Manchet
Encyclopedia
Manchet, or manchette or michette (French), is a wheaten yeast bread of very good quality, or a small flat circular loaf of same. It was a bread that was small enough to be held in the hand or glove (see also manchette
).
There are several recipes for Manchets mentioned in Florence White
's classic English Cuisine book Good Things in England first published in 1932. She gives five regional varieties of the bread and quotes from sources for the recipes. The first is from Gervase Markham
in Nottinghamshire
published in 1615 where White quotes an anonymous source that describes a Manchet as 'Your best and principal bread is a manchet'.
There is also a reference to "Manchetts for the Queen's Maides", a royal ordinance originating from Eltham Palace in 1526 during Henry VIII's reign which describes a menu for medieval aristocracy that includes mention of manchettes. It is inserted because a correspondent has requested when manchets were to be served at court. This suggests that in origin it was a luxurious bread containing ingredients that were only available to the wealthy. The most superior wheat for a manchet was said to come from Heston, near Hounslow during the reign of Elizabeth I. Manchets would sometimes be sweetened by the addition of scented ingredients such as rose water, nutmeg
and cinnamon
.
Breakfast in the household of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland
, according to the household accounts from 1564 to 1632, for the earl and his lady on a flesh day was a loofe of bred in trenchors, 2 manchets, 1 quart bere, 1 quart wyne, a Chyne of Muton or Chyne of Beef Boilid; the two older sons had "'2 loaf of household Breid, a Manchet, 1 Potell [two quarts] of Bere, a Chekynge [chicken] or ells 3 mutton Bonys boyled. This reinforces that medieval manchets were eaten mainly by the wealthy.
Florence White makes reference to three contemporary versions. The Cornish Manchant which she confirms is shaped by hand, a version from the Isle of Wight and a recipe from 1676 from Sussex for Lady Arundel's Manchet
. The latter version she updates.
Manchets are little made today with the traditional Bath bun
and Sally Lunn bun
amongst the best known contemporary styles still made commercially. According to Elizabeth David, only the wealthy could have manchets for their breakfast or dinner and these became the 'ancestors' of eighteenth century french rolls or french bread.
Manchette
A manchette is a term used to describe a sleeve or glove covering the hand or forearm or as a printing term to describe a vertical heading within a newspaper or similar publication...
).
History
One of the first recipes printed in English for Manchet Breads comes from 1588 and the recipe book The Good Huswifes Handmaide by an unknown author. In it the author explains that the flour must be fine and have been boulted twice.There are several recipes for Manchets mentioned in Florence White
Florence White
Florence White, was a food writer who established the English Folk Cookery Association, and published a number of books on cookery and other domestic matters.-Biography:...
's classic English Cuisine book Good Things in England first published in 1932. She gives five regional varieties of the bread and quotes from sources for the recipes. The first is from Gervase Markham
Gervase Markham
Gervase Markham was an English poet and writer, best known for his work The English Huswife, Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman first published in London in 1615.-Life:Markham was the third son of Sir Robert Markham of Cotham, Nottinghamshire, and was...
in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
published in 1615 where White quotes an anonymous source that describes a Manchet as 'Your best and principal bread is a manchet'.
There is also a reference to "Manchetts for the Queen's Maides", a royal ordinance originating from Eltham Palace in 1526 during Henry VIII's reign which describes a menu for medieval aristocracy that includes mention of manchettes. It is inserted because a correspondent has requested when manchets were to be served at court. This suggests that in origin it was a luxurious bread containing ingredients that were only available to the wealthy. The most superior wheat for a manchet was said to come from Heston, near Hounslow during the reign of Elizabeth I. Manchets would sometimes be sweetened by the addition of scented ingredients such as rose water, nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
and cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
.
Breakfast in the household of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland KG was an English aristocrat. He was a grandee and one of the wealthiest peers of the court of Elizabeth I. Under James I, Henry was a long-term prisoner in the Tower of London. He is known for the circles he moved in as well as for his own achievements...
, according to the household accounts from 1564 to 1632, for the earl and his lady on a flesh day was a loofe of bred in trenchors, 2 manchets, 1 quart bere, 1 quart wyne, a Chyne of Muton or Chyne of Beef Boilid; the two older sons had "'2 loaf of household Breid, a Manchet, 1 Potell [two quarts] of Bere, a Chekynge [chicken] or ells 3 mutton Bonys boyled. This reinforces that medieval manchets were eaten mainly by the wealthy.
Florence White makes reference to three contemporary versions. The Cornish Manchant which she confirms is shaped by hand, a version from the Isle of Wight and a recipe from 1676 from Sussex for Lady Arundel's Manchet
Lady Arundel's Manchet
Lady Arundel's Manchet is a traditional version of a manchet, a traditional English yeast bread from Sussex England.The recipe for Lady Arundel's Manchet was first published in 1653 according to Elizabeth David. It was a luxurious bread eaten by the medieval aristocracy and remained popular into...
. The latter version she updates.
Manchets are little made today with the traditional Bath bun
Bath bun
The Bath bun is a rich, sweet yeast dough shaped round that has a lump of sugar baked in the bottom and more crushed sugar sprinkled on top after baking...
and Sally Lunn bun
Sally Lunn bun
A Sally Lunn is a type of yeast bread originating from Bath in the West Country of England, the recipe for which is said to have arrived with a French émigrée in the 17th century. It is often lightly scented with lemon, and is traditionally served sliced horizontally, spread with butter or whipped...
amongst the best known contemporary styles still made commercially. According to Elizabeth David, only the wealthy could have manchets for their breakfast or dinner and these became the 'ancestors' of eighteenth century french rolls or french bread.