A Daily Kitchen Schedule

The background calculations for this post comes from The Rhythms of Bread.

In my New Kingdom Egyptian village kitchen, for a family compound of around 75 people, this is how I envision the work done in the kitchen each day. Sunrise and sunset are correct for April. They would not have used clocks; the timing is for my internal use only.

Through-out the day:

• De-hull grain (with some water) and put in baskets to take out for drying. (2 hours working time).
• Grind dry grain and put in containers to use later. (20 hours working time, using multiple people and several grinding stations).
• Haul water from well.
• Remove dirty water to water garden or give to livestock (along with vegetable scraps).
• Beermaking (have not yet researched the various steps).
• Make cheeses, kefir/fermented drinks, put up pickles, and work on other long range cooking projects.

Early morning (before breakfast, about 5-6am, sunrise is 5:30):

• Lay out damp de-hulled grain from previous day on clean cloths in the sun to dry (as the sun becomes strong).
• Mix the bread dough levain (aka leaven)(flour, water, sourdough starter) and set aside (as early as possible, it sits for 5 hours).
• Feed the sourdough starter (flour and water), put away for next day.
• Drain porridge grain, cook (about 45 minutes).
• Wash any dishes from previous night.

Breakfast (about 6am):

• Porridge.
• Leftover bread.
• Leftover food from previous day.

Late morning (between breakfast and lunch, about 6am-noon):

• Immediately after breakfast, pack workers’ lunches (basket with bread covered in leftovers).
• Mix additional dough, set aside for an autolyse (about 9am, let sit for 1 hour).
• Mix levain with autolyse, add leftover porridge, salt, other ingredients (around 10am).
• Ferment dough, begin 3 sets of stretches and folds (10am-2pm).
• Take some dough for quick lunch bread, cook on pans or rocks.
• Drain beans from last night’s soak.
• Cook beans.
• Prepare stews, vegetables, any meat or fish, cheese, etc., for dinner, as well as some for lunch.
• Lay out grain de-hulled that morning for drying.
• Wash dishes.

Lunch (about noon):

• Workers in brickyards and fields eat their packaged lunches. Lunch is served at the family compound for kitchen workers, young children, and others not working elsewhere.
• Any leftovers.
• Fresh quick bread.
• Beans/stews, salads, and other dishes that are ready to serve.

Afternoon (between lunch and dinner, about noon to 6pm, sunset at 6:22):

• Winnow dried grain and collect into baskets for grinding (after a couple hours in strong sun).
• Lay out any additional de-hulled grain, collect and winnow up to just before dinner.
• Finish cooking dishes for dinner and complete other dinner prep.
• Continue to ferment dough, finish 3 sets of stretches and folds (10am-2pm).
• Cut and pre-shape the dough on a floured work surface (2-2:30pm, let sit for 25 minutes).
• Shape dough, let rest, place in proofing baskets (optional: top with seeds) (2:30-3pm).
• Proof dough (3-5pm).
• Bring oven to temp, prep molds (3-5pm).
• Put bread in molds, bake (5-6pm).

Dinner (about 6pm):

• Fresh baked bread.
• Beans/stews, salads, and a variety of vegetable, meat, cheese, and fish dishes as available.
• Beer, tea, water, and kefir or other fermented dairy drinks.

Evening (after dinner, about 7pm on):

• Bank ovens/stoves.
• Put de-hulled grain in water to soak for porridge.
• Soak beans for next day’s meal.
• Clean up.
• Do dishes if there is time, otherwise scrape and soak them to wash the next morning.