The Upper Crust!

Sep 03, 2021

I bake bread in a bread machine at home purely for ease. I know I can make it from scratch but it is also great to chuck everything in, switch on and go and do the 101 other jobs

In medieval Scotland most houses did not have ovens, especially in towns. So if you were making your own bread it would be a bannock, which were cooked on an open fire on a griddle. So how did you get your bread?

Just like we do today, bread would be bought from town Bakers. Each month the Burgh courts would set the price for a loaf and every baker would sell at the same price

.Some loaves were made from very rough flour, some from finer flour so of course the finer loaves would cost more. The term "Upper Crust" is used to describe someone that is rich or well off. It comes from medieval bread baking.

Loaves were baked in the stone floor of the over, meaning that the bottom of the loaf could be slightly burnt or mucky.

The rich people didn't want that part so it was cut off and the bought only the "Upper Crust" That meant of course the burnt lower crust could be bought by the not so well off!

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