Acorn flour

While also used to fatten up pigs, acorns can also be eaten by people. Charred acorns have been found on the floor of a Saxon hut, suggesting maybe that they were eaten much like chestnuts.

To make flour;

Shell the acorns, I find this easier after leaving them to dry for a day or two. Roughly chop the acorns, or, if you are in a modern Kitchen, run them through a food processor.

Cover the acorns with cold water, and leave to soak for 3-5 days, changing the water at least twice a day to remove most of the tannins.

Drain and dry the acorns, either naturally, or in an oven at 80 degrees Celsius, leaving the door slightly open.

Grind the acorns between quern stones, or, in a modern Kitchen use a food processor or coffee grinder, grinding as finely as you require.

The resulting meal/flour can be used as required in breads, pancakes, crumpets etc. It will make a denser loaf than normal bread flour, so I’d recommend using a mix of bread flour and acorn.

Using a similar method it is also possible to turn other foods, such as hazelnuts and broad beans, into meal/flour.

Rye bread

Ingredients:
300g rye flour
100g white bread flour
100g sourdough starter
1 tsp salt
300ml warm water (give or take)
1 tablespoon caraway seeds

Method:
Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and mix together.

Add the starter and slowly add the water and mix together to form quite a sticky dough that is more like a cake mix than a bread dough. You can add more or less water depending on how your dough feels. I find it varies slightly every time.

Add the seeds and mix well. There is no point kneading this bread.

Place the dough in a lightly greased loaf tin. Cover loosely with a damp cloth and leave for a few hours, ideally overnight. It won’t rise very much due to the low gluten content of the rye flour.

Heat your oven to its highest temperature.

Put your loaf in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes before dropping the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius if the crust is looking pale, 180 degrees Celsius if the crust is noticeably browning, and 170 degrees Celsius if it seems to be browning quickly. Cook for a further 40 mins.

Remove from the tin. The loaf should sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.

Taken from my book ‘Eat like a Viking!’ Available now on Amazon

Egg pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs

• 200g bread flour

• A handful of blanched, chopped nettles or spinach (optional)

Method:
Stick the flour into a bowl with the nettles (if adding) and add the eggs. Mix together, by hand, to form a dough. You may need to add a splash of water, but be careful not to make the dough too wet.

Lightly flour your work surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, before rolling out thinly with a rolling pin and cutting into thin strips.

Cook the pasta in boiling, lightly salted water for 3-5 minutes.

Great served drizzled with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.