It’s no secret that I have been a long time fan of sourdough bread. This is mostly because I love the crunchy outside and the tangy, chewy inside. It tastes delish on it’s own or can be the perfect compliment to a grilled sandwich. Not to mention how beautiful it is in artisan loaf form. My interest really peaked when I started hearing about the healing benefits of sourdough and how it fits into a healthy lifestyle. I wanted to learn more, so I researched as much as I possibly could and came up with a list of why sourdough is helpful to the body.
Nutrition Benefits of Sourdough
– Sourdough contains less sugar and more protein than traditional white bread.
-It is made with live cultures rather than packaged, dried yeast. This means it doesn’t have to fight off mold and doesn’t require the preservatives that traditional bread does.
-Sourdough bread has higher levels of antioxidants and folate than store bought breads. For the science behind this, click here.
Fermentation
Another benefit of sourdough is the fermentation process.
– The word fermentation used to gross me out. I remember saying there was no way I’d put fermented anything in my mouth. But I opened my mind to the idea and after a lot of research and experimenting, I’m all about it.
– In simple terms, fermentation makes food easier to digest.
-Sourdough bread is made using fermentation of naturally occurring lactobacilli and yeast. This lactic acid bacteria is also found in foods like sauerkraut, pickles, yogurt, and kefir. It sounds really scientific, but it’s simple because essentially it happens on it’s own when you mix the correct ratios of flour and water together. What a beautiful thing! Actually, it’s a little more involved than that, but you get the idea. 🙂
Why I’m a Believer
Over the years I have tried many different ways of eating. I went through a time after having our second baby where I wasn’t feeling very good. My energy was low, my allergies were going crazy, and I just wasn’t feeling like myself. This is around the time that I wholeheartedly began adapting a healthy lifestyle by using food to heal my body. I did a Whole 30 and transitioned to loosely following Paleo for close to 2 years. Still to this day I don’t really eat bread, except for sourdough, because I have witnessed firsthand the benefits. Every now and then I have a slice but I recently noticed that when I eat sourdough, I don’t have any adverse effects. I can eat it and feel comfortable. No bloat, no tiredness, nothing at all. Isn’t that amazing?!
So I learned all I could about it and finally bit the bullet to make my first sourdough starter so I can begin baking my own breads, pancakes, english muffins, whatever. Thus far, my kids and husband are loving my sourdough creations. Just the other day my 6 year old said, “Mom is this made from your starter?” I answered, “Yes!”and he said, ‘Hm, it’s pretty good!” WINNING!
Sourdough Starter Tips
In order for you to start experiencing to benefits of sourdough for yourself, you’ll need a starer.
-Embrace the process. There is a learning curve with sourdough but it’s fun and worth it!
-Name your starter (google it…it’s a tradition). You’ll be spending a lot of time with this thing. I know it might sound crazy, but I jumped on the bandwagon and named mine Mabel 🙂
-Have several glass jars on hand for the first few weeks of building your starter. These are my favorites!
-Invest in a mini spatula for stirring and scraping the sides of your jar at each feeding. I use these and LOVE them because they can fit into the narrow jars.
-Use a loose lid to cover the starter after feeding. This will allow the natural gasses to release.
-Get some rubber bands or a dry-erase marker. These are useful for marking where your starter is so you can see how much it rises.
-Find the darkest and warmest spot in your house to put the starter. Mine really took off when I did this.
-Don’t throw away the discard! I put mine in a jar and keep it in the fridge. I add to it each time I feed my starter and place it back in the fridge right away. You can use the discard starter for other recipes. Here are a few of my favorites:
This recipe round-up from The Fond Life:
http://www.thefondlife.com/savorybits/recipes-that-use-discarded-sourdough-starter
This recipe round-up from Love Remodeled:
And one of my favorite go-to’s:
https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/sourdough/use-discarded-sourdough-starter/
Making Your Own Starter
This is a helpful video to get you started:
As you can see, I am a huge fan of sourdough. If this post sparked some interest, I hope you are inspired to follow through and start experimenting with some sourdough baking of your own! If you have any questions, post it in the comments below. Can’t wait to hear about your experience with the healing benefits of sourdough!
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