The Bread Oven @museum.de

F: Right opposite the Spieker is the communal village bread oven. It was originally part of the Spieker and stood in the right-hand half of the house. For reasons connected to the museum, it has now been moved on to the open green and been given a small porch to protect it from wind and weather – and to provide a place where you can sit, have a drink... and sample the freshly baked bread.

M: Though in earlier centuries, fresh bread was a rare luxury. The oven was only fired up every three or four weeks. People baked bread ahead of time. But since the Ammerland farmers didn't have croissants or rolls for breakfast, it didn't really matter. Good Ammerland wholemeal rye bread needs time to mature and tastes even better after it's been stored for a few days!

F: Like the farm houses, the bread oven doesn't have a chimney. Whenever it is heated, half a stone is removed from the back. That creates the necessary draught, and the clay-lined chamber is able to heat up. And a few hours later, all the effort is rewarded with moist, aromatic loaves of bread.

http://www.ammerlaender-bauernhaus.de/veranstaltungen

M: If you're interested in finding out when we'll be baking, check the Local History Society's website for the dates.