Twice-Baked Barley Flatbread of the Deck
A flat barley bread, baked once then long dried in the oven, becoming an almost indestructible sea biscuit. It is dipped in water, oil, or broth before being eaten.
A flat barley bread, baked once then long dried in the oven, becoming an almost indestructible sea biscuit. It is dipped in water, oil, or broth before being eaten.
Listen to me, you who have never lost sight of the shore. When my ships passed the Pillars of Melqart, no market awaited us on the waves: we had to carry our bread for moons. My men baked the barley into flatbreads, then put them back in the oven until they rang like stone — Baal Hammon is my witness that thus they did not rot. A little water from the stopover, a drizzle of oil, and the rower regained his strength.
- •Barley flour — a bowlful (basic cereal, cheap and rustic)
- •Water — enough to bind (dough hydration)
- •Sea salt — a pinch (flavor and preservation)
- •Olive oil — a drizzle (softness for first baking)
Twice-Baked Barley Flatbread of the Deck
A flat barley bread, baked once then long dried in the oven, becoming an almost indestructible sea biscuit. It is dipped in water, oil, or broth before being eaten.
Why this dish? To feed sixty pentekonters along the coasts of Africa, a bread was needed that could defy months at sea and salty humidity. The twice-baked barley flatbread, dry and hard, was kept in dry amphorae and softened with a splash of fresh water at stopovers.
Listen to me, you who have never lost sight of the shore. When my ships passed the Pillars of Melqart, no market awaited us on the waves: we had to carry our bread for moons. My men baked the barley into flatbreads, then put them back in the oven until they rang like stone — Baal Hammon is my witness that thus they did not rot. A little water from the stopover, a drizzle of oil, and the rower regained his strength.
Ingredients (period version)
- Barley flour — a bowlful (basic cereal, cheap and rustic)
- Water — enough to bind (dough hydration)
- Sea salt — a pinch (flavor and preservation)
- Olive oil — a drizzle (softness for first baking)
Ingredients
- Barley flour — 250 g (basic cereal)
- Warm water — 120 to 140 ml (hydration)
- Salt — 1 tsp (seasoning)
- Olive oil — 2 tbsp (binder and softness)
Method
- Mix barley flour, salt, and oil, then add water little by little until a firm, non-sticky dough forms.
- Knead for 5 minutes, let rest for 20 minutes under a cloth.
- Roll out into thin 1 cm flatbreads, prick with a fork.
- First baking: 15 minutes at 220 °C until set and golden.
- Second baking: lower the oven to 120 °C and dry the flatbreads for 40 to 50 minutes until hard and dry.
- Cool completely; store in a dry place. Before eating, dip in water, broth, or oil.
How it was made : Twice-baked bread (the ancestor of the sea biscuit) was the ration of sailors in the ancient Mediterranean. Barley, less noble than wheat, dominated popular and shipboard diets because it was abundant and cheap. The double baking removed moisture, the number one enemy of supplies in the hold.
The contemporary twist : Served as an appetizer like rustic crackers, rubbed with garlic and drizzled with new olive oil: a 'navigator's biscuit' to dip in tapenade.
Hanno the Navigator · Charactorium