Almond wafer recipe from Wecker

[jillwheezul]

The hunt for the waffle iron is full swing.  In effort to spur motivation and household interest, I thought it time to translate a recipe or two

Comments

[tudorlady]

If you happen to see a second waffle iron in your thrift-shop haunts... will you please pick it up for me?

[tradarcher]

Check garage sales, flea markets and antique shop. We picked up a cast iron one in the 1970's at a flea market.

[fjorlief]

This sounds delicious, though I'm not sure I'd want to eat six month old waffles... But if you want to try making some, I have a cast iron stovetop or campfire waffle iron which might be willing to participate in such an endeavor. I actually made yest-raised waffles over the fire at an event years ago. Very tasty. (I acquired my waffle iron at a roadside flea market when I was living off-grid in Idaho twenty years ago.)

[katmoonshaker]

Have you checked the AlteHocheDeutsche Wortenbuch that are online to see what they say?

[jillwheezul]

I don't know this resource. Do you have the URL?

Thanks!

[katmoonshaker]

As soon as I can get to the other computer! I actually have links to several as well as a couple of MittleHocheDeutsche as well. I started tracking them down because of a heraldic thing.

[katmoonshaker]

I'm abut to post the bookmarks on my lj. Once I do, feel free to disseminate!

[femkederoas]

Sourdough? Or perhaps barm? Many of the English cakes call for so many spoonfuls of "barm." Personal pet theory: A wet, loose sponge made from actively fermenting ale and flour. You can then feed it with flour and water without it becoming sour.

[jillwheezul]

See, I've never heard of barm before, but I see from a krapfen recipe that water from the brewing of beer was added. Yet another thing to consider! Thanks, oh clever Dutch girl :).

[femkederoas]

What few English recipes for manchet exist usually specify the use of "good ale barm." Through experimentation, I've determined that usually works best as a pint of ale while it's in it's most active fermentation. Coercing my husband to give it to me can be a challenge, as he doesn't like to risk contamination.

So, my theory (in development), is that while this may have happened in an upper class household for a special event, as a rule professional bakers maintained a sponge.

I intend to make both manchet and banbury cakes for my class in two weeks (a loaf of desem and a peasant loaf). However, John doesn't have anything currently fermenting, so I picked up a tube of Antwerp Ale yeast this afternoon. I'll run that up into a pint starter and build the sponge from that. ;-) If you lived closer, I'd share.

Still, it's pretty easy to order a culture of ale yeast. And I'll share my class notes with you as soon as I get them done.

[rectangularcat]

I'd love to be in on your notes too if at all possible. I know next to nothing about yeasts!