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+ <h1>Scaling up: A new national loaf</h1>
+ <p>
+ An essay about bread and the revolution.
+ <br>
+ By <a href="https://blog.ozva.co.uk/">William Greenwood</a>
+ </p>
+ <p style="color: gray;">
+ Note that I wrote this a while ago, I'm currently revising it.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Introduction</h2>
+ <p>
+ The national loaf is a recipe, released by the Federation of Bakers in 1942, to replace
+ all other forms of bread in the face of dwindling supplies of wheat and sugar. If faced with
+ such a situation now, how could bread be supplied to the masses? With the squeeze on independent
+ bakeries more than ever, and with almost complete reliance on the electrical grid, they would
+ almost certainly be overwhelmed almost immediately or unable to function totally. So how could a
+ small group of people scale to fill this gap? How would they power their bakery? And what would
+ be the next step towards self sufficiency? This essay will attempt to answer all these questions
+ in pursuit of the <b>new national loaf</b>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I will not be discussing the general operations of a group of people
+ unless they are expressly related to bread. Individual survival
+ and operations of your community is up to you. I will also not be
+ discussing growing wheat or other crops, it is something I know
+ little about, although this would be necessary to maintain the bakery
+ indefinitely. Both are outside of the scope of this essay.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Ingredients</h2>
+ <p>
+ The first thing you will want to do after securing a property is procure supplies and equipment. If cars
+ and vans are not available, use wheelbarrows.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Care must be taken to keep all supplies in a sustainable location.
+ With flour
+ this can be done by storing it in a moisture free and airtight
+ container, such as a large seal-able barrel. If frozen first, it can
+ last up to 10 years, but this should not be beneficiary.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>Flour</h3>
+
+ <p>
+ Flour is by far the most important ingredient in bread, as well as the
+ most difficult one to acquire. Where the end goal of this
+ community bakery would be to be self sufficient, relying on grown
+ wheat may not be practical as a short term solution and is outside
+ the scope of this essay. Therefore we will be assuming access to at
+ least some form of grain.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ For us, milling would be possible, but hard work if turned manually. A
+ millstone can be acquired from any nearby tile shop, a thick
+ piece of granite with some grooves cut in it will work perfectly. It
+ could potentially be hooked up to some form of motor, as it
+ would not be running often, or even mechanically coupled to to a water
+ wheel or wind turbine.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ 1.5kg, 5kg and 10kg bags of flour are stocked in most large
+ supermarkets as well as Asian supermarkets as large bags of chapatti
+ flour. You would initially want to sweep the local area to collect as
+ much as possible. Takeaways and wholesale food suppliers will
+ most likely stock large amounts of some kind of flour. Most homes,
+ also, keep a bag or two of flour and a bag could be swapped in
+ return for the equivalent of bread.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>Water</h3>
+ <p>
+ Hopefully you have located yourself somewhere near a large water
+ source as it will be essential for bread production. If not,
+ rainfall could be collected by the community. in this case, large
+ amounts of water storage would be necessary to offset any
+ droughts. Attempt to secure some kind of tanker. Since the water is to
+ be heated, it doesn't need to be sterile, but any solids in
+ it will be left as a part of the dough when the water evaporates. A
+ simple water filter using organic material should be enough for
+ the bread itself, and bringing it to a rolling boil for a few minutes
+ will make it drinkable.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Chemicals could be used to make a large amount of water drinkable at
+ once, Chlorine dioxide or household bleach could be used for
+ this. On a smaller scale, UV sterilization would be effective.
+ Utilizing either the sun's rays, or a dedicated sterilizer. Aquariums
+ and pet shops selling fish could be one way of acquiring both
+ chemical, and UV sterilization equipment.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>Yeast and levaining</h3>
+ <p>
+ A large amount of yeast will be available and is common is every
+ supermarket and in many homes. Try to initially get as much as
+ possible. It will not last long and will die within the year so should
+ be used as much as possible. Conveniently, the amount of
+ yeast is completely arbitrary and effects only how long it takes to
+ make the bread. I would suggest using it as a backup for bread
+ needed within around 2 hours time, as using sourdough will not be as
+ flexible.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Depending on the situation, some form of brewing operation may be setup nearby may be able to provide leavening, produced as a
+ byproduct as the brewing process.
+ </p>
+
+ <h4>Sourdough</h4>
+ <p>
+ Sourdough starter is perfect for a long-term operation, taking very
+ little flour to keep alive and proving you with limitless
+ levaining power. Usually sourdough bread will use 10-20% starter, but
+ this could be reduced in the event of a flour shortage. We can
+ therefore calculate that per kg of dough we would only need as little
+ as 30g of starter for optimum ferment, also requiring us to
+ feed the starter 15g of starter daily. This means that for
+ approximately every 100 loafs of bread made, we will need to sacrifice a
+
+ household bag of flour for levaining.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The calculations here will most likely be very inaccurate, but it
+ should be easy enough to work out the most effective use of flour
+ for you with what you have access to, as this will be vastly different
+ community to community.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ It should be noted that sourdough is digested by the body differently.
+ During the fermentation process acetic acid is produced by
+ LAB bacteria, making it easier to digest by the body. This manifests
+ in decreased effect on coeliac disease or other gluten
+ intolerance.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>Salt</h3>
+ <p>
+ Salt is a common ingredient in bread, and makes it palatable. In white bread I would usually use
+ somewhere between 1-2%, and 1.5-2.5% in wholemeal or rye bread. Salt should be easy to acquire
+ in mass from supermarkets. It keeps as long as its not exposed to moisture and will probably not
+ be on peoples minds while searching for food.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ If it is not available, sea salt can be made easily from saltwater. If your location is nearby a
+ source of saltwater, try to acquire tarps or flat baking tins. A car park or flat roof could be
+ easily cleaned and used as a large salt pan if necessary.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Salt has beneficial properties with other foods (lactose-fermentation, curing &c) and would be
+ in demand for other uses than baking bread, simply stockpiling a large amount of salt would not
+ be enough in the long term and some dedicated operation should be setup to supplement this.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>Seeds and other additives</h3>
+ <p>
+ Remember that most grains and seeds can be incorporated into bread through soaking, so along
+ with flour try to find as much of these as possible. Pet stores and large supermarkets will
+ stock large amounts of birdseed such as sunflower seeds and peanuts which will be safe for human
+ consumption when cooked and are a good source of protein. Rice or potatoes could be used, but
+ may just be more nutritious if just cooked and eaten regularly.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Soaking is the process of soaking any additives in water for an hour before incorporating them
+ into the bread dough. This ensures that that are already saturated with water and will not draw
+ water away from the yeast.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ If it can be found, grains such as rye, wheat and spelt should be ground into flour, but if a
+ grindstone was unavailable could simply be incorporated whole via soaking.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Where seeds are organic, either from specialty stores or grown as part of a conscious effort,
+ sprouting them before incorporating them into the bread can provide a far greater nutritional
+ value. This takes only additional water and is well worth the effort.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>The recipe</h2>
+ <p>
+ The bread that you actually make will not be that important, and the classic "artisan sourdough"
+ will be completely impractical. The only priority is now: make as much bread as possible with as
+ little waste as possible. This means making the most use of the ingredients available to you,
+ which will be completely different community to community.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>Bakers percentage</h3>
+ <p>
+ When working out recipes to be used to make an arbitrary amount of bread, instead of using a
+ unit of weight (grams, pounds &c) we use percent. This allows us to come up with a recipe that
+ is consistent at any scale. The total amount of flour is 100% and is the ruler we use to measure
+ out the rest of the ingredients. For example we might use 60% flour, 10% starter and 2% yeast.
+ At this point, if we know the total weight of bread we want to make
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ For most, you will probably have far more wholemeal flour than plain white flour and plain white
+ should be mixed in in small amounts to enhance the gluten content and offset wholemeal flour's
+ higher absorption.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Water should be used in moderation, as a higher hydration loaf will take longer to cook for each
+ unit of flour. For example: A 50% loaf and a 70% loaf of equivalent weight will take the same
+ about of time and space to cook, but the 70% will have approximately 12% more flour and
+ therefore 12% more nutrients.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Seeds and other additives should be used as much as possible, both to incorporate other
+ nutrients but also to reduce the amount of flour used per loaf. Seeds and grains can both be
+ incorporated via soaking (described above in "Seeds and additives"). When using this method the
+ hydration percentage is based off both the flour and the seed weight. if your hydration is 70%
+ without seeds, if you add 10% seeds, you should adjust your hydration to 77% (because 70% of
+ 110% is 77%).
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Other than these general pointers, it is up to the community what bread they make. Generally,
+ its difficult to make bread that is inedible, especially if there is little food and the people
+ you feed will, I'm sure, be happy to offer plenty of advice like "more salt" or "could you use
+ sesame seeds?".
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Fermenting and Proofing</h2>
+ <p>
+ In large scale artisan bakeries, dough is fermented at mass within large seal-able containers.
+ This would be completely practical for us, and a large amount of plastic boxes or storage crates
+ could be procured within almost any town or city. Bread dough will double is size during
+ fermentation and as an approximation for our purposes, the weight of the bread is equivalent to
+ its volume. (The actual figure is difficult to calculate as flour is particulate so the dry
+ volume is vastly different to the volume when mixed with water.)
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Proofing is slightly more difficult due to to the fact you have to separate out the
+ loafs, meaning they take up far more space. We can therefore consider 3 options.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>Bannetons</h3>
+ <p>
+ A banneton is a reed basket floured to stop the dough sticking to it, it can also be lined with
+ a floured piece of cloth. For our purposes, a common plastic mixing bowl or strainer and a tea
+ towel would be sufficient. If more Bannetons where required, one could be woven out of reed
+ found throughout the world. This option does limit the bread's size and shape, although
+ aesthetics will not be the most important thing to be worrying about.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>Tins</h3>
+ <p>
+ Bread tins would be an easy to use and consistent tool for proofing bread, and more than enough
+ could be procured with the help of neighbors. Even if more where desperately needed, cake tins
+ and saucepans would work just as well. The downside to this is getting the cooked bread out of
+ the tin. Usually, I would grease up the sides of the tin before proofing, however access to oil
+ might be difficult, especially once the supplies that can be acquired from nearby shops dry up.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>Proof on surface</h3>
+ <p>
+ A method that i have seen done in commercial bakeries is proofing directly on a surface and
+ allowing the gluten to hold enough of its shape during proof time. This limits the maximum
+ hydration of the dough but allows us to effectively proof our dough with little space used and
+ no consumables other than flour.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ A Couche could also be used. This is a large cloth used to proof baguettes and batards. A fold
+ is created in the sheet to separate the loafs.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ As a release agent, to keep the bread from sticking to the surface, regular glutenous flour can
+ be used. Preferably, a substitute like rice flour or bran should be used to make it as easy as
+ possible to release the bread from the surface, whole wheat and low gluten flours could also be
+ used, but may not be as effective.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Baking</h2>
+ <p>
+ Whether under the strain of widespread change or via intentional sabotage, I find it difficult
+ to believe that the power grid would stay a consistent source of energy. With access to a steady
+ stream of flowing water, however, access to a dependable source of energy is also secured. A
+ source of energy that has mechanically powered large-scale production since the fourth-century
+ BC. With a property within half a kilometer of flowing water, upwards of 10kW could be secured.
+ Enough to power our entire community bakery as well as comfortably housing its caretakers.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The tool used to bake the bread will depend on what is available to you. A nearby takeaway may
+ have a pizza oven, but this may not be suitable due to its large energy consumption. The
+ advantage of hydroelectricity is a consistent and dependable source of energy throughout the day
+ and this should be used as much as possible. An assortment of average household ovens (each
+ approx. 2kW), further insulated to increase efficiency, would be more than enough for our
+ community-scale bakery.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ If using an alternate source of power, such as solar, larger batches in the day would be
+ prioritized and bread production would have to be reduced In the winter months.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>Fire</h3>
+ <p>
+ In a situation where electricity is unfeasible it may be easier to go back to basics. Ovens are
+ very simple to construct with basic building materials and a large capacity oven could be built
+ from just a few paving slabs and bricks.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Bread in the late middle ages was baked in what was called a faggot oven which used small
+ bundles of sticks that burned fast and hot to heat up a chamber, which could then be swept of
+ ashes and the residual heat used to bake bread. It requires only an insulated area with thick
+ stone walls. It is more suited to higher capacity batch production.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Alongside these furn ovens where also used. Open at the front with a fire kept lit either at the
+ back, or below the cooking area. Because of its consistent heat, food could be baked
+ continuously and over a longer time. The construction of both of these ovens is simple, and
+ could be achieved very quickly and with little effort.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Using a piece of scrap 6mm steel, some bricks and mud, I was able to build a very simple and
+ capable oven. I used metal sheet because i wanted a cooking surface as well as a furn style oven
+ compartment. This oven is suitable for no more than 4kg of bread dough and is pretty crude, but
+ the bricks that built the mansions of the capitalists could build a far larger, more beautiful
+ oven.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>Solar Power</h3>
+ <p>
+ Solar power is a source of energy unlikely to be affected by large scale infrastructure
+ collapse. Not only that but the complete lack of petrol and diesel for consumer use will
+ inevitably cause most cars to become unusable, each containing a 500Wh battery, good for 2
+ years. An array of 10 car batteries could keep a fridge running overnight while remaining above
+ 50% charge.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Currently, however, solar power largely depends on the grid, especially at the peak of winter,
+ when solar panels can have as little as one hour of useful sunlight. This means that they are an
+ effective secondary source for low power, low priority, situations.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Its feels important to say, that in the event of full collapse, combustion based dependable
+ electricity is completely impractical at any kind of scale. Even with a glut of car batteries
+ and the nearest solar power plant, equipment will begin to malfunction and eventually fail.
+ Without constant production modern infrastructure is unlikely to last more than a generation.
+ The use of electricity here, then, is to ease us into a lifestyle of more physical labor, rather
+ than replace the luxury of the grid. Not to say that there will be no electricity, but as
+ convenient and fun as it is, wide-scale dependence will flood the world and kill us all.
+ </p>
+ </main>
+ </body>
+</html>
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