Morning Barley Flatbread with Oil
Flatbread of barley and wheat, kneaded with water and olive oil, baked on a hot stone or against the wall of a clay oven. Dense, rustic, perfumed with sesame — the ordinary bread of the ancient Levant.
Flatbread of barley and wheat, kneaded with water and olive oil, baked on a hot stone or against the wall of a clay oven. Dense, rustic, perfumed with sesame — the ordinary bread of the ancient Levant.
You think I feast only on flesh and terror? Every dawn, my temple smelled of warm barley: my servants kneaded the dough before daybreak, flattened it with their palms, stuck it on the oven stone. They set a steaming portion for me before biting into it themselves. Pour oil on it without measure — in Ekron it flowed like a river — and sprinkle with sesame: this is the bread that those who served me ate.
- •Barley and wheat flour — mixed in parts (base)
- •Ekron olive oil — a good drizzle (softness and flavor)
- •Water — as needed (binder)
- •Sesame seeds — a handful (garnish)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Morning Barley Flatbread with Oil
Flatbread of barley and wheat, kneaded with water and olive oil, baked on a hot stone or against the wall of a clay oven. Dense, rustic, perfumed with sesame — the ordinary bread of the ancient Levant.
Why this dish? The bread baked each day was the humblest and most constant offering in Semitic temples: it was set before the god before the priests ate it. For the deity of Ekron as for all, warm barley bread with oil was the daily bread.
You think I feast only on flesh and terror? Every dawn, my temple smelled of warm barley: my servants kneaded the dough before daybreak, flattened it with their palms, stuck it on the oven stone. They set a steaming portion for me before biting into it themselves. Pour oil on it without measure — in Ekron it flowed like a river — and sprinkle with sesame: this is the bread that those who served me ate.
Ingredients (period version)
- Barley and wheat flour — mixed in parts (base)
- Ekron olive oil — a good drizzle (softness and flavor)
- Water — as needed (binder)
- Sesame seeds — a handful (garnish)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Barley flour — 150 g (base)
- Wheat flour (T80) — 150 g (base, structure)
- Extra virgin olive oil — 4 tbsp (softness)
- Warm water — 180 ml approx. (binder)
- Sesame seeds — 2 tbsp (garnish)
- Salt — 1 tsp (seasoning)
Method
- Mix flours and salt, add oil then water little by little until a soft, non-sticky dough forms.
- Knead for 5 minutes, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide into balls, flatten thinly by hand or rolling pin into 15 cm discs.
- Cook on a hot stone or cast-iron pan for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden blisters appear.
- Brush with olive oil upon removal, sprinkle with sesame, and serve warm.
How it was made : Barley was the everyday grain of the poor; wheat, more expensive, signaled wealth. Unleavened flatbreads were baked on hot stones or against the wall of a tannour clay oven, several times a day, since bread staled quickly. Olive oil, a major resource of Ekron, accompanied nearly every bite.
The contemporary twist : Fold the warm flatbread around a spoonful of za'atar and oil: the world's simplest snack, three thousand years old.
Sources : Nathan MacDonald, What Did the Ancient Israelites Eat? · Archaeobotanical studies of the Iron Age Levant (barley, wheat, sesame)
Beelzebub · Charactorium
