How did people make bread before sugar was 'discovered' Modern recipes (as far as I know) for bread includes sugar.  Sugar gives the yeast a food source, which supports it growth and allows yeast to give bread many of its qualities.  It hit me the other day that sugar (produced from sugar cane) is a relatively new commodity.  People did not have this kind of sugar 1000 years ago in Europe, the middle east, etc.  How did they manage to make bread without it?
Making bread without sugar is nothing strange - I do so several times a week! The wheat flour (or whatever you're using) contains enzymes which, when you blend it with water, breaks down starch to sugars which fermenting agents such as yeast or lactobacilli can feed off. The Wikipedia page on sourdough has more info.