Panis

RECIPES 

Giuseppe’s Panis recipe 

• 150 g winter wheat flour 

• 350 g spelt flour 

• 150 g whole wheat flour 

• 350 g A/P flour 

• Olive oil 

• 400 grams biga or starter 

• 550 grams water 

• 1T salt 

• 1 tsp Oregano, 

• 1 tsp Marjoram 

• 1 tsp Sage 

1. In a large bowl, sift and mix the flours listed above, combining them all together. 

2. In another smaller bowl, mix the starter and the water together and stir until mixed well. Add a small dollup of oil to the mix. 

3. Combine the liquid in with the flour and mix into a dough. 

4. Moisten top of dough with about 2 T of water and allow dough to rest and rise for approximately one hour. 

5. Add the salt and herbs and incorporate into the dough using the “pull and fold” method. 

6. Allow dough to rest and rise overnight 

7. Form dough into a classic “panis quadratum” 

• a. Preheat oven to 450 degrees 

• b. Carefully form into a ball 

• c. Press ball down until the dough is approximately 1-2 inches tall and wide 

• d. Use kitchen twine to tie a “belt” around the panis. 

• e. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, pushing the center down. 

• f. Using another string, create the quadratum “cuts” until the dough has 8 segments. (Only bring string down as far as the “belt” allows). 

• g. Place dough in oven, and lower temperature to 400 degrees. 

• h. Bake for approximately 45 minutes to an hour until bread is full baked 

8. Enjoy bread with olive oil, herbs, spices and wine. 

Leavening recipes based on Pliny’s descriptors: 

Pliny’s reference Giuseppe’s general redaction 

Millet is more particularly employed for making Crush fresh organic red grapes and drain the juice through a fine mesh 

leaven; and if kneaded with must, it will keep a whole year. colander 

Grind fresh uncooked millet 

Mix equal parts millet and unfiltered (Cloudy) juice, and knead into a paste. Spread out the paste and allow to dry. It will begin to develop a very light whitish powder on top. This is what you want. Either cut into individual cakes, or dry whole and break off the amount needed for your bake.

The same is done, too, with the fine wheat bran of the best Crush fresh organic green grapes.

quality; it is kneaded with white must three days old, and Drain juice through a fine colander and leave on countertop lightly covered to 

then dried in the sun, after which it is made into small cakes. begin to ferment.

When required for making bread, these cakes are first soaked Knead wheat-bran with the juice until you achieve a paste (1/2 cup juice to 

in water, and then boiled with the finest spelt flour, after which ¾ cup bran)

the whole is mixed up with the meal; and it is generally Spread out paste and allow to dry. It too will develop a whitish powder, 

thought that this is the best method of making bread…. which is the yeast.

Either cut into individual cakes, or dry whole and break off the amount needed for your bake. 

These kinds of leaven, however, can only be made at the time of vintage, but there is another leaven which may be prepared with barley and water, at any time it may happen to be required. It is first made up into cakes of two pounds in weight, and these are then baked upon a hot hearth, or else in an earthen dish upon hot ashes and charcoal, being left till they turn of a reddish brown. When this is done, the cakes are shut close in vessels, until they turn quite sour: when wanted for leaven, they are steeped in water first. 

Mix 3 cups water to 1 cup barley. 

Cook until soft. Allow to cool. 

Spread cooked barley out on baking tray and bake in a 350 degree oven. 

Like Pliny describes, the barley will turn from a whitish color to a reddish/brown. When it is dry and all reddish/brown, remove from oven.

Break up and store in a jar to allow to develop yeasts. 

At the present day, however, the leaven is prepared from the meal that is used for making the bread. For this purpose, some of the meal is kneaded before adding the salt, and is then boiled to the consistency of porridge, and left till it begins to turn sour. In most cases, however, they do not warm it at all, but only make use of a little of the dough that has been kept from the day before. It is very evident that the principle which causes the dough to rise is of an acid nature, and it is equally 

Effectively, this is the premise behind a sourdough. One can either use a starter, OR if one is going to bake daily, this method can be used whereby you take dough from the previous day to use as the mother or “biga” for the next day. 

Note: The dough used for the next day’s bake must be pulled aside BEFORE salt is added, as salt will retard the development of yeast.

 Instructor contact info: Giuseppe Francesco da Borgia Mka Joe Cook-Giles joe@cookgiles.net