Compared to bakers’ yeast dough, natural sourdough makes a much healthier bread or pizza. The method of prolonged fermentation brings along with it many benefits, such as a lower Glycemic Index, lower calorie count, increased nutritional value and far superior digestibility.
Here are just some of the ways sourdough bread and pizza trumps conventional dough:
Sourdough bread has a lower Glycemic Index (GI) then conventional bread
Real sourdough (for both bread and pizza) is fermented for a long time ( 12-18 hours at The Boston Road Bakery depending on weather). During this time, the sugars and starches in the flour/dough break down considerably, and are consumed by the natural yeasts and bacteria found in the sourdough mixture. Because the fermentation time is so long, the sugars and starches have enough time to break down and be consumed. This is what makes it possible for sourdough bread to have a lower Glycemic Index.
An average slice of sourdough bread has a Glycemic Index of around 53. Anything lower than 55 is considered low. In contrast, white commercial bread has a GI of around 72 (anything over 70 is considered high) (source: Google).
Sourdough bread provides a number of important nutrients and can fit into a healthy and balanced diet. While its high carbohydrate content can cause blood sugar levels to rise, unlike commercial bread, it shouldn’t cause blood sugar spikes and crashes.
Commercial bread only ferments for 1 to 2 hours and so the sugars and starches within that bread don’t have enough time to break down, which is why conventional bread has a reputation for being high on the GI scale.
If you’re concerned about keeping your sugar levels steady, sourdough bread may be an excellent alternative to conventional bread. The lower Glycemic Index means your sourdough will keep you fuller for longer, and help maintain steady blood sugar levels.
Sourdough’s effect on blood sugar level
Despite its significant carbohydrate content, sourdough bread has a glycemic index of 53 — making it a low-glycemic-index food. As with other low GI food, sourdough bread will likely cause a gradual increase in blood sugar levels rather than a spike.
Sourdough bread is more nutritious than conventional bread
Another extraordinary reaction happens during the long fermentation time. As the sugars and starches break down, so does another part of the wheat grain. A part called phytic acid, which is known as an ‘anti-nutrient’.
Phytic acid acts as a natural preservative for the wheat when it is still in its original grain form. This is one of the reasons why grains preserve so well, and are able to last for years if kept in cool dry conditions. Phytic acid protects the wheat grain from the outside elements and stops it from becoming rancid.
But here’s the interesting thing: although phytic acid protects the nutrients and minerals within the wheat grain, it also blocks/inhibits the wheat’s nutrients and minerals from being absorbed by our bodies. In other words, our bodies are not able to make use of the nutrients from the wheat grain due to the phytic acid binding to them and making them unavailable.
Although conventional bread contains nutrients in the wheat, the absorption rate of these nutrients is low due to the high phytic acid present.
Sourdough is different, however. The long fermentation process in sourdough bread breaks down the phytic acid in the dough. In fact, if fermented for long enough, it can almost eliminate phytic acid completely, which unlocks all of those hitherto blocked healthy nutrients .
Not only does sourdough bread unlock the nutrition from the wheat and make it available to our bodies, but the friendly bacteria and yeasts available in sourdough actually increase the nutritional value of the wheat as a by-product of the fermentation process.
Sourdough is full of friendly bacteria (probiotics)
Sourdough bread rises while proving due to the natural yeasts found in the sourdough ferment. But the sourdough ferment is not just full of natural yeasts, it’s also bursting with millions of friendly bacteria (probiotics) which are good for your gut (similar to those found in bio-active yoghurts, only more diverse).
Although they don’t make it through the baking process due to the high temperatures killing them off, there is some evidence that suggests that even after it is baked, this bacteria may still be beneficial for our guts.
Prebiotics in sourdough bread are good for your gut
Another propety within sourdough bread is an indigestible fibre known as prebiotics. This is essentially a type of fibre that feeds the good bacteria in your gut. And a healthy gut usually means a healthy body. Prebiotics also make sourdough bread easier for the body to digest.
Resistant starch is plentiful in sourdough bread
Resistant starch is a starch that isn’t completely broken down by the small intestine. Rather, it breaks down into short chain fatty acids by bacteria in our guts. Resistant starch also helps feed friendly bacteria alongside the prebiotics, but it has also recently been shown to help with many other health factors such as:
insulin sensitivity
heart health
blood sugar control
digestive health
Resistant starch is not that easy to find in foods, but sourdough bread contains enough of it to benefit from. In fact, sourdough bread contains at least double the amount of resistant starch found in ordinary whole wheat bread.
Sourdough bread is easier to digest
As mentioned earlier, sourdough bread uses wild bacteria and yeasts naturally found in the flour and its surrounding environment to ferment the dough. Although these friendly bacteria don’t make it through the baking process (which means we don’t actually get to eat any of it), they do offer their magic during the fermentation stage by ‘pre-digesting’ the flour.
This means that by the time the bread reaches our bodies, we have to do a lot less to break down the wheat and access the nutrients. Many people who eat sourdough bread find that it is much easier on the digestive system than other breads.
Sourdough bread is chemical free
As long as you are eating real sourdough bread, you are eating only three simple ingredients: flour, water and salt. Nothing else. There are no chemicals, preservatives, or anything nasty in sourdough bread. Commercially yeasted breads contain many additives, sweeteners and oils in addition to the simple ingredients that bread is supposed to have.
Even though sourdough bread doesn’t contain any preservatives, it keeps well – due to the mould-resistant properties it naturally contains.
Sourdough helps break down gluten
The long fermentation process of sourdough also helps break down gluten proteins in wheat. Gluten is a difficult protein for the body to digest, and the process of sourdough fermentation uniquely helps break gluten strands into peptides and amino acids, which are alot easier for the body to digest. This makes sourdough bread potentially a good option for those individuals with mild gluten intolerance.
Sourdough bread is thousands of years old
Commercial bread, using active bakers’ yeast has only been around for the past 150 years or so.
In fact when bakers’ yeast was first discovered, it was well known that this form of bread making decreased bread’s nutritional value, and was rejected and considered a risk to public health. But once the industrial revolution came along, bakers’ yeast came back into full flow, and sourdough bread took a back seat, being less easy to make in bulk.
Sourdough bread is the oldest yeasted bread we know. Dating back to as early as ancient Egyptian times. So, the fact that we have been eating sourdough bread for thousands of years anecdotally shows that sourdough bread has stood the test of time, and was around when we didn’t apparently suffer from all sorts of food intolerances, allergies, etc.
So what are the nutrients available when eating a slice of sourdough?
Here’s a list with a breakdown of all the nutrients and minerals available in sourdough bread: (based on one medium sliced white sourdough bread)
Vitamin/Mineral Percentage of RDI
Selenium 25%
Folate 24%
Thiamin 18%
Manganes 17%
Iron 13%
Niacin 15%
Phospherous 7%
Magnesium 4%
Copper 4%
Zinc 4%
Vitamin B-6 3%
Calcium 3%
On the face of it, the nutritional label can be quite similar to other breads, because it has a similar ingredient list. But the difference is, other breads may contain the same nutrients, but we can’t absorb many of those nutrients. Whereas with sourdough bread, these nutrients are readily available to our bodies when we eat the bread.
Is Sourdough bread good for me?
Switching to sourdough means you bring along with it all of the benefits mentioned above. You may find that you feel fuller with smaller portions of sourdough bread when compared to conventional bread, and that it will keep you going for much longer.
This is advantageous for anyone looking to keep their bread cravings under control, or are trying to lose weight. The many digestive, nutritional and Insulin friendly benefits that sourdough brings with it means that sourdough bread can be enjoyed as part of a varied and balanced diet, and is a far healthier natural choice of bread than any other.
The type of sourdough bread affects its nutrient profile
Remember, if you really want to get a nutritional boost, different types of sourdough bread will contain different types of nutrients, and some will be more nutritious than others. For example, opting for whole wheat varieties of sourdough will give you:
An even lower Glycemic Index
Higher fibre content
Greater levels of resistant starch
Higher general nutrient count
Here’s a list of different varieties of sourdough bread that contain different nutrients:
Rye
Spelt
Einkorn
Kamut
Whole wheat
White
With white sourdough bread being the most common, it’s also the least nutritious option (although still a far better option than conventional bread). Other varieties of wheat such as spelt come under the ancient grain variety, or heirloom variety of wheat. These grains have different forms of wheat in them that make them even easier to digest due to their simpler form of gluten and low chromosome count.
In conclusion – there is no real reason to eat any other bread than sourdough, other than affordability, but the higher price reflects the greater time required to make bread properly.
Here are just some of the ways sourdough bread and pizza trumps conventional dough:
Sourdough bread has a lower Glycemic Index (GI) then conventional bread
Real sourdough (for both bread and pizza) is fermented for a long time ( 12-18 hours at The Boston Road Bakery depending on weather). During this time, the sugars and starches in the flour/dough break down considerably, and are consumed by the natural yeasts and bacteria found in the sourdough mixture. Because the fermentation time is so long, the sugars and starches have enough time to break down and be consumed. This is what makes it possible for sourdough bread to have a lower Glycemic Index.
An average slice of sourdough bread has a Glycemic Index of around 53. Anything lower than 55 is considered low. In contrast, white commercial bread has a GI of around 72 (anything over 70 is considered high) (source: Google).
Sourdough bread provides a number of important nutrients and can fit into a healthy and balanced diet. While its high carbohydrate content can cause blood sugar levels to rise, unlike commercial bread, it shouldn’t cause blood sugar spikes and crashes.
Commercial bread only ferments for 1 to 2 hours and so the sugars and starches within that bread don’t have enough time to break down, which is why conventional bread has a reputation for being high on the GI scale.
If you’re concerned about keeping your sugar levels steady, sourdough bread may be an excellent alternative to conventional bread. The lower Glycemic Index means your sourdough will keep you fuller for longer, and help maintain steady blood sugar levels.
Sourdough’s effect on blood sugar level
Despite its significant carbohydrate content, sourdough bread has a glycemic index of 53 — making it a low-glycemic-index food. As with other low GI food, sourdough bread will likely cause a gradual increase in blood sugar levels rather than a spike.
Sourdough bread is more nutritious than conventional bread
Another extraordinary reaction happens during the long fermentation time. As the sugars and starches break down, so does another part of the wheat grain. A part called phytic acid, which is known as an ‘anti-nutrient’.
Phytic acid acts as a natural preservative for the wheat when it is still in its original grain form. This is one of the reasons why grains preserve so well, and are able to last for years if kept in cool dry conditions. Phytic acid protects the wheat grain from the outside elements and stops it from becoming rancid.
But here’s the interesting thing: although phytic acid protects the nutrients and minerals within the wheat grain, it also blocks/inhibits the wheat’s nutrients and minerals from being absorbed by our bodies. In other words, our bodies are not able to make use of the nutrients from the wheat grain due to the phytic acid binding to them and making them unavailable.
Although conventional bread contains nutrients in the wheat, the absorption rate of these nutrients is low due to the high phytic acid present.
Sourdough is different, however. The long fermentation process in sourdough bread breaks down the phytic acid in the dough. In fact, if fermented for long enough, it can almost eliminate phytic acid completely, which unlocks all of those hitherto blocked healthy nutrients .
Not only does sourdough bread unlock the nutrition from the wheat and make it available to our bodies, but the friendly bacteria and yeasts available in sourdough actually increase the nutritional value of the wheat as a by-product of the fermentation process.
Sourdough is full of friendly bacteria (probiotics)
Sourdough bread rises while proving due to the natural yeasts found in the sourdough ferment. But the sourdough ferment is not just full of natural yeasts, it’s also bursting with millions of friendly bacteria (probiotics) which are good for your gut (similar to those found in bio-active yoghurts, only more diverse).
Although they don’t make it through the baking process due to the high temperatures killing them off, there is some evidence that suggests that even after it is baked, this bacteria may still be beneficial for our guts.
Prebiotics in sourdough bread are good for your gut
Another propety within sourdough bread is an indigestible fibre known as prebiotics. This is essentially a type of fibre that feeds the good bacteria in your gut. And a healthy gut usually means a healthy body. Prebiotics also make sourdough bread easier for the body to digest.
Resistant starch is plentiful in sourdough bread
Resistant starch is a starch that isn’t completely broken down by the small intestine. Rather, it breaks down into short chain fatty acids by bacteria in our guts. Resistant starch also helps feed friendly bacteria alongside the prebiotics, but it has also recently been shown to help with many other health factors such as:
insulin sensitivity
heart health
blood sugar control
digestive health
Resistant starch is not that easy to find in foods, but sourdough bread contains enough of it to benefit from. In fact, sourdough bread contains at least double the amount of resistant starch found in ordinary whole wheat bread.
Sourdough bread is easier to digest
As mentioned earlier, sourdough bread uses wild bacteria and yeasts naturally found in the flour and its surrounding environment to ferment the dough. Although these friendly bacteria don’t make it through the baking process (which means we don’t actually get to eat any of it), they do offer their magic during the fermentation stage by ‘pre-digesting’ the flour.
This means that by the time the bread reaches our bodies, we have to do a lot less to break down the wheat and access the nutrients. Many people who eat sourdough bread find that it is much easier on the digestive system than other breads.
Sourdough bread is chemical free
As long as you are eating real sourdough bread, you are eating only three simple ingredients: flour, water and salt. Nothing else. There are no chemicals, preservatives, or anything nasty in sourdough bread. Commercially yeasted breads contain many additives, sweeteners and oils in addition to the simple ingredients that bread is supposed to have.
Even though sourdough bread doesn’t contain any preservatives, it keeps well – due to the mould-resistant properties it naturally contains.
Sourdough helps break down gluten
The long fermentation process of sourdough also helps break down gluten proteins in wheat. Gluten is a difficult protein for the body to digest, and the process of sourdough fermentation uniquely helps break gluten strands into peptides and amino acids, which are alot easier for the body to digest. This makes sourdough bread potentially a good option for those individuals with mild gluten intolerance.
Sourdough bread is thousands of years old
Commercial bread, using active bakers’ yeast has only been around for the past 150 years or so.
In fact when bakers’ yeast was first discovered, it was well known that this form of bread making decreased bread’s nutritional value, and was rejected and considered a risk to public health. But once the industrial revolution came along, bakers’ yeast came back into full flow, and sourdough bread took a back seat, being less easy to make in bulk.
Sourdough bread is the oldest yeasted bread we know. Dating back to as early as ancient Egyptian times. So, the fact that we have been eating sourdough bread for thousands of years anecdotally shows that sourdough bread has stood the test of time, and was around when we didn’t apparently suffer from all sorts of food intolerances, allergies, etc.
So what are the nutrients available when eating a slice of sourdough?
Here’s a list with a breakdown of all the nutrients and minerals available in sourdough bread: (based on one medium sliced white sourdough bread)
Vitamin/Mineral Percentage of RDI
Selenium 25%
Folate 24%
Thiamin 18%
Manganes 17%
Iron 13%
Niacin 15%
Phospherous 7%
Magnesium 4%
Copper 4%
Zinc 4%
Vitamin B-6 3%
Calcium 3%
On the face of it, the nutritional label can be quite similar to other breads, because it has a similar ingredient list. But the difference is, other breads may contain the same nutrients, but we can’t absorb many of those nutrients. Whereas with sourdough bread, these nutrients are readily available to our bodies when we eat the bread.
Rye
Spelt
Einkorn
Kamut
Whole wheat
White
With white sourdough bread being the most common, it’s also the least nutritious option (although still a far better option than conventional bread). Other varieties of wheat such as spelt come under the ancient grain variety, or heirloom variety of wheat. These grains have different forms of wheat in them that make them even easier to digest due to their simpler form of gluten and low chromosome count.
In conclusion – there is no real reason to eat any other bread than sourdough, other than affordability, but the higher price reflects the greater time required to make bread properly.