Maybe there should be two posts instead of one today, inspired from the beloved Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - one for his 'lembas' and one for the historic recipe for Scottish (Irish, and Northern English) bannock which is most likely the inspiration behind 'Elvish waybread'. But I don't think a particular historic time can be explored in praise of bannock since its origins are traced back in pre-history and modern recipes are not so different from what must have been the original. What's more, devoted Tolkien fans have already re-created versions of the miraculous stuff the Fellowship of the Ring is offered by the Elves of Lothlórien, which is so nourishing that "even a small bite can fill the stomach of a grown man". Hence this rather dubious post.
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| August Malmström, Älvalek - Elf Play, 1866 |
Let me just note that 'lembas' is almost certainly paraphrased from 'lammas', the version of bannock served in parts of England on Lammastide (1 August) to celebrate the autumn harvest. According to the History of Middle-earth, the goddess Yavana had introduced the Elves to a special corn, from which they produced 'lembas'. In Peter Jackson's 2001 film adaptation of LoTR books 1 and 2, 'lembas' is triangular, just like a Scottish bannock, and seems to have a very light texture which the early versions of the historic recipe probably had not since they used nothing for leavener. In real life, the corn (meaning the 'grain') mentioned by Tolkien, which could satisfy the hunger so well, is barley, oat, whole wheat or a combination of the above. Modern recipes also use baking powder/soda, milk or buttermilk, and shortening.
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| Horatio McCulloch, Loch Lomond, 1861 |
I thought, for the sake of lightness, to adapt traditional bannock into a 'lembas' with baking soda - a totally unknown ingredient to Elves, who could have used their own magical skills in order to make a lightweight snack from heavy flour, if Yavana's grain was heavy at all. Mind that shortening is strictly forbidden, at least in my version, because as with hardtack for Richard I's crusaders (and sailors throughout history), the finished waybread might not keep well for long. Remember that Frodo and Samwise Gamgee are still being nourished with 'lembas' at the end of their journey to Mordor. One more thing. Scottish bannock is traditionally baked on a griddle and, in the older days, a stone that was placed directly onto the fire. I think the stone method could have worked for the Elves as well but the nearest I could get to it for baking my 'lembas' was a small round pizza pan.
LEMBAS (BANNOCK)
This version uses only wholewheat flour because it's what I had today in the kitchen. Unless you mix with all-purpose or strong white flour, you will need the baking soda (or baking powder) to get a lighter texture. A combination of barley, wholewheat and oat flour would also taste nice but it wouldn't be 'lembas' because the Elves used a single crop.
I n g r e d i e n t s
300g wholewheat flour
1/2tsp salt
1tsp baking soda (optional)
240ml water or milk
M e t h o d
Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix the flour, salt and leavener (if using) in a bowl. Add the milk and knead until just combined. Shape into a ball, place on a greased round baking pan, flatten and divide into 6 triangles with a sharp knife. Bake for 30 minutes or longer, until golden brown.
N o t e
"Even a small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man".
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