Homemade Bread Day: The best thing since sliced bread

Let’s talk bread. No, not the slang for money or the famous rock group – but the most widely consumed food in the world. Nov. 17 is (National) Homemade Bread Day.

Affordable, compact and easy to carry, baking bread has been common practice for centuries. In fact, some suggest humans have been baking bread for more than 30,000 years. Bread has come a long way over the centuries. Bread was originally sold in whole loaves to be sliced at home. In 1917, Otto Rohwedder invented the first mechanized bread slicer but companies were convinced housewives would not be interested in pre-sliced bread. It would take more than 10 years for the machine to be installed in factories but within two years, 90 percent of purchased bread was sliced. While modern-day technologies no longer require the use of hot stones, making homemade bread is still a beloved tradition in many homes today. Affordable and convenient bread machines make making homemade bread even easier. In 1986, the first bread machine was released in Japan – and the rest, as they say, is history.

From banana and pumpkin to sourdough and wheat, today is the perfect day to try out that tried-and-true or brand spankin’ new bread recipe. And with the big Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner, there is nothing quite like the smell of homemade bread baking in the oven.

Today is also National Take a Hike Day, World Peace Day and National Unfriend Day.