Home baking: bread branding

The lord of some villages would make available, for a fee, a communal oven. The brand affixed to the dough meant that the owner could distinguish between their own bread and that of their neighbors after baking in the communal oven.

The number of bakes in the communal oven were limited since wood was a precious resource that was saved as far as possible. The oven was lit only once or twice a year, meaning baking bread was a significant moment.

The communal oven was a special custom of the south of France. Bread brands were typically made in mountainous regions, in the alps in particular. They were often made from offcuts of sawn wood, with resinous timber being the most common material. Most importantly, they had to be solid and long-lasting.

The most finely crafted of these were the product of specialist woodworkers, but in many cases, family members would make their own bread brands. They were passed down from generation to generation. They were often found in trousseaus that young people would take with them when they got married.

A bread brand decorated with a palmette at the top and a rosette at the bottom. Decorated in deep relief with the bust of Napoleon between two palmettes, bearing the inscription, "Bust of Napoleon 1814." Heart engraved on the back. Origin: France—Early 19th century.

Bread brand decorated with a palmette on one side and a rosette on the other. Origin: France—19th century.

A large bread brand, with a slightly ovular shape, cut from a single piece of timber and carved with a knife. Decorated with an 8-petal daisy surrounded by a first frieze of petals and a second with a series of inverted triangles separated by lanceolate points. Origin: Pyrenees—19th century.

Bread brand carved with a knife, in a rosette pattern. Origin: France—19th century.

A bread brand decorated with a rosette with eight stripes. The grip is opened up with four vertical lights. Origin: Spain—late 19th century.

France isn't the only country with a tradition of branding bread. In some cultures, the tradition serves a religious purpose.

A bread brand decorated with a flower and a sea anchor. The name "Fernanded Antonia" is inscribed on it. Origin: Italy—late 19th century.

A bread brand decorated with a frieze and the initials JN. The body is hemstitched and held together by four small columns. It has a triangular grip. Origin: Spain—late 19th century.

From the 19th century onward, the rise in the number of bakeries meant increased competition for the communal ovens. As a result, people used them less and less until they disappeared completely, taking the use of bread brands with them.