Craft bread is bread made by traditional bakery methods, long fermentation, skilled hand shaping, and baking in small batches, rather than on industrial production lines. The slow fermentation develops complex flavour, better texture, and improved keeping quality, while the baker’s judgment replaces the additives and shortcuts of high-speed processes. Sourdough is the flagship craft loaf, but the term covers all artisan approaches. Craft bakeries have revived high streets with the smell of real baking and loaves worth queuing for. The bread costs more, reflecting time, skill, and ingredients, and tastes unmistakably of the difference.