h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You suggest that they were unlikely to have leavened bread because there was no source of yeast, but yeast is present in the air, so what about sourdough? A soured leven is pretty easy to create and could have been caused accidently (I always get the image of someone a bit scatty going away for a day or so and forgetting about the dough they'd been making, coming back, finding it fizzing and thinking "Who's going to notice?") particularly if they were aware of using the spoilage of milk to make cheese. Also, I was at an ironage re-enactment village some years ago and they put forward the idea that some bread was levened using the yeast present on hedgerow fruits (namely blackberries, sloes but some form is present on most fruit)So, from sheer bloodymindedness, before I could even make normal bread, I made some fruit levened bread. It worked. Although the Iron Age is later, it could have been a fairly established thing in some parts.

Just a couple of strange ideas, was wondering if I'm totally wrong, or what you thought. Loved the article, been looking for a good flatbread recipe for a while.

That's very interesting

The main reason it is unlikely is simply the cooking method. If you try cooking these breads in a frying pan over a fire or stove, with or without yeast they don't rise as the cooking time is so short. They're almost more of a bannock than a bread, and I included the addition of yeast to appeal more to modern palates than for authenticity!

I like 'accidental' idea of discovery as well There's an Egyptian legend that tells of wine being discovered by a slave who sampled grape juice that had been left in storage and turned up drunk; and another of Roquefort cheese (I think) as being created by a French shepherd who dropped a piece in a hole and, staving hungry in the mountains the following year, recovered it and found it blue and tasty! I'm sure there's a certain amount of truth in these stories.

Hmmm. You're right about the griddle - I may have to try and build a hay bale slow cooker and try to cook sourdough in it, just to see if it'll work... I love a challenge, me.