The Bread of ANCIENT ROME | Pompeii's Panis Quadratus

In 79AD, a baker in Pompeii fled for his life as Mt. Vesuvius erupted, leaving his bread to burn. Join me in recreating the Panis Quadratus and explore the history of Pompeii and this iconic loaf of bread.

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LINKS TO INGREDIENTS & TOOLS**
Emile Henry Bread Cloche: https://amzn.to/3gHCl2Z
Baking String: https://amzn.to/3gJX06F
Bob's Red Mill Buckwheat Flour: https://amzn.to/3iOCFyQ
Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour: https://amzn.to/2W0nAQT

LINKS TO SOURCES**
The Letters of the Younger Pliny: https://amzn.to/3gJzJBT
SPQR A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard: https://amzn.to/2BYhNoa
Giorgio Locatelli Recreates Roman Bread:    • How to make 2,000-year-old-bread  
A 2000-Year-Old Carbonized Roman Bread:    • Видео  
Tavola Mediterranea: https://tavolamediterranea.com/
Official Pompeii Site: https://www.pompei.it/excavations/bre...

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PANIS QUADRATUS (Ancient Roman Bread)
INGREDIENTS
1kg Flour (Any combination of flours mentioned in the video)
250g Biga / Freshly Fed Sourdough Starter
3 Teaspoons of Salt
400ml - 500ml lukewarm Water
1 - 3 tsp Dried Herbs (Fennel, Hyssop, Coriander, Anise, Oregano, Caraway, etc)

METHOD
1. Mix your herbs into the flour, then, on a clean surface, create a ring of flour.
2. Dissolve the salt into the lukewarm water.
3. Pour the Biga/Starter into the ring of flour and slowly work in the flour adding water as needed. Note that, depending on the flours you use and the liquid content of your starter, you may not need the full amount of water, so add it slowly. Stopped mixing once the dough comes together.
4. Knead the dough until smooth (about 12-15 minutes). Then place it in a bowl, cover, and let rise approximately 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size.
5. Preheat your oven to 400°F/205°C. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knock the air out, and form it into a ball. Place the loaf on a baking sheet or bread cloche, cover, and allow to rise for 20 minutes.
6. Once the loaf has puffed up, take a piece of baking string and tie it around the middle (the waist) of the loaf, cinching it and creating a bow. With another piece of string, make four intersecting lines across the top of the loaf creating 8 equal triangles. These marks should be fairly deep as they will lessen as the loaf bakes. Then, with your finger, poke a deep hole in the center of the loaf.
7. Bake the loaf approximately 40 minutes. If you are using a cloche, remove the lid 30 minutes in to allow the loaf to darken. Once baked, remove the loaf and set on a wire rack to cool.

Photo Credits:
Pompeii Loaf: Beatrice / CC BY-SA 2.0 IT (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Barley: I, Dschwen / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...)
Rice: By © 2009 Jee & Rani Nature Photography (License: CC BY-SA 4.0), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Spelt: Sten / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Sesame: Krish Dulal / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Pompeii Map: MapMaster / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Villa San Marco: Mentnafunangann / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Ruins of Pompeii: ElfQrin / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Pompeii Bakery: Wknight94 / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...)
Bakery of Popidius Priscus: Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)

Music Credits:
Blood Eagle by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Prelude Cello Suite 3
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

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