Lammas Fayre blends from John Letts are authentic recreations of flour contemporary with various periods of British history. Over many years of careful research, John has been able to locate extremely rare samples of the various cereals and then to grow them organically in sufficient quantity for us to be able to offer them to you. Several of the blends are only available in small quantities. Others are more plentiful: if you are interested in larger packs of any of the blends, please let us know.
Lammas Fayre's Medieval peasant’s flour is milled from a blend of heritage wheat (Triticum aestivum), rye (Secale cereale), barley (Hordeum vulgare) and oat (Avena sativa) varieties. In time of scarcity, medieval peasants and serfs also mixed roasted broad bean (Vicia faba) and pea (Pisum sativum) flour into their flour to make a hearty, and flavourful loaf rich in protein. Our cereals are grown organically in Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire. As in the past we grow mixtures of varieties that are well adapted to local growing conditions. The grain is stoneground on the farm to produce a unique, and delicious, dark brown flour ideal for baking artisan-style bread, particularly sourdough – the staple bread of the medieval period.
Usage: flours from ancient rather than modern varieties of grain can be more challenging to the baker since they tend to have lower protein levels. If you want the authentic experience of a heritage loaf then you may choose to make your bread from 100% of this flour. However, for a lighter loaf with the heritage flavour, we have found that using 50% Lammas Fayre and 50% strong white is a good starting point, giving enough strength for a free-form loaf. As you increase the proportion of Lammas Fayre flour, you may find that giving your dough extra support in a tin is helpful.
About Lammas Fayre Flours: Lammas Fayre is a very small-scale artisan operation and consequently the stock and re-stocking can be a little variable. Our advice is simple - if you see it in stock then place your order: many lines are only available in very limited quantities.
Milling: Stoneground
Ingredients: flour of wheat, rye, barley, oats, broad beans and peas (with no added gluten)
Allergy Advice: for allergens including cereals containing gluten see ingredients in bold. This flour may contain traces of nuts.
Bread Machine Advice: Most heritage flour is not suitable for use in most bread machines. Mix with at least 50% bread wheat flour for best results.