In the 1780’s a grain shortage caused a steep rise in the price of bread which made a loaf of bread, a staple in the diet, unaffordable to the working classes. The people took to the streets demanding an accessible price for bread. Because of the social (crazy class divides in urbanized environments), political (um, rolalty!), and intellectual (all those radical enlightenment motherfuckers) climate they became increasingly suspicious of bakers, grain merchants, and the government for the outrageous prices of bread. Although the grain shortage was most responsible for the price hike, the people were quite justified and correct in suspecting economic and political corruption which simply aggravated an already overwhelming problem. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!
The excesses of the upper classes (such as white bread, yes, white bread was a luxury. White flour requires more processing, so really this makes a boat load of sense. But, now a days we make no fucking sense and processed foods are often cheaper thanks to federal subsidies) contrasted quite sharply with the impoverished hunger of the working classes. In response to the rather riotous demands of the people, the government decreed that all bread, wheat/rye (in which there were often hidden inedibles to make up for the lack of flour) or white, should be sold for the same price. Marie Antoinette put it quite nicely when she said, “let them eat cake.” Actually she said “let them eat brioche” which is a fancy-pants white bread made with eggs and butter (it’s not a cake, but it’s fucking good). Though this quote/misquote is often referred to as way of indicating the thoughtlessness and triviality of royalty, Queen Marie Antoinette was making a hefty political statement (impressive, cuz overall the woman was rather thoughtless and trivial). She was in fact saying “yes, have the white flour in the fancy-pants bread and have it for the same price as that crappy, full of hidden inedibles wheat bread.” Wahoo, the people got options. Sort of.
Making white flour and wheat/rye flour bread the same price did nothing about that whole problem of a grain shortage. The royal gesture was nice, but a little off target. Bread riots ensued (wouldn’t you love to be part of a bread riot?). Antoinette wanted everyone to have brioche, the people wanted their wheat/rye “paín d’egalité” – different strokes for different folks. To the working classes white flour symbolized the excessive culture that so oppressed the working classes. Bakers’ flour sieves used to sift fine white flour were confiscated by the masses (awesome, yes? Want to confiscate some corn huskers or oil drills or something?).
What’s really awesome about bread is that the process by which it is made in some sense fossilizes the fermenting process, solidified in mid-bubbling. The yeast in the dough eats up sugars and releases carbon dioxide which is trapped by gluten strands. The yeast develops taste and strength with the struggle of rising, being punched down at their height, and recovering with a slight rise again before entering the hot oven which kills the yeast. The loaf is baked at the mid-point between resting and rising. Yeast is not the only thing that ferments. People and ideas also ferment – are agitated, boil over, excite, and rise. In most fermented foods the fermentation is most evident through taste. Bread is unique in that this process is captured and evident in each slice of bread. There is a visible account of the fermenting activity over time. A history of transformation written into something so delicious.
Clearly, things didn’t end too well for the white flour-devouring royal pair, who were commonly referred to as “the baker and the baker’s wife.” The issue of bread in the French Revolution had little to do with discussing solutions for a grain shortage. Instead bread became a symbol of a deep economic and political struggle for the people.
Throughout the French Revolution bread became one of the weapons used by the fighters for the revolution. Bread symbolized struggle, class inequality, political corruption, and oppression. However, it was reclaimed by the revolutionaries as a ground for claiming equality and political voice. Perhaps the battle didn’t match the problem (the grain shortage was caused by frigid weather from an El Niño-like effect and a policy of trade isolationism). But bread became a vital organ in the body of the revolution with political, social, and economic purposes. What missions can we send our shitty loaves of Wonder Bread on? What message can I carve into the loaves of my homemade, multigrain loaves? Warm from the oven, this bread is hot for political fire.
How I Make Bread:
I love to make a really moist bread. One of my favorite recipes works well as a focaccia or pizza crust. Incidentally somewhat flat-ish bread with food things on it is one of my favorite things in the world.
Ingredients I Use:
1 ¾ cups water
2 tsp yeast
3 ½ - 4 ½ cups white flour
¼ cup wheat flour
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
What I Do:
1) I start by pouring the water into a rather large bowl. I pour the yeast in and mix. Then I add a cup at a time of flour.
2) Once I have added 2 cups of flour, I add the olive oil and salt. Then I add sprinkle in another cup of flour and mix.
3) At this point, I might try to mix with my hands if the mixing is getting tougher with a spoon. I fill a bowl with water and put it near me so I can dip my hands into the water so the dough won’t stick to my hands.
4) I add more flour as I see needed. I knead the dough right in the bowl, wetting my hands as I go. I use the heel of my hands to fold the dough over onto itself. I want the dough to be decidedly moist, but have enough flour to take shape and form. I would say the dough kinda feels like boogers.
5) I knead the dough for about 5 – 7 minutes. I then cover the bowl with a moist towel and let it rise for at least 3 hours, up to 8 hours. The more, the merrier the yeasty taste will be.
6) After the first rise, I push down the dough and scrape it out of the bowl onto a floured table. The dough will look like honeycombs. I cut the dough into two even pieces and begin to shape the dough by pressing and stretching it into a flattened circle or square (depending on what kind of pan I am using). I use a rolling pin to continue shaping the dough.
7) Once the dough is shaped, I sprinkle the pan generously with corn meal. Then I place the shaped dough onto the pan to let it proof for at least an hour. Let the oven preheat to 400 degrees.
8) If you are making focaccia, once the dough has proofed you can use your fingers to poke dimples into the dough. I put the toppings I want on the dough (anything you like, my favorite is simply olive oil and course sea salt), then it goes into the oven for 15 – 20 minutes.
9) I take the pizza or focaccia out of the oven to cool for a few minutes and then…delicious!
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