| There are basically two ways to raise bread – with added yeast or with natural leavening (sourdough). Yeast breads are quick, easy, generally light, and very mild in flavor – almost sweet. They are the bread that we know as bread in America . Sourdough breads are slow, a bit more labor intensive, heartier in texture, and somewhat sour in flavor. Why exactly would you go to the trouble to make sourdough bread when other bread is so much quicker and easier?
There are a lot of scientific reasons why sourdough is better for you. Three of them are here:
* Phytic acid is present in all grains. It blocks the absorption of minerals that your body needs. The slow rising of sourdough allows for the breakdown of much of the phytic acid in grains before digestion occurs so there is better absorption of minerals in your intestines.
* It also increases the number of beneficial enzymes which provide more vitamins, especially B vitamins.
* Gluten is a protein in grains that is very difficult to digest. The continual stress of this difficult process can damage the intestines permanently. There are a vast number of people today with wheat allergies, gluten intolerance, celiac disease and other problems related to gluten consumption. Sourdough begins the process of breaking down this protein during the slow rising so that the bread is much easier to digest and the proteins are more easily absorbed.
While I can read these and understand a little, I am not a nutritionist. What I do know, as a mother, is that my oldest son had a wheat intolerance as a very young child that caused chronic ear infections and serious hearing loss. We tried to treat this medically with many rounds of antibiotics, a traumatic round of steroids, and 3 different surgeries over 5 years. What finally worked for him was the removal of wheat from his diet. Within 3 weeks his ears had cleared and within 3 months his hearing had almost returned completely. Another son experienced severe diaper rash when quick risen and un-soaked grains were consumed in excess. I have at least 6 adult friends that have irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, crone’s disease or gluten intolerances. All of these things are linked in my mind to the consumption of bread – improperly prepared breads. Some people’s answer is to remove bread from the diet. But if my goal is to eat a diet that is provided naturally by God, then there must be an answer besides just eliminating grains. Grains and breads are eaten throughout the Bible (grains are first mentioned in Genesis 1:29 and bread is first mentioned in Genesis 3:19). God provided the Israelites bread from Heaven in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4). Jesus served bread to the masses and calls himself the bread of life (John 6). So can bread be all bad? How can a life-giving food then be a life-taking food now?
I believe the difference is in the grains and the preparation. I also believe that properly prepared sourdough bread using a variety of grains can still provide the life-giving nutrition that bread provided during ancient times. For these reasons - the scientific ones that I only vaguely understand, my own personal experience, and the biblical examples that I accept by faith – I believe that it is more than worth the time and trouble to make sourdough bread.
It is my goal to help people transition from store bought or yeast raised breads to naturally raised whole grain breads. I have 1 transition recipe for yeasted sourdough bread that is very good and mild in flavor. It is moist and can be sliced thin for sandwiches. It has a tiny bit of yeast, but a rise time of 5-7 hours. The other recipes are baker’s yeast free. I add baking soda to some recipes as it counteracts the sour flavor of the sourdough and makes the transition easier. I feel it is important for healthy foods to taste good so that our families will enjoy healthy eating now and continue to make healthy choices in the future.
I hope you enjoy the sourdough recipes here. I will be adding more as the weeks go by. The following ones should get you started:
Sourdough Starter
Yeasted Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Loaf Bread (1 loaf recipe)
Sourdough Loaf Bread (4 loaf recipe for the Bosch)
Sourdough Tortillas
|