Roman bread

[Aurelia]

Is that the only bread the legionaries ate, or did they also favor other recipes? ... And how about the citizens of Rome itself -- one would think they would enjoy something a little "better" than Army Bread?

I'm not sure about what variety of bread the soldiers would have eaten. I only have the one recipe. But back in Rome, the citizens had a wide variety of bread, from unleavened cheesy bread to light and yeasty bread. Some are spongy like ciabatta, some are very like a modern french bread - crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. When I make Roman breads, I usually can't choose just one, and I'll make several at a time.

Considering that the average Roman ate about 2 pounds of bread each day, a wide variety was crucial. They used not only wheat grain, but also spelt, barley, millet, rice, and others. I have two favorite cookbooks for bread recipes based on Apicius, Athenaeus and Cato. They are:

Roman Cookery: Ancient Recipes for Modern Kitchens
By Mark Grant
A Taste of Ancient Rome
By Ilaria Gozzini Giacosa (translated by Anna Herklotz)

I think in some ovens 2 hours baking time is much too long!

You are so right! At the last event where I served bread, I had to get one of our soldiers to come over and break the hardtack with the pommel of his gladius! I think the idea was for the ancients to soak it in broth or something else soup-like before trying to eat it.