Breaking Bread: How Baking Shaped Our World

‘An amazing book.’ – Dan Lepard 
 
‘The rich and fascinating story of bread.’ – Lily Vanilli 
 
‘A brilliant, timely and important book full of compassion.’ – Olia Hercules 
 
‘A fascinating exploration of our universal love of bread. David traces the past, present and future of bread through his personal lens as a third generation baker.’ – Edd Kimber 
 
Discover the story behind the world’s most essential food in Breaking Bread.  
 
Third generation baker, food writer and presenter David Wright examines the universal questions about bread and baking. Is bread good or bad? And what does its future hold? 
 
Bread is more than a staple; it is a mirror of our story, our health, our very being. Every civilisation has a form of bread, and how we create, make and bake it, how we sell it and buy it, our food security, our access to it, affects everything.
 
Breaking Bread provides a unique look into these themes, including: 

• The craft and science behind creating, making and baking bread. 
• Bread’s journey through history, from ancient rituals to modern revolutions. 
• The health debate: why bread divides opinion and what science reveals. 
• Industrial vs artisan baking: economics, ethics and the fight for quality. 
• The politics and power of bread in shaping societies and conflicts. 
• How bread connects to religion, identity and cultural traditions. 
• Expert insights from leading bakers, food writers, farmers and campaigners. 
• A vision for the future: can bread survive and thrive in a changing world? 

Featuring interviews with Olia Hercules, Dan Lepard, Felicity Spector, Brad Leone and many more, as well as with pioneers of regenerative farming, Breaking Bread is both a heartfelt memoir and a thought-provoking manifesto. Wright’s journey –  from the closure of his family bakery to rediscovering the soul of bread – invites you to rethink what’s on your plate. 
 
For food lovers, home bakers and anyone curious about the story behind their daily loaf, this book offers a passionate call to protect one of humanity’s oldest and most vital foods. 

David Wright is a baker, food writer and presenter from Suffolk. He has co-authored DJ BBQ’s Backyard Baking (Quadrille, 2023) and writes for The Sandwich Magazine regularly. David’s father and grandfather were also bakers which allows him a unique personal window into the period before mass produced bread. A graduate from King’s College London where he studied English Literature with Film, David has written articles for many small publications and worked as an advertising copywriter before returning to baking. David’s presenting includes compering the Literary Stage at Camp Bestival, demonstrating at festivals such as Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park and working alongside brands such as Gozney - producing video content for their popular YouTube channel.