Pliny's Bread: An Ancient Roman Recipe, Revived

Ancient Romans admired the bread made in Picenum, the modern Le Marche area around Urbino and Ancona on Italy's Adriatic coast.

The poet Martial dedicated an epigram to these loaves in his series on Xenia, guest-gifts:

Picentina Ceres niveo sic nectare crescit ut levis accepta spongea turget aqua

"Picene bread rises with its white nectar
as a light sponge swells with water" (13.47)

According to Pliny the Elder, the Picene bread was made with alica, a prized form of coarsely-ground emmer wheat which, like modern semolina, could be turned readily into breads and other dishes despite its rough texture: "The flour is soaked for nine days, and is kneaded on the tenth with raisin juice, in a long shape; after which it is baked in an oven in earthen pots which are broken" (NH 18.27). The "soaking" here suggests a sort of sourdough culture, followed by preparation with the "raisin" juice.

In his book Bread Matters Andrew Whitley offers a recipe for spelt bread that refers to Pliny's account of Picene bread. Although spelt isn't emmer (let alone alica), it's a fair place to start in constructing a modern riff on this ancient recipe. Whitley's recipe also uses a sourdough "production leaven" and adds some reconstituted raisins and their soaking water.

I have baked a version of this, using a whole-wheat motherdough as the basis for the leaven, sometimes adding a small amount of additional baker's yeast for convenience (i.e., speed). These preliminary steps constitute a nod in the direction of the Picene bakers' nine-day 'autolyse' process, at least.

The result is spectacular, and it has become a regular feature at the table for us. The loaf has the even texture expected from spelt's less elastic structure, and the addition of raisins or currants is a nice counterpoint to the nutty flavour.

Step 1 - Leaven
150g whole wheat motherdough/sourdough starter
200g spelt flour
120g/ml water (warm - if your starter is refrigerated, make it a fair bit warmer than tepid)

Combine these ingredients into a soft dough, cover and leave somewhere warm for 6 hours or so. The dough should soften further and expand (If you have no motherdough, start with 300g of spelt, mix in 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast, add 100g lukewarm water and combine; add more water if necessary to make a soft dough). Leave in a warm place, covered, for two to four hours or until the leaven has softened and doubled in size.

Step 2
50g raisins, currants or similar
50g boiling water
After preparing the leaven, combine dried fruit and boiling water in a bowl and leave to soak. When ready to move to Stage 3, mash or blend the mixure.

Step 3
450g spelt (I use 50%wholemeal/50% white spelt overall for the recipe but have varied it without pain)
5 g salt
200g water (warmer than tepid)
Leaven from Step 1
Mush from Step 2

Combine the flour, salt, fruit mush and water and knead for a few minutes until texture improves and it becomes more elastic. [if you went with no starter/sourdough, add another 1 tsp of active dry yeast to this additional spelt flour before combining with salt etc]. Add the leaven at this point and knead just to combine - the process of its creation has already affected the structure of the leaven, and it needs less kneading. It may be very sticky and require a bit more flour, but leave it as wet as you can bring yourself to.

Shape into a loaf, slash the top, and place in a well-oiled tin to prove for two hours or until doubled or close to it. The bread should be baked when there is still just a little elasticity when pressed gently with the forefinger.

Bake in a moderately hot oven (220C/430F) for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 200C/400F.