When you think of gut health and the microbiome, bread may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, astudy recently publishedinMicrobiomebrought to light how rye, one type of flour typically used for sourdough bread (fermented bread), is rich in gut-friendly bacteria. Don’t be fooled, this doesn’t mean every loaf of bread at the supermarket holds the same health benefits. Read on to get the inside scoop on what sets fermented bread apart.
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What Is Sourdough?
Pictured Recipe:Whole-Wheat Sourdough Bread
The difference-maker for fermented breads is the starter. Compared to traditional bread, sourdough and rye sourdough use a special starter in place of dry yeast to leaven the bread. The bread starter is made of wheat, flour and a whole bunch of very active bacteria. This is what initiates the fermentation and gives the loaf its tangy, sour flavor. Because the starter is living, it becomes like a pet. Every day you feed it water and flour in equal proportions so that it can grow and thrive.
Once your starter has become established (notice the bubbles that form each day), you are ready to make bread. Traditional sourdough bread has only flour, water and starter.
Sourdough Nutrition
One smallslice of sourdough breadcontains around:
The fermentation processunlocks the B vitamins, niacin in particular, stored in the bran and germ of the whole-wheat flour. Sourdough bread is also high in folate, which is a crucial nutrient for women of childbearing age.
What they found was that eating sourdough, and other fermented breads, leads to greater variety and diversity in your gut microbiome. From sourdough, you can derive the benefits of a whole grain and probiotics all in one slice. Compared to eating white bread, people who ate sourdough had a lower insulin response, better blood glucose control and reduced risk for cardiovascular disease.
Pictured Recipe:Whole-Wheat Sourdough Starter
Where to Find or Make Sourdough
How to Make Sourdough Bread:
You can make sourdough the old-fashioned way (try ourWhole-Wheat Sourdough Bread)or cheat a little bit. First, to save some time in the baking process, check with your local bakery to see if they’ll give you some of their sourdough starter. Usually, so long as you don’t start selling bread commercially, bakeries are happy to share or sell their starter and give advice.
Where to buy?
You can also find fresh sourdough or rye breads at many stores and bakeries. Be sure to read the label and check for whole-wheat flour, so you can enjoy the deliciousness with all of the health benefits. Once you have your super-nutritious bread ready to go, check out theseHealthy Sandwich Recipes.
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