Mankind has been making some kind of bread for over 10,000 years.
The first men probably chewed the seeds of wheat and other cereals, either raw or toasted. Some time later, primitive people learned to crush cereal grains between two stones, separate the cover from the seeds, and turn starch and other elements into a powder (flour). The powder could be mixed with water to form the dough, and it could then be put on fire.
The ancient Egyptians and the Hebrews were the first to discover that the fermented dough - a yeast dough - produced lighter and better tasting bread. The Egyptians were probably also the first to bake white wheat bread. But even as late as the 17th century, English peasants rarely ate white bread, as the most common bread they made was barley and rye.
The work of milling wheat into flour was an arduous task until around 200 BC, the first milling machines were invented. Later, waterwheels and windmills were used to move the large stones that ground the wheat.
Bread has always been important because of its low cost and high nutritional value. Bread is so important all over the world that it is called "the provider of life."
A 3,500 year old loaf of bread was found in an Egyptian tomb!
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