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I find it remarkable how that bread recipe wouldn't be at all out of place in a modern book. 60% hydration is a little lower than most craft bakeries are using,
by mjb 9y ago
I find it remarkable how that bread recipe wouldn't be at all out of place in a modern book. 60% hydration is a little lower than most craft bakeries are using, and 1% salt is also on the low side, but they are very much in range of what a local bakery might do with their spelt sourdough loaf. Similarly the proving schedule isn't unusual.
Maybe that's not surprising - there aren't really that many ways to make bread - but it's interesting how old these recipes are.
- maxerickson 9y agoIsn't the recipe just an attempted recreation? In that case it would be informed by modern practice.
- atomi 9y agoThat's all I thought about when reading this. The methods are all modern and the bread pictured would be a marvel to bread makers in Roman times.
- saalweachter 9y agoI think the two biggest modern differences that would affect the quality of the bread would be (1) modern flours are probably way more consistent than ancient stone-ground flour (and don't contain rock dust/grit) and (2) the oven will keep a much more consistent temperature. I'd have to imagine slap-and-fold is a pretty old technique, even if why it worked would be as mysterious as the leaven itself.
- lostlogin 9y agoOn the down side for us, decent bread gets made at very high temperatures. Those Roman ovens would beat any standard kitchen appliance by a mile. A wood fired traditional bread oven holds heat very well and gives a very even bake at high temperatures too.