Although everyone in the village would know how to make bread and flapcakes, there were bakers in the larger cities and noblemen’s residences. Initially the term 'baker' referred not so much to the person who baked, but the one who took the pastries to market. Over time, they specialized in baking itself and acquired guild status, which, of course led to rights disputes, because the bakers objected to pastries and bread being sold at markets by country-folk not in the guild. It was only later that the regulations were laid down to make the sale of bread the exclusive domain of the guilds.
The quality of baked goods was supervised by Councillors, or the municipal measurer. If the flour was bad, they didn’t like its colour or the baker gave short weight, he was fined. If there were recurrences, he was expelled from the guild and subjected to harsh physical punishment. It is said that King Wenceslas used to go to in person to the town market to inspect the quality of Prague baked goods, and punished dishonest bakers by publicly dunking them in the Vltava River.
The bakers often owned their own mills, whilst not encroaching on the millers’ craft.
Although everyone in the village would know how to make bread and flapcakes, there were bakers in the larger cities and noblemen’s residences. Initially the term 'baker' referred not so much to the person who baked, but the one who took the pastries to market. Over time, they specialized in baking itself and acquired guild status, which, of course led to rights disputes, because the bakers objected to pastries and bread being sold at markets by country-folk not in the guild. It was only later that the regulations were laid down to make the sale of bread the exclusive domain of the guilds.
The quality of baked goods was supervised by Councillors, or the municipal measurer. If the flour was bad, they didn’t like its colour or the baker gave short weight, he was fined. If there were recurrences, he was expelled from the guild and subjected to harsh physical punishment. It is said that King Wenceslas used to go to in person to the town market to inspect the quality of Prague baked goods, and punished dishonest bakers by publicly dunking them in the Vltava River.
The bakers often owned their own mills, whilst not encroaching on the millers’ craft.