The National Loaf

Are you fascinated with the recipes of cultures of hundreds of years ago? Or, perhaps of people struggling in the midst of a historical event within our parents'/grandparents' lifetimes?

I was watching a mini commercial for a program called The Great British Baking Show on our local PBS station.  The presenter, Sue Perkins (who is no longer with the show), talked about British World War II wartime food rationing and something called the National Loaf.  

The National Loaf was part of an effort to make Great Britain more food independent, as imports from Canada and the United States were difficult, if not impossible, to obtain.  Although the British were used to white bread, it was decided bakers could make flour go further by using the entire wheat grain.

This became The National Loaf.  Eating it was mandatory.  One could be fined for throwing it out.  People had no other choice, anyway, it was the only bread available.

Additionally,it couldn't be sold until it was a day old, so that if could be sliced thinner.

The National Loaf was nationally detested.

So, of course, I had to go online to find out how it was made.  I was able to find a recipe, along with a number of discussions attempting to make it as authentic as possible.

I'll  leave it to someone else to try to make it.

But wait!  Some people are trying to bring it back for health reasons  I've read that the British population, as a result of the war time rationing, were actually healthier than before the war. 

Here is a modern discussion of the National Loaf and a different recipe. This might be more acceptable to the non wartime palate.

It could be the ultimate expression of pandemic baking.

Or not.

Does this appeal to you?