Are you bread-y to learn about the very long history of bread? Bread is the most widely eaten food in the world and a basis for many of the other foods we have today! It's pretty much the reason we are alive, are our ancestors made bread as an important source of carbohydrates. Let's see how that bread has changed to what we have now!
Early Beginnings
Recent findings of starch grains on grinding stones suggest that bread might have been around for at least 30,00 years! Due to it's caloric energy content, and because it's portable and compact, it has been an integral part of our diet since prehistoric times and essential for the formation of human societies. Researchers believe bread could have been made when these hunter-gatherers gathered together for a celebrations or feasts. As making bread was such a labor-intensive process back then - from removing husks and grinding cereals to kneading dough and baking it - investing so much effort meant our ancestors thought bread was a special treat. This leads to the possibility that growing grains to make bread may have led to humans settling down and cultivating cereal crops like wheat and barley. These bread grains were the first plants to be domesticated, and were harvested in the wild by the Natufians a Mesolithic group of hunter-gatherers in the Jordan River Valley region of the Middle East.
Back then, humans had started making gruel from water and grains, so it was no surprise that they tried cooking this mixture by heating it on stones or fire embers. Cooked bread was much easier to carry around than gruel, as well as easier to digest and more nutritious (and tastier, of course). A study by the National Academy of Sciences discovered traces of starch in mortar and pestle-like rocks. The starch was likely from pulverized roots of plants, combined with wild wheat or barley, that was added to water and baked into bread on heated rocks. These flatbreads were the first breads made by man, and may have been used as a wrap for roasted meat. Thus, it may also have been the oldest sandwich!
Bread Spreads
Over the next several thousand years, cultivation of grains spread across the Middle East and southwest Asia through trade with other hunter-gatherer groups in the Nile Valley, Mesopotamia, and east of the Indus Valley. Bread allowed for the growth of villages, cities, states, and larger groups due to the accumulation of surplus and development of social classes (artisans and bakers).
The earliest flour used for breads was likely grain ground by hand with rocks, which would have created coarse whole grain breads. Around 800 B.C., the Mesopotamians used two flat stones stacked on top of each other to grind grain. These stones were continuously rotated by animals or slaves, creating the first "milling" process for the refined flour we have today that is much smoother and finer than previous flour. This type of flour was highly sought-after, and became a prized status symbol. The love for white, refined bread continued to modern times, and later advancements of sifting flour to remove bran and germ, and even bleaching flour were developed to achieve such loafs.
The Ancient Egyptians were the first to make leavened bread with yeast (more below). Since wheat was the only grain with sufficient gluten content to make leavened breads, it quickly became favored over other grains, such as oats, millet, rich, and barley. The Egyptians also developed ovens for several loaves of bread to be baked at the same time. Here was also the first sense of class divide, as bread for the rich was made from wheat flour, bread for the middle class was made from barley, and bread for the poor was made from sorghum.
The Ancient Greeks learned how to make bread from the Ancient Egyptians. As the Ancient Greeks began making bread, this caused it to quickly spread throughout the rest of Europe. In Greece, many small clay ovens became popular, indicating widespread bread baking in individual households and commercial bakeries.
Fun Fact: The workers who built the pyramids were paid in bread, instead of money.
During the time of the Roman Empire, bakers first started making bread on a wide scale. A typical Roman bakery could produce enough bread for 2,000 people every day! The ovens were huge, about 20 feet in diameter, wood-fired, lined with brick and tile, and fitted with a rotating metal grate for the bread. The Romans also tried using a variety of flours to produce different types of breads, with the idea that white breads were sought-after and tastier. Thus, light breads were for the upper classes, darker breads for the lower classes, and there were even specific breads for different occupations, such as soldiers and sailors. In 150 B.C., the first bakers' guilds were formed in Rome, as wealthy Romans insisted on more expensive white bread. However, free bread was also distributed to the poor in hard times.
Later in medieval Europe, bread continued to be a large part of the diet. Following Rome's traditions, lighter breads were for the upper classes and darker breads were for lower/middle classes. Medieval people also used thick bread rounds as plates, called trenchers, with meat and sauce heaped on top - similar to a pizza.
Fun Fact: As a result of bread trials (bakers were cheating by selling less bread) in England in 1266, bakers had to mark each loaf of bread so they would conform to weights required by law. Bakers' marks were among the first trademarks!
Bread Leavening
The first step for the prehistoric grain flatbreads to turn into the modern fluffy breads we have today was due to leavening.
First, leavening allowed breads to rise into fluffy loafs. The breads of before were simply flatbreads, and these can be found all over the world! Examples include Middle Eastern pita, Indian naan, and Central American tortillas. The most common leavening for bread is yeast. Yeast are single-celled microorganisms that float around in the air, looking for a starch-rich place, like a bowl of flour and water, to settle. The first leavened bread was probably a natural accident, where some yeast happened to land in some gruel. The yeast began caused CO2 bubbles to form, causing a lighter, fluffier bread. Commercial yeast production dates back to the bread makers of Ancient Egypt at around 300 B.C. These earliest yeast breads were likely sourdough, and would've been made by saving a piece of each day's dough and adding it to the next day's, similar to how bakers make sourdough starters today.
Additionally, the invention of yeast-risen bread likely has alcohol-related origins. Ancient Egyptians used barley and emmer wheat to brew sour beer and make sourdough bread, One possibility is that they made beer by baking rich-yeast dough into "beer loaves" that were then crumbled and strained with water. This mixture would later be fermented and strained into beer. Beer and bread have the same ingredients and are made by the same yeast reactions.
Bread in America
In 1492, legend has it that Christopher Columbus brought a small batch of sourdough starter to the New World. However, unleavened breads made of cornmeal were the first breads eaten by European settlers in the Americas. Who knows what happened to Columbus' sourdough! In 1602, British sea captain Bartholomew Gosnold planted America's first wheat crop in Massachusetts.
Fun Fact: In 1849, Boudin Bakery in San Francisco began producing the first sourdough in the area, using a starter borrowed from local gold miners during the gold rush! The same starter is still used at the bakery today (I visited!!).
Fast forward, for hundreds of years, white breads were sold in whole loaves to be cut at home. As there were specific lunchtime sandwich etiquette rules in the 19th and 20th centuries, cutting bread a certain way was very important. For ladies and children, the bread was supposed to be sliced very thinly with crusts removed. On the other hand, for workers, thick slices with crusts more fitting. Thus, in 1917, jeweler Otto Rohwedder created the first mechanized bread slicer. At first, many companies thought housewives wouldn’t be interested in such a machine, so it wasn’t installed in a factory until 1928. However, by 1930, 90% of store-bought bread was factory sliced. Americans loved it so much that they coined the expression “the best thing since sliced bread." 1930 is also when Wonder Bread became the first nationally distributed sliced bread!
This led to the ideal loaf of bread - white, fluffy, and pre-sliced into even slices for the perfect package - that was called "American" bread. However, recent science has shown that whole grains have far better nutritional benefits, and more consumers actually prefer the nutty and chewier taste of rustic loafs!
In 1943, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture banned sliced bread to try to hold down prices during wartime rationing. It was also around this time that bread was chosen for a diet enrichment program in the US. Diseases associated with lack of B-vitamins and iron, such as pellagra, beriberi, and anemia, had become widespread. As bread was a daily food item for most Americans, specific amounts of iron, thiamin, niacin, and riboflavin were added to white flour. This enrichment program was a major factor in the elimination of these diseases, and also helped to prevent wartime malnutrition during WWII. Later in 1998, folic acid - a nutrient that prevents serious birth defects - was added to all enriched grain foods, including bread. Who knew we could cure widespread diseases with bread!
Modern Twists
Of course, there are so many variations to bread - old and new! This includes focaccia, ciabatta, baguettes, challah, brioche, and so much more. It also comes in all shapes and sizes, from buns to bread sticks. With the advent of baking soda and baking powder, breads such as banana bread, cornbread, and Irish soda bread became more popular. Variations derived from bread, such as pretzels, croutons, and bagels, are also incredibly diverse. Even though it's much more common now to eat healthier whole grain breads, we still have a variety of white breads, rye breads, and brown breads. Of course, going way back to our roots, flatbreads are still popular among many cultures - pita, naan bread, tortillas, and more. Bread is one of the most versatile foods, as it can be made sweet or salty, and can be topped, dipped, or soaked in so many other ingredients. I hope to explore some of these recipes right here on my blog soon!
Bread has been - and still is - vital to our society, economy, and lives overall. While shouting "I loaf bread!" is certainly relatable, perhaps you can show your bread love by spreading knowledge about its history and culture!
Link to my rosemary Dutch oven bread recipe.
Link to my post on the chemistry & science behind bread.
Want to Learn More? (always cite your sources, kids)
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