Bread is the most basic of human foods. It's importance as a staple cannot be underestimated, and as such it is the first food established by immigrants in their new home country.

The earliest record for bread in the USA is it arriving from England with the Pilgrim fathers. In 1602, wheat crops were established and bread was manufactured on a very small scale, with grain being harvested and ground by hand.

Bread would be leavened with natural yeast the same way it was in England, by leaving the dough in the open air to attract wild yeast in the air or using byproducts of the beer fermentation process. It was also common at the time to plant a greater diversity of wheat crops than today. This guaranteed that whatever changes in conditions, there would be some grain to harvest.

With the introduction of Mills, the grinding process bacame more efficient and as the imported crops began to take hold, larger quantities of bread could be sold from town bakeries, rather than small batch home baking.

Things contained in this way until industrialisation in the 1800s. Milling became mechanised and brought greater yield, farm machinery provided innovation in harvesting and the first industrial yeast was created. Consumers now faced the choice of home made bread, Bakers bread or Manufactured bread.

Often the vast production of manufacturers bread kept prices low. Add to this an increasingly urban population and convenience, manufactured bread became the popular choice.

From the 19th and into the early 20th century, Bread manufacturers began to respond ever more to consumer demand. White bread was seen as superior and bleaching of the wheatgerm began. While this produced the desired effect, it also striped the bread of many nutrients, which had negative consequences for the poor, whose diet still consisted of mostly bread (as it had done for centuries before).

By 1941, 85% of bread consumed in the US was manufactured. Its perception as being more hygienic and fresher than bakery bread was heavily featured in advertising of the time. Housewives were targeted in particular, with brands assuring them their Cellophane wrapped loaves were clean and healthy, and ideal for the busy mother.

Manufactured bread remained the unquestioned choice for many until the 1960s. The growing counterculture movement of 'back to the land' and natural foods spawned a small backlash against factory foods. This fresh movement reached full potential in the 1970s, merging then with the US homegrown gourmet movement.

Areas like Napa and San Francisco in California became food destinations, not just for wine, but bread too. Independent artisanal bakeries began to spring up around the country and interest in continental travel broadened peoples taste in bread products.

Those breads that came with waves of immigrants over the years, (Pumpernickel, Rye, Baguettes) became fashionable and a mark of quality food.

The 1990s became the second wave of artisinal bread making, and large bread manufacturers trying to capitalise on this trend began to produce their own versions of continental and speciality breads to compete. But the rising occurrence of food Intolerances and popularity of carb-free diets began to take its toll on all sides of the bread industry.

From the early 2000s, up until the early noughts, bread consumption went into a rapid decline. Wonderbread, one of the first mass manufacturered loaves, closed its doors and filed for bankruptcy.

Bakeries still thrive in Europe as they have a longer tradition of being central to towns and bread as an integral food. In Britain for example, there are many commercial products but bakeries are a staple of towns and visiting on a weekly basis is common.  80% of bread sold in the is mass produced, but the remaining 20% is bakery made.

France and Germany have even higher numbers, but the emerging trend in Western countries is mass produced frozen Bread cooked and sold in a bakery setting.

Putting the numbers in comparison, as of 2013, the Retail Bakers of America say that 40 years ago the US had 30,000 bakeries. Now there only 6,000. Paris alone has 2,000.

The decline in bakeries is a combination of cultural factors, industrial history and taste.

Sources:

Retail Bakers of America.

NABIM.

'The Rise and Fall of Bread in America' by Amanda Benson.

'English Bread and Yeast Cookery' by Elizabeth David.

'Diaries of MFK Fisher' by Norah Barr.
'How To Be A Tudor' by Ruth Goodman

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