Bread.com.au

Wheat has been cultivated by man before even the advent of recorded history. Anthropologists think that early man gathered grain and stored it for later use. Wheat grew in Mesopotamia and Egypt. It was probably just chewed, initially. And of course the grains got wet and sprouted, producing even more seeds.

The first breads were made from grains and seeds harvested from existing wild plants. Later it was discovered that the grains could be ground and the ensuing “flour” mixed with water. It was moulded into cakes, which were dried in the sun or baked in coals. There is even evidence that the Australian Aborigines used this method.

Around 1000 BC, it was thought that the fermentation was discovered, probably by accident. It is believed that some bread was left outside long enough to attract wild yeast spores, causing fermentation. This caused the dough to trap gas bubbles and rise and the technique spread to all countries bordering the Mediterranean.

And so the improvements of bread making began...

The Egyptians developed a cylindrical clay oven to improve technique and the Romans dried sour dough and soaked it in water when needed to add to new dough to give a better result. Other civilisations such as the Incas, American Indians and Asian, Indian and African cultures were also developing bread baking techniques, resulting in breads such as Tortillas, Chappatis, Naan, Roti and Mealie. Bread and wheat were especially important in Rome where it was thought more important than meat. The Roman welfare state was based on grain distribution to people living in Rome. Later the government even baked the bread.

In history, a person’s economical status could be judged by the colour of bread they ate. The darker the bread, the lower the class. This was because whiter flours were more expensive and harder for the millers to mix with less quality flour. Now we have seen the reverse, with darker bread being more expensive and highly regarded for their taste as well as nutritional value.

The Jewish people eat only flat breads during Passover, which symbolized their flight from Egypt before their dough had time to rise. The Muslims once did not sell bread, but only gave or traded it, as it was considered a gift from Allah.

In the Middle Ages, bread was one of the few foods that fed the poor through the dark age. And who could forget the famous quotation attributed to Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution during the bread riots? - “Let them eat cake !” This clearly indicated that Royalty had become ignorant of the plight of the lower classes.

The Great Fire of London in 1666, was said to have been started by a baker, totally destroyed the milling and baking industry in that capital.

Bread also played a part in the history of Australia as many of the first settlers were convicts sent to our shores for stealing bread. Flour was a staple food in the earliest days of the Colony and was issued from the Government. One of the First Fleeters, John Palmer, ran the first Government Grain stores and the bakery had all the equipment including a windmill. Traditionally, damper was eaten instead of bread out in the Australian bush – and is still popular today.

Improvements in bread production came after the 1850’s Gold Rush when wood stoves from the USA improved home baking. Various yeasts made from sugar, potatoes and hops were made into leavening and roller mills came from Hungary in 1880 which improved the flour yield.

Bread making was still done by hand until the process moved gradually towards mechanisation around 1910. A large bakery opened in Melbourne with the latest machinery opened and the other states followed. Bread delivery was made door to door by horse and cart and later by trucks. Almost all bread sold was white and wholemeal was thought of as a passing phase. The first wrapped bread loaves appeared by the mid 1920’s. In 1928, Otto Rohwedder’s bread slicing machine was first exhibited at a bakery trade fair in America. During the 30’s and 40’s Australian bakeries became more mechanised the delivery costs increased which resulted in the growth of more medium sized bakeries in the 1950’s. Sliced and wrapped bread became more popular and as shopping patterns changed and supermarkets became more common in the 1960’s, the larger plant bakeries thrived.

Today there is a huge variety and selection of breads for us to choose from. As in the past, bread today, is not simply considered a food. It forms the major part of a meal, which brings family and friends together, as well as having significant nutritional benefits, which helps contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

Without bread all is misery."
William Cobbett, British journalist (1763?-1835)

“Acorns were good till bread was found.”
Francis Bacon, English philosopher, statesman (1561-1626)

"In Paris today millions of pounds of bread are sold daily, made during the previous night by those strange, half-naked beings one glimpses through cellar windows, whose wild-seeming cries floating out of those depths always makes a painful impression. In the morning, one sees these pale men, still white with flour, carrying a loaf under one arm, going off to rest and gather new strength to renew their hard and useful labor when night comes again. I have always highly esteemed the brave and humble workers who labor all night to produce those soft but crusty loaves that look more like cake than bread."
Alexandre Dumas, French writer (1802-1870)