Sourdough Bread Is A Healthy And Delicious Choice
Have you ever been looking forward to a fancy meal and the first thing that came out was a warm piece of handmade sourdough bread with a small bowl of olive oil for dipping? With its unique sour flavour and rough crust, sourdough bread has won a revered place in the world of food for its great taste and versatility. Its strong texture and complex smell make it a perennial favourite on eating tables all over the world, whether it’s just a slice with butter or topped with gourmet ingredients.
Sourdough Bread is the Best Bread Choice
There are several good reasons why sourdough bread is the best choice among bread.
Sourdough bread is the best choice for bread due to its nutritional benefits, digestive advantages, and delicious taste. Personally, I find sourdough to be the most agreeable for my digestive system. Unlike commercially-made bread, which I avoid, sourdough stands out in several ways.
First and foremost, sourdough differs from regular bread because it is fermented naturally with wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, rather than industrial yeast. This natural fermentation process not only gives sourdough its unique taste but also breaks down gluten and phytic acid. Consequently, this makes sourdough easier to digest and helps the body absorb nutrients better.
Furthermore, commercially-made breads often contain added ingredients like emulsifiers, sugars, industrial yeasts, and stabilizers. These ingredients can make the bread taste bland and affect its texture. In contrast, the sourdough method enhances the bread’s flavor and texture while offering numerous health benefits. Therefore, choosing sourdough over commercially-made bread can lead to a more enjoyable and nutritious experience.
Sourdough bread is a healthy and satisfying food that we can eat most days, whether we want to support gut health or improve our digestion. Remember to keep consumption down, and just enjoy a slice here or there.
Key Articles About Fermented Foods
The Health Benefits of Sourdough Bread
What I love about sourdough bread is that it contains no sugar or industrial yeast, which can encourage the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi in your gut. Sourdough bread is gentler on your stomach and pancreas and doesn’t spike blood sugar levels as quickly as conventional bread.
A recent study found that sourdough bread enhances mineral accessibility in cereals like wheat, especially those with high fiber content. This makes sourdough bread a top choice for producing high-fiber, nutrient-dense breads. (Ribet et al., 2023). Enjoy the health benefits and delicious taste of sourdough bread as part of a balanced diet.
Another study has found that during decades of research, sourdough bread has often found to to be beneficial for health, including actions such as:
Sourdough Bread and Anti-Candida Diet
One of the main foods our patients complain about when they start on our anti-candida diet approach is that I recommend they stop eating all sources of commercial bread. This is because commercial bread is full of baker’s yeast, many of which are still live, and plenty of sugar, dextrose, or the many other forms of sugar.
Myths About Grains and Candida
Some people say that you must avoid all grains entirely, including wheat, oats, barley, and rye, if you want to eradicate a yeast or bacterial digestive infection. I have found this to be untrue and have helped many people eradicate their yeast infection permanently by recommending they stay on grains. Eliminating grains can lead to fatigue and weight loss, which can be dramatic and disconcerting for some.
Gluten Intolerance and Sourdough Baking
There’s no need to avoid wheat and other grains unless you are truly celiac. This should be diagnosed by a blood test or biopsy. If you are allergic or intolerant to gluten, confirm it with an IgG/IgE food allergy test. Even with these conditions, you can avoid wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Instead, stick with non-gluten grains like quinoa, buckwheat, pea protein flour, and rice.
The Real Culprits of Digestive Problems
Many digestive problems stem from the amount of sugar (hidden in many foods and drinks), alcohol, junk foods, and stress. Eating in front of the TV, for example, is not conducive to healthy digestion. Gluten often gets blamed, but the real issue might be the lifestyle factors.
Why You Should Consider Sourdough Bread
Have you ever considered sourdough bread? It is rich in lactic acid, which favours the development of Lactobacillus acidophilus in your digestive system. Sourdough baking with lactic acid fermentation is healthier than yeast baking and is the best way to consume bread if you have a yeast infection or any digestive problem. This form of healthy baking makes many minerals and inositol more available in various commercial cereals. You can use the sourdough ferment (unheated) as a source of live food rich in probiotics.
Addressing Concerns About Sourdough and Candida
Many people worry that sourdough bread, which contains natural and wild yeasts, will worsen their candida yeast infection. I have not found this to be the case with my patients. Consuming healthy and tasty sourdough bread (homemade) will not deprive you of that nice piece of bread for breakfast or lunch. Just avoid topping it with jam or honey!
How To Make Sourdough Bread
For several reasons, making your own sourdough bread is a really fulfilling and gratifying activity. Once you get the hang of it, home-made sourdough bread outperforms any store-bought variety in terms of both flavour and texture.
When you make sourdough at home, the lengthy fermentation period creates complex tastes that are hard to duplicate with any commercially yeast-made bread, resulting in a crispy crust and chewy crumb.
The other issue with store-bought bread is the preservatives, chemicals, and excessive amounts of salt or sugar are frequently included. Making your own sourdough bread allows you to have full control over all the ingredients and results in a healthier bread with no needless additives.
Making Sourdough Starter
The secret to making a good loaf of sourdough lies in a concoction known as the starter. Starter begins as a mixture of water and flour and is typically kept in a loosely covered container at room temperature. After several days of feedings with additional flour and water, the mixture becomes home to thriving populations of lactic acid bacteria and wild yeast—don’t worry, these are not candida albicans! This traditional method of making the starter is how all bread was once made and cultivates a greater appreciation for the microbes we rely on for the production of fermented foods.
Beneficial Yeasts and Bacteria in Sourdough
The type of beneficial yeasts that settle in the starter may include Saccharomyces diastaticus and Saccharomyces exiguus, while the bacterial organisms usually include strains of Lactobacillus. At least 10 different strains of Lactobacillus bacteria have been isolated from sourdough breads. Commonly occurring strains include Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, named after San Francisco sourdough bread.
Gluten-Free Sourdough Baking
If you are worried about gluten, try using buckwheat flour to make the bread stick together. Many recipes online can guide you in replacing part of the rice flour with other non-gluten flours, such as coconut, lentil, or pea flour. Adding more water as needed will help achieve the right consistency.
Tips for Successful Sourdough Baking
Basic White Sourdough Bread Recipe
This basic sourdough bread recipe produces approximately 2 to 2.2 kg of dough, enough for 2 normal-sized bread tins. Sourdough bread, lacking brewer’s yeast, won’t rise as much as commercial bread, but this dough will rise nicely when baked and fill the tin.
It’s pretty cool is we are able to bake our own sourdough bread, it’s a unique skill – especially if you on baking – it’s an exciting adventure into the art and science of bread-making. At the same time it enhances our culinary abilities and appreciation for handcrafted-foods, in addition to producing a tasty and nourishing main course for our table.
Despite the initial cost of ingredients and tools such as proofing tins or a Dutch oven, making your own sourdough bread can end up being less expensive in the long run than frequently purchasing artisan sourdough bread.
Making sourdough bread also offers a deep sense of satisfaction, from experimenting with different wheat blends and flavours to developing and keeping the sourdough starter. It’s a creative adventure that you may customise and modify to fit your taste and lifestyle.
Ingredients
Mixing and Kneading
- Mix the flour and starter in a large stainless steel or glass bowl.
- Make a well in the flour and pour in the water, starting with half and adding the rest quickly. Reserve a little water for later if needed.
- Place the starter in the water in the well and mix roughly.
- Knead the dough after adding Celtic sea salt, achieving a smooth and soft consistency.
Proofing
- Let the dough rest in the bowl for 6 to 8 hours (temperature-dependent).
- Cut the dough into two halves and shape into rounds for second proofing.
- Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on temperature.
Forming and Baking Loaves
- Roll the dough into long cylinders and prepare the baking tins.
- Spray a little warm water onto the dough, dust with flour, and make diagonal slashes.
- Place the loaves into oiled or buttered tins, occupying about three-quarters of the tin.
- Bake at 180 degrees Celsius (reduce to 160 degrees if fan-forced) for about an hour.
Checking and Cooling
- Check for a hollow sound to ensure proper baking.
- Remove from the tin and cool on a bread rack.
Gluten-Free Sourdough Recipe
Ingredients
Enjoy the healthy and delicious benefits of sourdough bread, perfect for those with candida or any digestive problems.
Eric Bakker N.D.
Greetings! I am a naturopathic physician from New Zealand. Although I’ve retired from clinical practice since 2019 after 34 years of clinic. I remain passionate about helping people improve their lives. You’ll find I’m active online with a focus on natural health and wellbeing education through my Facebook page, Reddit page and YouTube channel, including this website.
