Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Both cultures relied on farming to sustain the population. Their main source of water was the river.

In Mesopotamia, the river was turbulent and unpredictable. Floods occurred unexpectedly, its banks eroded and the river could even change its course. The people made a great effort to control the river and dug canals to irrigate the crops. Even then, the water could change. As it evaporated, it became more salty and threatened the fertility of the soil.

In the surrounding landscape, there was no access to stone, metal or trees. The people built their homes from baked clay bricks and drew on clay tablets to record their everyday lives. These were relatively fragile and less likely to last.

In Egypt, the river was constant and dependable. The volume and rise and fall of the water was regular. Planting and harvesting ran like clockwork. Stone was available in the landscape. The Egyptians used it for building materials and art and repeated the style of the past over and over again. The stone legacy seems indestructable in comparison.

Kamut flour is often connected with Ancient Egypt and its Pharoahs. The word kamut is one of the  Ancient Egyptian words for wheat and was recently put to use as a brand name, a modern registered trademark, for the flour. But  the grain’s other name, Khorasan, comes from the Ancient Persian province meaning where the sun arrives from.  It grew in the fertile area between Mesopotamia and Egypt and hasn’t been bred over time, like many other grains. 

The bread is whole grain, dense and cake-like.

500 g of Kamut Flour (Waitrose, health food shop)
Half a teaspoon of salt
1tsp of Easy bake yeast
1 tsp of sugar (honey?)
375 ml warm water
2 tbsp olive oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Stir in the warm water then knead vigorously. Leave until it has doubled in size (about an hour).
Knock back the dough, add the oil and knead it in until it is incorporated.
Transfer dough into an oiled 2llb bread tin. Let it double in size (around 30 minutes)
Bake in a pre heated oven for 35-40 mins.

It is quick if you mix and knead with a food processor, and leave the dough to rise for the first time in the processor’s bowl.

Where did this come from? : A recipe on the side of the packet.