There’s more Roman bread posts coming soon. In Italy beyond the Padus, the spelt, to my knowledge, weighs twenty-five pounds to the modius, and, in the vicinity of Clusium, six-and-twenty. This version is a 100% wholewheat sourdough loaf that contains poppy seed, fennel seed and parsley. It owes its name to the slashes on the top of the loaf that divides it into quarters. Each one of these avenues of Pompeiian history tells us a great deal about daily provincial life in the Roman Republican and early Imperial periods. You’ve baked like a Roman! Trying to picke the next recipe from this site to make. Don’t cut or break the loaf until it has cooled to room temperature. Once the four-step stretch-and-fold steps are complete, shape the dough into a ball. Is it possible that instead of a single loaf, the dough was divided into smaller portions and then all tied together with twine to create a whole loaf out of parts? Mix and autolyse: Combine the water and leaven (starter) together in a large bowl and mix it gently with a spoon or whisk. Jun 6, 2019 - Panis Quadratus – Pompeiian Bread. Hi, I just saw this video — is it possible they just cut the bread around, there was no string involved? The less a loaf spreads outwards, the more loaves a baker could fit into their oven, which might make the extra work/expense of applying the string/band worthwhile. This recipe for panis quadratus is something that I will be baking regularly in my home especially for special occasions. She is the 2019 winner of the Best Special Interest Food Blog Award (Editor's Choice) by Saveur Magazine. What is that funny-looking, sectioned bread called anyways? What fascinates me the most about Pompeii and the daily lives of its residents was its love of bread. (1) do I have to use spelt flour or can I replace it with any other flour? For this purpose, some of the meal is kneaded before adding the salt, and is then boiled to the consistency of porridge, and left till it begins to turn sour. So no pan… I tend to think that it’s probably twine that’s being used because I think the pistrinae would’ve had to cool these loaves by the hundreds. Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes to finish the bake and give the loaf a nice golden colour. Pairing this panis quadratus with accompaniments such as honey, strong olive oils, pepper, milk and fresh cheeses will bring out the sweet and earthy flavours of the wheat and bran as well as the tangy flavour of the starter. Note: If you’re like me and you don’t have a donkey on hand to mill your flour, pre-ground flour will suffice! Panis quadratus— Despite its name this bread is not square but circular. Panis boletus — Bread that has risen in the shape of a mushroom. pompeii-restaurant.com. I think it deserves some more research! Hi Traci! – Farrell. I am making this with a friend for our Latin class. But the Panis Quadratus is one of the most well- known to us today because of how well preserved it is from archeological evidence at Pompeii and Herculaneum. Step 2. Something wrong! The ashes of Mount Vesuvius preserved this loaf of panis quadratus for millennia, allowing contemporary scholars to study and learn from this bread. Now, if you are like me, you probably enjoy reading about Pompeii or studying the endless sources of Classical historical data that the site has to offer. Now, if we refer to this information above and couple it with the visual information that has been gleaned from frescoes and carbonised bread that was excavated from Pompeii, and other sites that were decimated by the eruption of 79 AD, we have a fairly accurate idea of what should go into a recipe for Panis Quadratus. It featured in a post on baking with the Romans. On special occasions, rich … It seems to result in a good stable consistency. Farrell Monaco is a lover of food, history, Italy, dogs, music, archaeology, beds, baths and books... and not particularly in that order. Who wants to make Pompeiian Bread? Food can provide insight if radiocarbon dating is used, for example, to date organic food residue, or we can use food remnants themselves as a relative dating tool to contextualise other objects found in the same environment. You can feed the main starter 1 cup of flour and half a cup of water and leave it sit covered for 8 hours, for example. There’s a lot to explore here and I’m going to post a follow-up in a week or two given the high level of engagement and debate around the prep and form of these iconic loaves. The wheat of Cyprus is swarthy, and produces a dark bread; for which reason it is generally mixed with the white wheat of Alexandria; the mixture yielding twenty-five pounds of bread to the modius of grain. Now we’ll work on a final added detail that will make this loaf of Roman bread a fait accompli: we’ll give it a bread stamp. For everything to do with the Roman Kingdom, Republic and the Empire up until the fall of the Western … For a dough with this much flour, my starter has a life of approximately 8 hours from autolysing to baking time. The string groove also suggests that after breaking or cutting the wedges apart it would create a hinge like fold which would facilitate the opening of the wedge from the pointed end and filling it with some other food as if it was a small pie (sandwich). The twine can easily be undone and removed by untying the bow. Now, gather the corners of the parchment paper up so that it forms a sling and lower this into the pot/Dutch oven. This fresco from the house of Julia Felix in Pompeii shows traditional round loaves with eight tear-off wedges. When I broke my first panis quadratus open, I swear that I could hear someone whisper ‘bonum panem fert‘ in my ear… I give good bread… But then again that might have been the mulsum talking! The most interesting thing about this bread is that carbonised loaves were unearthed from the ruins at Pompeii. It’s called ‘Panis Quadratus‘, my friends, and historically it is one of the most beautiful representations of food ever found in the archaeological record. In order to explore the loaves of bread themselves and look into the ingredients that were used in Roman breads, we can refer back to other references in the documentary record from Pliny the Elder. The reconstructed recipe for Panis Quadratus below provides an opportunity to explore the history of Pompeii and Roman food culture further by using a very appropriate sensory avenue: taste. Let the dough rise now until it has risen to twice its size. Place the shaped loaf into the baking dish. Once you’ve secured the twine and tied the bow, cover the loaf with a tea towel, and place it in a warm place in your kitchen to rise. The length of this part of the process is entirely dependent on the temperature of your kitchen and the humidity of the climate in which you live. But have you ever wondered what that bread might have tasted like? In Gaul and Spain, where they make a drink by steeping corn in the way that has been already described—they employ the foam which thickens upon the surface as a leaven: hence it is that the bread in those countries is lighter than that made else- where.” (Pliny the Elder, Historia Naturalis –Book XXVI-12); Salt in Bread Dough: “At the present day, however, the leaven is prepared from the meal that is used for making the bread. TODAY THE BREAD IS CRISPED black as charcoal, and run through with cracks. Come to think the mice would have found a hole in the ceiling and down the string. Cover the loaf with a clean tea-towel or put it inside of an air-tight proofing environment. I have been debating this with Dr. Ken Albala (University of the Pacific/Food History) as well. If you’re just starting out on this voyage of discovery, you’re in for a beautiful ride. I think it’s probable that the same bread-making methods would transfer to their new capital. One issue is that there’s nothing in the archaeological record that reflects this… nothing metal, anyways. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the crust is a medium brown tone. Byzantines still called themselves Roman. I’ll be posting a follow-up in the weeks to come. There were loaves of elongated shape and round loaves, with incisions to facilitate cross for the division into four parts (quadrae, from which the panis quadratus). Their main food was pottage, pottage is a kind of thick stew made from wheat, killer or corn. That’s a wonderful theory. You’ve done it. Cover and let stand for an hour (autolyse). I like to feed my starter using two parts flour and one part water. I used a little more than half bread flour and the balance whole spelt flour, leavened with a culture I’ve had for more than 25 years. Place the dough on a generous sheet of baking paper. For each of the four stretch-and-folds you can treat the dough like a ‘square’. Many of us have seen the iconic images of carbonised loaves of bread that were excavated from Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other settlements in the Bay of Naples (Italy), that were destroyed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. If you have access to a large commercial oven or a ceramic or brock outdoor oven, just slide it onto the base of the ovem with a pizza or bread paddle. The ovens were fired around the clock and enough grain had to be imported from within the region or from provincially confiscated territories to supply the Roman people with their daily bread. This debate is still ongoing but it is fascinating to see how food-related archaeological data from Pompeii and the surrounding areas can contribute to understanding the bigger picture in so many ways. Fresco of Panis Quadratus, or Panis Siligineusm from Ancient History Encyclopedia, Farrell Monaco. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Thanks to archaeology — and Pompeii — we can still make it today. The finished loaf looks just like the ones in the mosaics and, taking into account the carbonization, the one from Pompeii. It is probable that bakers may have used twine to define each of the eight sections of the panis quadratus but it does seem like a fairly intricate and tricky job to complete, requiring knots or loops at eight junctions on the twine that encircles the loaf horizontally. Mix the flour and salt together in a separate bowl and then combine with the liquids. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together by hand or in a mixer. Stick around and thanks for reading and commenting! The wheat of Thebais, in Egypt, æhen made into bread, yields twenty-six pounds to the modius. (From: Pliny the Elder, Natural History. Finally, the pay-off is just magnificent. The panis quadratus is named for the four lines of indentation of four lines which dissect the loaf making eight separate sections. Panis quadratus is known as one of the most common types of bread in Ancient Rome. You can do this by feeding the main starter or by creating a sponge (an off-shoot of the main starter) in a separate bowl. What a great article! I’m really happy the kids enjoyed making this recipe. A common saying of the day was to say that a baker ‘gave good bread’, ‘bonum panem fert’, which meant that he could be a trusted community member or a potential civic official. Panis Quadratus Submitted by Anne-Marie B on October 13, 2019 – 2:49am. – Farrell. – Farrell. Vesuvius erupted, leaving his bread to burn. – Farrell. Step 8. It’s very puzzling and fascinating, isn’t it? Just prior to baking, dust the top with flour and use a strand of twine to make four deep indentations. The end result for this recipe is a stunningly beautiful loaf of Roman bread with rich flavours and a textured crumb that is on the slightly heavier side. Panis quadratus, carbonised at Pompeii. Hi Jeff! We’re going to score this in the same fashion as we see the bread sectioned according to the archaeological record; see the images to the left and below as examples. Get the sharpest knife in your kitchen (or a bread lame) and score the bread making four linear slashes, creating eight even sections on the loaf. Donkeys walked in circles tirelessly, for hours on end, rotating the quern-stones (grain-mills) that ground the wheat; slaves did the same when animal-labour was not possible. You can also join the conversation and share photos on the Tavola Mediterranea Facebook page or Instagram page. More Roman recipes as well. So I try not to let the whole process exceed seven hours. – Farrell. Using a cookie cutter, a pasta stamp, or any clean circular, square or rectangular cooking implement that you have, gently press a depression into one of the sections with it. The Byzantine Prosphora is similar. Stretch and folds: After the 1 hour of autolysing (initial mix-and-sit phase) take the dough out and punch it down gently with your finger-tips on a clean surface. 60.2k members in the ancientrome community. Pompeii is perhaps our best-known example, where the entire villages of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other settlements in the Bay of Naples were frozen in time in 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius violently and suddenly erupted. Step 1. How was it made? Whole wheat is fine and a hot stone mimics an oven floor beautifully as well. I’ve read on a blog that sometimes using this technique will leave a ‘cut line’ along the borders of the bun as you’ll need to cut out the dough in excess before baking – here is an example on youtube: https://youtu.be/9dDoLAKr9M0?t=5m09s, I am totally behind you on this theory, Dario. Bake at 350-400F for 45-60 minutes, until the dough reaches an internal temp of 190-200F. The men who controlled the bread and the commercial ovens often ran for office or influenced civic elections themselves. It all comes together with the ring on the outside and the divisions. How to Make 2000-Year-Old Roman Bread from Pompeii | Panis Quadratus. I continue to read your posts with interest. … It might take 45 – 60 minutes. Give yourself a pat on the back and a nice mug of mulsum! I like to imagine the children running out to meet their friends with a wedge of stuffed bread in their grubby little hands. I am making the recipe with my daughter for her Roman homework project. I’ll be using the expression “gives good bread” as soon as I get a chance. But before we roll up our sleeves and tie the donkey to the quern-stone, let’s have a bit of history first, shall we? Could the string have been used as a way to ensure size consistency? Stay tuned and thanks for reading and commenting! So many of these things start out as practical applications but evolve into stylistic choices – perhaps the string was once a necessary requirement but evolved into a aesthetic application as changes in backing technologies and the grains available might have made the string-as-band redundant? For this recipe, we’ll use a knife. I’m concerned if I cut it all the way through at that point I will knock all the air from the bread and end up with a discus! This is the 6 million dollar question! Panis Quadratus was not squared, as the name could suggest (that’s what “quadratus” means in Latin) but round: so what’s the deal with the name? In fact, if you gave me a huge research grant and a lifetime supply of water and sun-screen, you’ll likely find me camped out, alongside Enzo the stray dog, in one of Pompeii’s thirty-five bakeries. The kids loved getting thier fingers in helping make the bread. I’d love to see how it turned out. As I do not have a bread-stamp, I have chosen to use a few pinoli (pine nuts) to fill in the circular depression that I have made using a small cookie cutter. There is a tragic and romantic aspect to the manner in which the city and its population met its demise, during a catastrophic volcanic eruption in 79 AD, which creates a strong desire for many to learn more about the site and the people that inhabited it. I think a lot about production volume as well when I consider that twine may have been used to transport and store the loaves. Of course, we’ll never be 100% sure of how this loaf was made or why it’s shaped the way that it is (what the heck made that centre groove anyways?? Remove the pot casserole from the oven and remove the lid. The fresco depicts different kinds of Roman breads, and is on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. I’ll spesk to that theory as well. Take the baking twine and measure enough to encircle the exterior of entire loaf at the mid-section leaving ample length left over to tie the twine into a bow. Éste era el quadratus supuesto de los panis y un pedazo de este pan fue llamado. This will help the loaf bloom and oven spring. Separating the dough into two discs makes perfect sense, but when you say you docked the risen loaf, does this mean after the final proving directly before the loaf goes into the oven? Taste the history of ancient Rome with this recipe for ancient Pompeiian bread. Again, this seems to me to be more logical than slashing the top as it allows the finished loaf to be broken into more or less 16 equal pieces (eight wedges then separated top from bottom) of four ounces each. Did you add yeast? – Farrell. Happy cooking! This is how my friend Gina and I make rosette as well. #bread #baking #recipes It’s steals the spotlight on the table and goes well with every meal be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. So much information. Dec 20, 2014 - The Romans did not eat huge meals. (3)do I have to preheat the stone, Yes and yes. The grain of Sardinia weighs half a pound more, and that of Alexandria one-third of a pound more than that of Sardinia; the Sicilian wheat is the same in weight as the Alexandrian. Leave the parchment in place and give the top of the dough a misting of water. In most cases, however, they do not warm it at all, but only make use of a little of the dough that has been kept from the day before.” (Pliny the Elder, Historia Naturalis – Book XVIII-26(11)). Once the bread has risen fully, preheat the oven to 400 F / 200 C / Gas mark 6. )…but speculation, interpretation and experimentation is half of the fun and it’s also an important part of education. Note: Before you start this recipe, make sure that you’ve fed your leaven (starter) 8 hours prior to mixing. In pursuit of answers, Monaco decided to recreate a panis quadratus and bring the past into her kitchen. It is named so because of the four linear ‘cuts’ made to the loaf, creating eight evenly … I think that this is the simplest explanation. All of the others seem complicated and to no purpose. If it fell flat as dough, it was overproofed. Professional bakers in Rome, and in Pompeii, did not exist until the 2nd century BC and it is theorised that this advancement in specialised crafts has everything to do with the conquering of Macedonia for the Republic by Aemilius Paulus. If you enjoy history and archaeology — or the history of food — you may have come across images of large, round carbonized loaves, marked on top by lines that hint at the way to slice them: that’s what was known then as panis quadratus, or siligineus, the later name deriving from the type of flour, siligo, used to bake it. (I didn’t have time to read all the comments so apologies if somebody already suggested this idea), I know many users are suggesting loads of techniques, but couldn’t they possibly have used the same technique bakers use in modern day italy to make ‘rosette’ (in Rome) and ‘michette’ (in Milan)? The Pompeiian bread or ‘Panis Quadratus’, a new offering from the multi-format retailer, was a staple in Pompeii city, destroyed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It will create humidity in the baking environment that will allow for a bit more oven spring as well as a durable and chewy crust. The photos area beautiful! Tie kitchen twine around the circumference to make a "waist" that remains on through baking. Smash them in a bowl. It could take two hours or it could take 4 hours. Hi! Hi Haley! A recreation of Panis Quadratus (or Panis Siligineus), a type of ancient Roman bread found carbonized in Pompeii, and depicted in Roman art. I recently discovered a blog called: Tavola Mediterranea – Home of Culinary Archaeology on the Web. Pre-heat the oven to its maximum say 250 C with the Dutch pot or casserole inside. Farrell. Here’s the stuffed tomatoes recipe you’re looking for: https://tavolamediterranea.com/2016/09/21/a-week-in-ravello-lemon-and-rice-stuffed-tomatoes/, There’s a search window at the top of the site that can help you find recipes faster.