baking bread

The Mill, the Bake House and the Bakery

As discussed before, leavened bread, unlike porridge and flat cakes, was usually prepared outside of the family home.

The process of making bread required equipment and specialized skills beyond the reach of the average household.

Interestingly, bread was not, as a rule, prepared in bakeries.

Until well into the Middle Ages, bakeries (establishments that sold and distributed bread) were generally kept separate from bake houses (facilities that baked bread).

The principal reasons for this tradition were highly practical in nature: fire prevention, logistics and cost management.
Like most structures, private homes and bakeries were made of highly flammable materials.

Large bread-baking ovens were serious fire hazards.
To protect life and property, bake houses were located away from inhabited areas.

They were often constructed near rivers.
This practice had two main benefits. Water was ready at hand for putting out fires, preparing doughs and cleaning purposes. In addition, bake houses were frequently located next to water-powered mills where flour was produced.

This reduced the time and expense of transporting flour.
Ovens and related baking equipment were also expensive.

Bake houses were often owned by wealthy feudal lords or businessmen.
They allowed the bakery owners of the region to use their facilities in a communal fashion on a fee-basis or in exchange for provision of bread.

This widespread practice made the cost of producing bread much lower for the individual bakery owners