Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods Evidence from 30,000 years ago in Europe revealed starch residue on rocks used for pounding plants It is possible that during this time, starch extract from the roots of plants, such as cattails and ferns, was spread on a flat rock, placed over a fire and cooked into a primitive form of flatbread Around 10,000 BC, with the dawn of the Neolithic age and the spread of agriculture, grains became the mainstay of making bread.

Yeast spores are ubiquitous, including the surface of cereal grains, so any dough left to rest will become naturally leavened.