Bread kneading, a Bulgarian tradition renewed

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Bread-making is one of the most ancient practices in the human civilization. In the beginning, humans consumed gruel from whole or stirred grains and roughly kneaded round loaves. Archeologists have excavated stone querns dating back to 6000 years BC used to grind grains. Some 5000 years BC the making of baked spongy bread from ripe dough was already being made in Egypt and Babylon. The spongy dough was obtained accidentally during the fermentation of some dough left over for a long time and went sour. This was the so called sour dough. Later on the making of spongy bread became popular in Europe as well. As fermenting agent fermented grape juice was used or sometimes, a water extract from wild hops. Bread is essential for the entire cycle of human life, in moments of celebration and grief, from birth all the way to death. It is made either with or without yeast. There is written evidence about bread making in the Bulgarian lands found in travel notes of foreign visitors of Bulgaria from 16 till 19 c. when the Bulgarian lands were part of the Turkish Empire. Travelers report of quickly made bread without yeast. The round loaves were made shortly before supper, from water and flour and were baked on hot ashes, between two tiles or in a hearth over embers. The bread without yeast called fresh was knead from wheat, rye or maize flour, water and salt. It was baked on live coals, ash or in a podnitsa – a round shallow pot with a lid. This bread is not cut with a knife, it is broken up.

As far as Bulgaria is concerned, at the end of 19 c. bread made with yeast had gained a major share in the traditional diet. To be made it requires more time and better skills. Fresh bread however did not lose its relevance and has been part of various rituals. In traditional beliefs bread is a soul. Hot bread was also called ‘kind soul’ and ‘dear’. It is not cut or pinched so as not to hurt souls. This belief is displayed in a range of funeral rituals. After a man died, a round loaf of bread was knead to accompany the dead soul along its way. When a child was born, a ritual loaf of bread was made for the protector of mothers the Holy Virgin Mary. It was called Holy Virgin loaf, or fast loaf. This was the loaf to welcome a newly born. The loaf made on Christmas Eve was meant to establish the link with the world of forefathers. Fresh bread was made on various feasts linked to the health of the livestock. Fresh bread was also made and left for the fairies who would decide about the fate of the new baby. When a wedding was planned, special preparations were made about the yeast for the wedding bread in the homes of both the bride and the bridegroom. Flour would be sieved three times, by three girls. The water used in the process should have been brought in full silence, the so-called silent water. Yeast taken from three respectable families was added too. Fresh bread was made for the first matrimonial night of the married couple, at the start of plough time, for a new house and for the New Year.

Everyday bread was made from rye flour, wheat or mixed flour with rye, wheat and corn. Bread designated for rituals was made of pure wheat flour. In case the dough fails to rise, the popular belief claims, this is a sign of black magic. For this reason the process of kneading ritual bread was accompanied with a whole range of bans, including one on sexual contact. The quality of bread was up to the yeast. Evidence about the use of yeast in the Bulgarian lands dates back to 15-16 c. but most probably it was used in even earlier times. The oldest method to make it was mixing flour, water and salt into thick gruel that was then left to rise in an earthen pot. After kneading part of the dough was separated and kept for the next bread kneading.

A very delicious bread was made with yeast obtained from swingled and steamed chickpeas called sweat yeast or sunny bread. This yeast was kept in either earthenware or wooden pots. Traditionally, bread was baked in a pot in the hearth or in an oven.

Yeast was one of the symbols of wellbeing, and in case anybody stole it, the household had to brace for ill luck. This explains why in traditional culture there was a range of bans concerning yeast – it should not be touched on Sunday, was not given to anybody after sunset, was not taken from a house where there was a person suffering from measles or with a newly born baby. The ritual making of new yeast was timed around St. Ignatius Day, Christmas, Easter and St. George’s Day. On Maundy Thursday young girls kneaded new yeast that was later used to make the Easter loafs. Early on St. George’s Feast an old woman would gather dew from the wheat-ears and use it to knead the flour. Yeast was like a living thing – it grew up, then matured and grew old and therefore it had to be rejuvenated and renewed.

Today the tradition of making bread at home has been revived. In 2009, in Gabrovo, Central Bulgaria, St. Christophorus Bread House was set up organizing a network of such houses that offer courses for traditional methods of bread making. Young people gather together for a kneading session. The bread is made the old way, and a special seal is put on it when ready, the so-called prosphora – the way our grandmothers used to do. The seal is wooden and shaped like a cross. This is a way to bless the bread. The Bread House attracts visitors from all generations. They bake the bread in an old oven. In Sofia the church Sts. Cyril and Methodius and Their Five Disciples there is a bread center where enthusiasts come over to make bread every week. Their gatherings are called Nights of Bread and the Word.

Translated by Daniela Konstantinova

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Bread kneading, a Bulgarian tradition renewed

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