Bread has been a cornerstone of human diets for millennia. The earliest evidence of bread making dates back over 14,000 years to hunter-gatherer societies in the Black Desert of Jordan, predating the rise of agriculture. This ancient practice involved grinding wild grains or roots and baking them on hot stones.

The creation of bread relies on leavening, a process—often involving yeast—that causes dough to rise by producing carbon dioxide gas, which gets trapped in the dough's gluten network. This process transforms dense dough into a lighter, softer product. Bread's significance extends beyond sustenance. In ancient Egypt, it served as a form of currency and was included in burial rituals. The invention of sliced bread in 1928 by Otto Frederick Rohwedder revolutionized daily life, leading to the popular idiom "the greatest thing since sliced bread." Today, there are over 300 distinct varieties of bread worldwide, reflecting diverse culinary traditions.

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