Facts about the Colonial Baker

Facts about the Colonial Baker=belif history of https://sites.google.com/a/aos93.org/people-of-colonial-times/home/bakers

Food and Ingredients used by Bakers

Most of the fresh foods that colonial bakers made are still foods that people eat today. Which are foods like, breads, tarts, muffins, pastries, etc. that were used by fresh ingredients that the baker would get ready.

Ingredients

The ingredients that the bakers used, were generally fresh. When getting the ingredients ready the bakers would dry them by the fire (that they already started) and after they were dry the baker would ground them to powder so the that they would get the right measurements. (So they wouldn’t get too much or too less of an ingredient.)

Some of the primary ingredients that were used then and were eaten are still in use today, ingredients like salt, fruit, spices, water, four etc. As read in the paragraph above the ingredients that the bakers used were dried  by the fire and ground to a powder so they didn't mess up any measurements. I honestly think that people should do this at bakeries today, because if you do this maybe you will make the food taste better.

   

                 Fun fact!

To check the oven in colonial times,

people would put their arm in. If there arm is

in for about 40-60 seconds then your heat would be

slow, if your arm is in the oven for 25-30 second

then your heat would be fast.

                                                          

Housing

Have you ever wondered what a colonial bakers house looked like, or what it had in it?      

The houses back then that the bakers had lived in didn’t have much furniture or things that could catch fire in their house because they were afraid that if they had too much furniture or too many things that could catch fire that the house would go up in flames! It’s also this reason why in the colder seasons, like winter or fall, it was a good thing to have the heat in there. Because when it got too cold out people would stop by the bakeries so that they could get warmer and the bakers would get more customers from the people wanting to eat some warm food or breads. But in the hotter seasons, like summer or spring, the heat was almost unbarable! Sometimes the baker working in the bakery would go outside so they wouldn’t get too hot, but the bakers also knew that they weren’t suppose to do that because the food in the bakery could burn or the house could catch fire.

Kitchen

The oven back in colonial times was often made out of stone,clay or brick. The kitchen would usually be kept out of sight or set off from other places in the house like, places where it’s most social or were the family was all the time (if the baker had a family), and set away from the private sections of the house. Also sometimes the baking part of the house would be built under the house.

                          

Chores

Being a colonial baker is hard. But, when it comes to chores the colonial baker is just an ordinary person unless they’re at work doing their work chores. This is because most of the time the baker is usually down were the bakery is, not out having fun or being a stay at home mom/dad. Usually they’re working down in the bakery or doing their work chores.

Work Chores

Most of the time bakers would spend a lot of their time at their bakery doing their chores. Since bakers in the colonial times worked alone in their bakeries, all of the chores they did had been done by themselves.

Bakers back then had work chores that consisted on the tending of the fire, drying herbs and drying spices by the fire, grinding the spices and herbs into powder (so they got the right measurements), grinding and granulating the sugar and also cleaning up the bakery are all work chores that colonial bakers did.

Bakers Work Clothes

Have You ever wondered what a baker wore when they worked in colonial times? I’m going to tell you what a colonial baker would wear if the baker was a man and if the baker was a woman. Also the clothes are different!

Woman’s clothes for baking

If the baker was to be a woman (most common gender for a baker) then she would wear a puffy hat on her head with her hair up in a bun or ponytail.

Shirt

Since the baker is a woman she would wear a dress with either long sleeves or short sleeves. If she was wearing a long sleeve shirt she would bring the sleeves up  to about her elbow. Then under her dress she would wear an under petticoat, a petticoat and a stomacher. Over her dress and stomacher she would wear an apron.

Men’s clothing for baking

If the baker is a male baker then he would wear nothing on his head, if he had his hair cut at least every 3 weeks and made sure it never grew too long (most of the time if the baker was a male then he didn’t have a beard) then he would be fine.

Shirt

Since the baker would be male he would wear either a long sleeve or a short sleeve shirt. Just like if a female baker he pulls up his sleeve but, he pulls his sleeve up past his elbow. Just  like the female baker the male baker also has to wear an apron.

Others

They didn’t really wear anything else. But one strange thing I found was they didn’t wear underwear.

                                         Religions and Beliefs  

Some of the religions that they had in colonial times we still believe in today are the religions that are like Catholic, Christian, or Jews some of the other religions they believed in were different from these three.

Religions of colonial times

Some of the religions you’re about to read about probably won’t seem like they’re real religions but if you look up these religions it will show up.

Some of the religions that colonial people believed in were religions like the Quakers, Anglicans, Protestants, Lutherans, Christians, Puritans, Catholic, Presbyterians, Jews  are religions you can look up and the definition will show it and all of these were religions in colonial times.

Laws/rules of Colonial times

Some of the laws in this section are so ridiculous that they will  make you laugh, but there are some laws that we still have today because they are serious laws, and these are the laws that said and say that you cannot kill/murder people, cannot steal from people and laws that said/say that people cannot kidnap other people. I’m  pretty sure if we didn’t have these rules today then the world would be in chaos .

Most of the laws that I’m about to list may be ridiculous but were still laws back in colonial times, such as the law that insisted that people could not make their bed on Sunday, travel on Sunday or even the law that said that men can’t cut hair on Sunday. Now, I know this sounds way to ridiculous but it’s true these laws were real just like these ones. You also can’t play or laugh on Lord’s Day because  it was suppose to be a very serious day, people weren’t allowed to use bad words, bad behavior, heresy, blasphemy, idleness or witchcraft. Also, some people may not know this, back then women couldn’t vote for anything!

Family life

The life of a Colonial baker was usually on the poor side unless they worked as a chef for people of high-class. People that are high-class usually have bakers a chefs because they make good bread and sweets that are dough related. I’m going to start with the head of the family, which is usually the father. Remember, bakers back then had been part of the poor side of the factor the other side of the factor would be part of the high-class.

Father

The father was usually the head of the family and the religious head (meaning the most religious person in the family). The father was also the one who was the wage-earner and the person that was in charge of being the disciplinarian. The main job that the father had to do was to be the provider for the family if the father was not there to provide for the family then the mother would have to provide. Also if something happens to the father the son is to take his place.

Mother

The mother was usually the one to stay home and do chores, or take care of the children. If the father can't get a job or wanted to be a stay at home dad then the mother would step in and she would provide for the family. If the father worked then the mother would help on the farm and teach her daughter and son how to do some stuff they needed to know when they grew up. If something happens to the mother then the daughter would be responsible for taking her place.

Son

For the son it would be less-likely for him to go to school since the family is is usually poor. During the key planting seasons the son is expected to help on the farm and if the son was old enough, when something happened to the head of the house (AKA the father) he will have to be responsible for providing for the family.

Daughter   

The daughter is expected to help with the household chores and to learn the basics about cooking and sewing, which is taught by her mother. Also as the mother and father have to do something (if they have to) then the daughter would take care of younger siblings (if she is the oldest), and the daughter usually plays with little hand made dolls and is expected to take her mother’s place if something happens to her.

Comparing Colonial Bakers To Bakers Now.

Bakers now are so different from colonial bakers by so much, from the

money to the way they do it.

Now, if you’re the actual baker then you get paid from $8.27 to $15.35 an hour. Also a baker now has an oven that’s more advanced. Bakers now work with other peers and have other people working at the bakery like an assistant manager and a manager and also most  of the time people order stuff and then it gets made and there are different types of bakeries like cupcake bakeries, bread bakeries etc. *For more info look in the Bibliography.