Grinding away

Some of the earliest breads must have been as rough as guts . . . and it all had to do with grinding the flour.

I've just found out that the teeth of ancient Egyptian workers often show far more wear-n-tear than could be expected for their age.

Why? Most probably because of the impurities in their bread - including stone chips from the crude grinding stones and desert dust that would have made its way into those ancient bakeries.

It's also more than likely that some unscrupulous bakers would have 'cut' their flour with a rang of 'additives'.

And given that wages were often paid in bread and beer, these ancients would have eaten lots of the stuff.

Only the truly wealthy and godly would have access to top-notch, leavened bread.