You’re absolutely right—cutting boards are one of the oldest and most essential tools in culinary history, and their evolution tells a rich story about how kitchens (and cooking itself) have changed over time.

🥖 The Humble Origins: Pull-Out Boards for Breadmaking
In 18th- and 19th-century European and American kitchens—especially in homes with wood-burning stoves or hearths—pull-out cutting boards (also called slide-out boards or baker’s boards) were built directly into the side of the stove or worktable.

Purpose: As you mentioned, they were primarily used by bakers to knead dough, shape loaves, and let them rise—all on a large, smooth, dedicated surface.
Why pull-out? It saved precious counter space in small kitchens and kept the work surface close to the heat source, which helped dough rise faster.

Material: Often made from hard maple, beech, or walnut—dense, close-grained woods that resist cracking and absorb minimal moisture.
After baking, these boards were also used for slicing the cooled loaves, making them truly multi-functional.

🔪 From Bread to Everything: How Cutting Boards Became Kitchen Staples