Watching the History Channel and its quirky historical documentary series certainly opens you eyes. You learn so much, like were the Slinky came from, how M&Ms were invented and who made Cheetos famous? Usually the answer is WW II. They did a whole episode on the creation of mass produced bread and how to make it more available to the public and easier to consume. It was all about the race to sell sliced bread.
Seeing it got me top thinking about how they might have approached such an endeavor. I wrote my take on the event several months ago and sent it around. Then it sat on my hard drive until today. Because today, July 7, back in 1928 was the date slice bread was first sold to the world! So let's take a look at the diary of the man who made sliced bread his quest:
Seeing it got me top thinking about how they might have approached such an endeavor. I wrote my take on the event several months ago and sent it around. Then it sat on my hard drive until today. Because today, July 7, back in 1928 was the date slice bread was first sold to the world! So let's take a look at the diary of the man who made sliced bread his quest:
The Slice is Right
The Slice is Right
By Dan Fiorella
At the turn of the last century, people baked their own bread or bought it from a local baker. In the 1920s, as bakeries began to consolidate and merge in an effort to create a national baking company, a push began among companies to revamp the bread experience. Small bakeries had for years simply sold loaves of bread to its customers. What those customers did with them after they left the store was none of their concern; Break into to chunks for soup, let it sit for a week for crotons, or use it to create those new-fangled sandwiches they heard about in Europe, the bakers didn’t care. Until they did.
It was during the sandwich boom of 1925 that bakers needed to make their bread stand out from the others. The idea of selling pre-sliced bread was whispered about in back alleys and at baker conventions, but there was no efficient way to make that work. Except for Fred’s Bakery in Kenosha. Though quick with a blade, he didn’t have that many customers. Also, homicide charges eventually ended his career.
But one forgotten man, Lester Beal, made it his quest to figure out a way. And he logged his efforts in a recently unearthed diary…
Oct. 10th 1926
I’m consumed with the idea sliced bread. Consumers want their bread soft and fluffy, which makes slicing really problematic. The knives don’t slice, they squish the bread and chop it. It angers me. It angers my customers, especially when I refuse to refund their money. How to proceed? How to proceed!
Oct. 21st, 1926
Phil Hoagie in accounting showed me something he was trying. He sliced a loaf of bread lengthwise. He claims people would love long sandwiches.
Oct. 27th, 1926
Phil was back. This time he showed me a loaf he sliced lengthwise from top to bottom. I had to fire Phil.
Feb. 1st, 1927
Atticus in shipping pitched the idea of simply slicing the loaf in half. For easier shipping.
Feb. 9th, 1927
Beth wants to shred the loaves into pieces. She said it would be perfect for stuffing. Beth has lost the thread completely.
Jul. 14th, 1927
Bastille Day! Yes, that’s it; French toast-sized slices! The goal must be French toast size!
Nov 15th, 1927
Mel in sales says we should simply sell each loaf with a bread knife for the customers’ convenience in self-slicing. This seems to defeat the purpose.
Nov 26th, 1927
Jake dropped a loaf of bread onto his jigsaw. I still do not have a proper reason why the jigsaw was in the company breakroom. But, apparently, the bread passed through it in slices. Thick but even slices. This may require additional testing.
Dec. 1, 1927
Slices too thick! Slices too thin! We need to get bread slices which will create a sandwich that will fit in your mouth yet withstand a piece of meatloaf! The math is daunting!
Mar. 11th, 1928
Eureka! We have developed a machine which sliced a loaf of break into 20 even slices, each about ½ inch thick! We are in the process of experimenting with meat-to-bread ratios and how much cheese constitutes too much cheese.
Apr. 13th, 1928
Condiments. We are exploring possible condiment use. Promising results.
May 24th, 1928
It’s done! We just ended negotiations with the Continental Baking Company and they will begin rolling out their packages of pre-sliced Wonder Bread in a matter of months!
Sept. 25th, 1928
People are demanding the ability to toast their bread but these new-fangled slices fall between the grill slats of their stoves and fireplaces. We are looking into developing some sort of toasting device that can handle slices of bread. God be with us!
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