Bread was used to "sop up" stock or soup. Meals of this nature were taken at different times of day and were known as "supper". This term has been corrupted since medieval times to mean a late evening meal.
Many medieval monastic orders consumed one main meal a day, often with twelve traditional courses. In Britain many monks insisted on a breakfast of bread and ale in addition to this meal. However, more austere orders like the Cistercians would make do with a single meal of seasonal stewed vegetables, bread and ale. The bread was made of Wheat, Barley, Vetch or Millet, a taste that many would find repulsive today.
Sweet bread was baked using honey or spices and rolls of dough were woven into 'jumbals' or lattices to delight the customer. They would be sold warm and were often heated up to soften them ready for sale.
Until early Tudor times the bread was baked in kitchens or bakeries away from houses and homes. Buildings were of timber and cooking and baking were regarded as hazardous occupations where the risk of fire was great.