Year Ref: Fol:
Details
1539 Nottingham MS. Ne O2
Also making and framyng of an offyce for a new pastory ther of 48 fote longe and a new roffe over, a gret ovyn yonyng to the sayd pastory - bryngyng up of a new foundacon for a new oven made within the new pastry - also lattyng of the new pastery and over the grett ovyn and tyllyng over the new stayers and over the new jakys.
1539 N. U. L.
making and framyng of an offyce for a new pastory ther of 48 fote longe and a new roffe over
1539 N. U. L.
bryngyng up of a new foundacon for a new oven made within the new pastry
1539 N. U. L.
lattyng of the new pastery
1573 E 351/3337
for making a rose for the paisterie containing 30 ft
paving stone for the flooring of 3 new ovens in the paisterie,

All the Kings Cooks by Peter Brears

Page 29: From the medieval period through to the late nineteenth century, bakehouses and similar places that produced smoke, smells, potential fire risks and bustle of activity at unsocial hours were located in the outbuildings of most great houses.

Page 38: The ovens used both in the bakehouses and in the main kitchens were of the traditional wood-fired kind. To house each oven, tons of insulating sand and rubble were encased within the brick walls of the bakehouses. Inside this mass, the large, flat circular floor of each brick-built oven was surrounded by a low wall, which supported a shallow dome of tiles set edge to edge to form at one side – the lintel of which was often pierced by a flue to carry away the smoke and steam from inside. To heat the ovens, bundles of light branches were used, dry hawthorn being particularly good for this purpose because when ‘bound into faggots … and burnt in ovens and in furnaces … they soon kindled in the fire, and give a strong light, and sparkleth and cracketh, and maketh much noise, and soon after they be brought all to nought.

Having been set alight, probably by being held over an open fire at the end of a long iron oven-fork, the flaming faggots would be either placed to one side or scattered over the oven floor and allowed to burn out, their flames licking the roof of the oven as they reached towards the open door. Once the brick structure had absorbed sufficient heat, sparks would fly at the mere rubbing of a twig across its dome; a little flour sprinkled on its floor would quickly turn dark brown, but not burst into flame. The bakers may then have taken a long iron bar with an L-shaped end, called a rooker, to rake out most of the ashes, and they would certainly have used a hoe, a semi-circular blade on the end of a long handle, to remove most of the remaining ashes and loose dust. They would then have dipped a long mop called a mawkin into a tub of water and swabbed out the final ashes, thereby introducing a degree of moisture into the oven before inserting the bread.

The fully risen loaves, probably arranged on broad planks or work-boards, were then brought up to the oven; each one would be scooped up on to the spade-shaped blade of an oven peel and skilfully set in place within the oven’s dark interior. Now the oven door, probably made of sheet iron, was propped in place and its edges cemented with thick mud or clay, thus totally sealing the new batch until it had finished booking. Only then was the door removed and the loaves taken out with the peel to cool, finally to be placed in the bread room for storage.