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Bread

Cottage Loaf

A simple yeast‑free loaf made with flour, baking powder, salt, and lukewarm water, baked until golden.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Cottage Loaf

Oven, in the book's wordsA very hot oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a very hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Mix the dough

  1. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt thoroughly in a large bowl.

  2. Pour the lukewarm water over the flour mixture.

  3. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.

  4. Gradually add the remaining flour until a smooth dough forms that does not stick to your hands or the bowl.

  5. Knead in enough additional flour to make the dough stiff.

Shape and bake

  1. Divide the dough into two or three equal parts.

  2. Shape the parts into cottage loaves.

  3. Place the loaves on a greased baking tray.

  4. Put the tray in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C).

  5. After 10-15 minutes, open the oven vent to release steam.

  6. Reduce the heat.

  7. Bake for about 1 hour.

  8. Check for doneness by inserting a knife; if moisture remains, bake longer.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Flour
Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its structure and chew.
Baking powder
Releases gas in the dough so the loaves rise and open up in the oven.
Lukewarm water
Hydrates the flour so it can form a cohesive, workable dough.

The step that matters

Check for doneness by inserting a knife. A loaf can look browned outside while the centre is still wet. Moisture left in the crumb means the starch has not fully set, so the loaf should bake longer until the knife comes out clean.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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