flipSpelt Bread Broken with Olive Oil
Spelt Bread Broken with Olive Oil
Why this dish? Even at the table of an idolatrous king, bread remained the center of every meal in Judah. It was broken by hand and dipped in oil: this is the most common and everyday food gesture in Amon's life, from the palace of the City of David.
A flat, dense bread made from spelt flour, baked on a hot stone, broken and drizzled with green olive oil. Simple, nourishing, it serves as both plate and spoon.
Come near, and break this bread with me. See how my maidservant kneaded it with spelt and water, without haste, then laid it on the burning stone until it puffed. Pour over it the fresh oil from the press, that which flows green and bitter—this is how we eat in the house of my father Manasseh, and in the house of David before him. Eat, for no one sits at my table without first breaking the lehem.
- •Spelt flour ground with a millstone — by the handful (bread base)
- •Spring water — enough to bind (hydration)
- •Salt from the Dead Sea — a pinch (seasoning)
- •Cold-pressed olive oil — as much as you like (to pour over the bread)
Spelt Bread Broken with Olive Oil
A flat, dense bread made from spelt flour, baked on a hot stone, broken and drizzled with green olive oil. Simple, nourishing, it serves as both plate and spoon.
Why this dish? Even at the table of an idolatrous king, bread remained the center of every meal in Judah. It was broken by hand and dipped in oil: this is the most common and everyday food gesture in Amon's life, from the palace of the City of David.
Come near, and break this bread with me. See how my maidservant kneaded it with spelt and water, without haste, then laid it on the burning stone until it puffed. Pour over it the fresh oil from the press, that which flows green and bitter—this is how we eat in the house of my father Manasseh, and in the house of David before him. Eat, for no one sits at my table without first breaking the lehem.
Ingredients (period version)
- Spelt flour ground with a millstone — by the handful (bread base)
- Spring water — enough to bind (hydration)
- Salt from the Dead Sea — a pinch (seasoning)
- Cold-pressed olive oil — as much as you like (to pour over the bread)
Ingredients
- Spelt flour — 300 g (bread base)
- Warm water — 180 ml (hydration)
- Salt — 1 tsp (seasoning)
- Extra virgin olive oil — 4 tbsp (to pour over the bread)
Method
- Mix the spelt flour and salt, then add the water little by little until a soft dough forms.
- Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide into fist-sized balls and flatten into 5 mm thick rounds.
- Cook each round for 2 to 3 minutes per side on a very hot stone or cast-iron skillet, until it puffs and browns in spots.
- Serve warm, broken by hand, drizzled with olive oil.
How it was made : In Judah, flatbread was baked daily by the women of the household on a stone (saj) or against the wall of a clay oven (tannour). Spelt and barley fed the common people; wheat, rarer, was a luxury. Without pre-prepared leaven, many breads were unleavened or barely risen with leftover dough from the day before.
The contemporary twist : Sprinkle with a little za'atar (hyssop, sumac, sesame) before the oil, as a nod to the herbs of the Judean hills.
Amon · Charactorium
