Bread, beautiful, bountiful, bread. Whether you break it or cut it, no matter how you slice it, nothing beats a great loaf of this hearty baked goodness. Because you can never know enough about the things you love, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite types of bread along with a little history behind them: 

Baguette

Nothing else in the bread family, not even the wonderfully flaky croissant, conjures images of the Eiffel Tower and all things French the way the baguette does. The long, stick-like loaf, also called French bread (thanks to its origins), is made with flour, yeast, water, and salt. From those simple ingredients rises the iconic baguette, distinguished by its chewy crust, feather-light interior, and topside slashes, which allow for expansion during baking.

Brioche

Our tastebuds owe the French a huge debt of gratitude for inventing brioche, a traditionally sweet yeast bread loaded with eggs and butter. People have been enjoying the golden, soft-as-a-pillow pastry forever—the word brioche dates back to 1404—and it’s now commonly used as hamburger buns, dinner rolls and even in French toast recipes.

Ciabatta

Ciabatta hails from Italy, where the word means "slipper" in the native language. Usually broad, flat and somewhat collapsed in the middle, it’s a lot more flavorful than footwear, and perfect for use in paninis and sandwiches. Unlike most of the bread on this list, this wheat flour-based bread is a recent invention, first produced in 1982.

Sourdough

While the country of origin is unknown, Sourdough bread is an ancient type of bread -- it is even older than metal. The oldest loaf of sourdough found was in Switzerland and dates back to around 3500 BC, but it's thought that the Ancient Egyptians also practiced making this bread.  Sourdough is a yeasted bread made from a fermented mixture of flour and water. The loaf has a substantial crust with a soft, chewy center and large air bubbles. 

Focaccia

Another bread originating from Italy, focaccia is a flat, dimpled yeast bread resembling pizza dough that's baked at high temperatures in sheet pans. Often topped with olive oil, rosemary and coarse salt, focaccia’s exact origins are unknown, though it might date back to Ancient Rome. Focaccia’s name is derived from the Latin panis focacius, which means fireplace bread. 

*Information gathered from Country Living, OOla.com, and delish.com