Bread has been an integral part of man's diet for centuries. The first bread was made from wild grains and seeds harvested from native plants. These grains were ground by stones, and the resulting 'flour' mixed with water. It was then formed into cakes which were dried in the sun or baked in hot coals. There is substantial evidence to prove that the Australian Aboriginals also used this method.
The most detailed recorded history of bread is from the Middle East. The Egyptians began cultivating grains such as wheat and barley through cross breeding wild wheat and grasses. This went on for thousands of years and was used in all aspects of daily life and religious ceremony. The bread was flat and still baked on hot stones or in crude ovens. At some stage, at least three thousand years ago, the effect of fermentation on bread was discovered, probably by accident. It is believed that some bread was left outside long enough to attract wild yeast spores, causing fermentation. This causes the bread to trap gas bubbles and rise. This technique spread to all the countries bordering the Mediterranean.
Once the use of leavened bread became widespread it was only a matter of time before improvements were being made. For example, the Romans dried the 'sour' dough then soaked it in water when needed to add to new dough to give a quality bread. The Egyptians also developed a cylindrical clay oven to improve baking techniques. There were also improvements in flour milling, such as the introduction of the rotary mill for better quality flour in 1,000 BC. There were simultaneous developments in bread making in many other civilisations, such as the Incas, American Indians and the Asian, Indian and African cultures.
Bread making began to be controlled in the 11th century with prices and weights being set by the governments, or rulers. In Europe the 'Baker's Dozen' of 13 loaves was developed to protect the customer from underweight loaves and to act as a seller's commission.
Agricultural advances made greater yields of wheat and other grains possible. Machinery developed in various countries improved milling, planting, ploughing and grain production. In general, bread production continued to improve with improvements in agriculture and flour production. With the urbanisation of society due to the industrial revolution, millers became independent from bakers. The millers stayed in the country close to grain production, while the bakers moved into the towns so they would be closer to their customers.
Bread also played a part in the history of Australia. Many of the first settlers were convicts sent here for stealing bread. Flour was a staple food in the early colony issued from Government stores. The earliest bakery was in the first settlement in Sydney. It was run by John Palmer, who came out here with the First Fleet. The bakery had all the necessary equipment including an attached windmill. It not only sold bread, but also milled grain including wheat, corn and barley.
In the Australian bush, damper was usually eaten instead of bread. Damper is a mixture of flour and water flavoured with salt, and is baked over coals in a camp oven. Improvements in all aspects of bread production came after the Gold Rush of the 1850's. The arrival of wood stoves from America improved home baking. Various yeasts, made from hops, sugar and potatoes were made into leavening for baking. Roller mills came from Hungary in 1880, which enabled better yields to be gained from flour.
Bread making was still done by hand until the early 1900's, when the process gradually moved towards mechanisation. In 1908, a large bakery incorporating the latest machinery was opened in Melbourne. Later, other states followed suit. Bread delivery was made house to house by horse and cart, and much later by trucks.
Almost all bread sold was white, wholemeal being thought of as a fad. The first wrapped bread appeared in 1925. By 1928 the practice had caught on. During the 1930's and '40's the bread industry changed. Bakeries were becoming more mechanised and delivery costs increased. This spawned the growth in the 1950's of more medium sized bakeries and over the counter sales through grocery stores. Bakeries became more modernised and sliced, wrapped bread became more and more popular. In the 1960's, as shopping patterns moved toward supermarkets, the medium sized local bakeries declined, giving way to the larger plant bakeries.
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