A bread trough, dough trough or kneading trough, sometimes referred to as artesa, is a rectangular receptacle with a shallow basin, and a traditional

kneading In cooking (and more specifically baking), kneading is a process in the making of bread or dough, used to mix the ingredients and add strength to the final product. Its importance lies in the mixing of flour with water; when these two ingred ...

tool used for the making of

dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavening ag ...

. The wooden form has been used in Europe for centuries in breadmaking.

Kneading-trough

A kneading trough ( ''mishʾereth'') is a term for the vessel in which dough, after being mixed and

leavened Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

was left to swell or ferment (; ; ). The dough in the vessels at the time of

The Exodus The Exodus (Hebrew language, Hebrew: יציאת מצרים, ''Yeẓi’at Miẓrayim'': ) is the founding myth of the Israelites whose narrative is spread over four books of the Torah (or Pentateuch, corresponding to the first five books of the ...

was still unleavened, because the people were compelled to withdraw in haste.((Eastons)) The first citation of kneading-trough in the

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

is Chaucer,

The Miller's Tale "The Miller's Tale" ( enm, The Milleres Tale) is the second of Geoffrey Chaucer's ''Canterbury Tales'' (1380s–1390s), told by the drunken miller Robin toquite (a Middle English term meaning requite or pay back, in both good and negative ways ...

, 1386. Flour was not stored, perhaps for fear of insect infestation, but kneaded into dough and baked into the bread without delay. Kneading-troughs in the Miller's Tale are big enough for people to sleep in and may be used as floating rafts.

Other uses

Mechanization in bakeries and new technologies in bread ovens have mostly relegated the artesa to either recycling or as a garden box, excepting for weekends or more traditional or rural areas. Some small bakeries continue to use them.''A Few Great Bakeries'', WQED Pittsburgh/PBS documentary, 2015. Segment on the Columbus Baking Company, Syracuse, New York.

References

{{reflist Breads History of food and drink Containers

Kneading-trough

Other uses

See also

References