rye bread, sweetened with wild honey harvested from Sherwood's hollow oaks, keeps for days in the satchel.
When we're dashing under the canopy with soldiers at our heels, there's no time for fine fare! Stow this in your satchel: dense rye, honey I stole from the bees of an old hollow oak, and hazelnuts for strength. This bread keeps a week and fills your belly better than a feast. Always keep some on you, friend — freedom often goes hungry.
Ingredients (period version)
- Rye flour — two measures (dense base)
- Oats — one measure (texture and chew)
- Wild honey — a good spoonful (sweetness and preservation)
- Hazelnuts — a handful (energy)
- Sourdough starter — a piece from yesterday (leavening)
- Salt — a pinch (flavour)
Ingredients
- Rye flour — 300 g (base)
- Whole wheat flour — 100 g (structure)
- Rolled oats — 60 g (chew)
- Honey — 3 tbsp (sweetness/preservation)
- Chopped hazelnuts — 80 g (crunch)
- Sourdough starter or yeast — 1 packet / 100 g starter (leavening)
- Salt + warm water — 8 g / 280 ml (dough)
Method
- Mix flours, oats, and salt; incorporate starter (or yeast), honey, and warm water.
- Knead into a dense, slightly sticky dough; add chopped hazelnuts.
- Let rise 2-3 hours under a cloth (rye rises little; that's normal).
- Shape into a thick cake, score the top, let rest 30 minutes.
- Bake at 220°C for 35-40 minutes; cool completely before carrying.
How it was made : Rye, hardy and cheap, was the common grain in northern England. Honey — the only sweetener available before cane sugar, still extremely rare and expensive — also served as a preservative. Dense breads kept well and accompanied travellers and soldiers.
The contemporary twist : Sliced thin and toasted, spread with salted butter: a 'Sherwood edition' hiking snack.
Sources : C. Anne Wilson, Food and Drink in Britain · Bridget Ann Henisch, The Medieval Cook
Robin Hood · Charactorium
