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Fermented foods are oft lauded for their massive health benefits, including beneficial bacteria to balance your intestinal flora and easier digestion. Lactic acid fermentation not only helps to preserve food but also increases the nutrients available for our bodies.
We’re told daily via advertisements of the probiotic health benefits of one of my favorite foods, yogurt. This fermented dairy product is popular in the United States, while so many other fermented foods just haven’t caught on. Because of that, if you’re a standard American eater, your taste buds may take some time to adjust to the tang of sourdough. It is just that tang, however, that gives sourdough grain preparation all its nutritional might. Sourdough bread preparation improves nutrition by:
- pre-digesting starches, making the bread more easily digestible
- lowering insulin response/improving glucose tolerance
- protecting Vitamin B1 from the damage of the heat of baking
- breaking down gluten, which may result in a bread that gluten-sensitive people can eat
- activating phytase to hydrolyze (dissolve) the phytates, thus freeing up minerals such as:
- zinc
- iron
- magnesium
- copper
- phosphorus
Why Sourdough?
Because sourdough leavening works much slower than commercial yeast, the bread dough ends up sitting around longer. The lactic acid creates an ideal pH for phytase activity, which decreases phytates by 62% (compared to 38% in yeast breads). I am convinced that sourdough is THE most nutritious way to prepare grains. (See all my grains research here.)
In Sue Becker’s phytic acid article, she counters that sourdough does not ferment all the flour, only that which is used in the overnight sponge. She doesn’t take into account the long rise time of the entire batch of dough, however. It is then that so much of the breaking down of phytates, complex starches and sugars, and other difficult-to-digest elements happens.
Sourdough rye is the most nutritious of them all, because it has more phytase activity and thus even fewer phytates in the finished product to bind to your minerals. I just love that the traditional phrase “sourdough rye” turns out to be scientifically proven as the healthiest bread. Somehow our ancestors figured out all the good stuff without the benefit of labs!
Adding milk to your sourdough actually inhibits the sourdough process. I didn’t want to hear that, because my favorite sourdough bread recipe uses milk. I tested it with just water, though, and it still turned out great!
We’ll be sharing sourdough recipes all next week. Keep feeding your sourdough starter, at least a Tbs a day of flour and (sometimes) water, and get ready to try some sourdough baking come Monday!
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Hungry for more? Related posts:
- Food for Thought: The Health Benefits of Sprouting
- Food for Thought: What is the Role of Phytase in Soaking Grains?
- Food for Thought: Spinach, the Ultimate Super Food’s Health Benefits
- Food for Thought: Yogurt’s Amazing Health and Nutrition Benefits
- Food for Thought: Garlic and Onion Health Benefits and Nutrition
I just discovered your blog. It looks great. I love sourdough baking, although my starter recently croaked when I moved (by that I mean grew mold). I probably neglected it.
I didn’t really know about the health benefits of sourdough, just liked the idea of not having to buy something from the store that lives in the very air we breathe!
Simple in France´s last blog ..6 ways to keep a job you hate from ruining your life!
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Today I’m writing about how gluten may be at the root of my asthma/allergy issues even after soaking/sprouting/sourdough. Sometimes it’s just the fact that one is gluten intolerant and nothing changes that.
Diane@Simply Real Foods´s last blog ..I’m Peachy Keen
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Thank you for your posts on sourdough! I’m getting excited about making my own starter and beginning to work with sourdough.
Love your blog!
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Sourdough is my favorite bread. It started when I first had some in San Francisco. I don’t eat bread often because I am diabetic but when I do I prefer sourdough. Yummy!
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Katie Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 12:53 am
Deb,
Katie
Sounds like sourdough *should* be the best bread for a diabetic to eat, too! Have you ever had 100% whole wheat srdo?
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Deb J Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Yes, I have had 100% whole wheat sourdough. We have a lady at church who makes all of her breads from scratch. Since I don’t have equipment to make it and my hands can’t handle the kneading I’ve been thinking about having her make me some. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
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I made sourdough starter and I’ve tried bread twice. Both times the bread wasn’t even eligible for hockey puck usage. GAH! Pancakes were ok but tasted terrible after freezing. I’m going to stick with it but failed cooking projects just kill me.
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I’ve been hearing about sourdough starters but hadn’t taken the time to read up on it. I had no idea how advantageous it was to use for bread.
Do you think our ancestors were able to figure out what was the most nutritious methods for us because they could read their bodies more easily? It seems likely, its so hard these days for people to realize the harm their doing to their bodies because they damage it so frequently.
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Katie Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 4:36 am
Ali,
Sounds like a valid theory, for sure! Also, some of the healthiest things were just the only way to do it – before yeast was able to be packaged, you had to capture it if you wanted bread to rise. The first incidence of capturing yeast certainly happened on accident, too. Imagine what people thought then their flour and water started bubbling! I just think God likes to help us be healthy, if we would just go with what naturally works.
Thanks for the thought!
Katie
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Fight Back Friday March 4th | Food Renegade // Mar 11, 2010 at 6:47 pm
[...] Amanda@Rebuild7. Moms For Safe Food – Guest Post – Real Foods that Healed Me8. Kitchen Stewardship (Why is SOURDOUGH the healthiest bread you can find?)9. ElizabethG (Avocado salsa)10. Stan @ Tender Grassfed Meat (Why I Eat Organic)11. Greenearth: [...]
Timely post, since I just perfected a super-easy sourdough wheat sandwich bread recipe. And it even uses 2/3 of the flour in the sponge, with a full 5-hour rise after the rest of the flour is added. It’s easier than my commercially-yeasted bread, and not super-sour. Will post recipe soon!
Katy@ThoughtForFood´s last blog ..Who needs chocolate when there’s lardo?
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Okay, I’m nervous but I think I’m ready for sourdough now! I printed your sourdough starter and am ready to begin my journey. I’ll link back with my posts
Sarah @ Mum In Bloom´s last blog ..Recipe: Apple Pie & Crust Recipe
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Katie Reply:
May 22nd, 2010 at 12:41 am
Sarah,
Katie
You go girl! It takes some “working up to it”, doesn’t it!
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so you have some sourdough starter « Parent Planet // May 29, 2010 at 7:25 am
[...] an interesting article about the benefits of sourdough. I just like it but hey, even better if its good for me. (and I [...]