As COVID-19 forced people inside, many started to take up baking. This led to a shortage of baker’s yeast in stores. With baker’s yeast nowhere to be found, and more time available at home, the next step in the at home baking craze became sourdough.  Traditionally bread was made using only flour, water, and salt.  A far cry from the extensive ingredient list found on modern commercially available breads. Not only do these modern breads cause headaches just reading the ingredients, the large ingredient list is hard for our bodies to digest.  This creates an overall bloated feeling.  So, what then is sourdough? Is it healthier for us? Why can we eat it and not feel so crummy?

What is sourdough bread? As previously mentioned, traditional breads were made with only 3 ingredients: flour, water, and salt. If this is the case, then how do we get the bread to rise? The answer to that is a sourdough starter. A starter is a mixture of flour and water, that when allowed to sit out at room temperature begins to ferment as bacteria in the flour break down starches into sugar, and then the yeast in the flour break down those sugars. When this fermented mixture of flour and water is added to fresh flour, water, and salt, we now have the necessary yeast to produce bread. But if it’s just bread, where dose the sour come from? Remember that starter? As the bacteria and yeast ferment the dough mixture, lactic acid is produced as a by-product, which in turn brings that delicious sour flavor that we all crave.

A question that often arises is, “is sourdough healthier for you?” There are several key aspects of sourdough that make it better for us. The first is a sourdough tends to be easier to digest as it contains less gluten and antinutrients as modern breads. Two, sourdough bread has a lower glycemic index, and three can be a good source of fiber and nutrients such as folate, thiamine, manganese, and iron. These nutrients are needed for many essential functions such as red blood cell production and immune system activation and support.

One comment that I often hear regarding sourdough bread is, “I love that I can eat it and not have that crummy/ bloating feeling afterwards”. This little fact about sourdough is one reason that a lot of people prefer it over modern yeast breads. You we can remember back, we found that sourdough breads tend to have a lower gluten content. But how can this be if it is made with the same flour as our modern breads made with baker’s yeast? Once again, the answer lies in the wonderful process of fermentation. During fermentation, the wild yeast and bacteria break down some of the carbohydrates and proteins found within the flour. This extra fermentation leads to lower levels of gluten and fructan (an interesting carbohydrate) resulting in a bread that is easier for the body to break down and less bloating.

Sourdough breads truly are amazing; from that delicious sour tang, to the nutrients found within, to the fermentation breaking down the carbs and proteins. But we must be mindful that not all sourdough breads are created equal. As with most foods, to receive the most benefits from sourdough, one must bake it themselves.  There is no regulation regarding what can be labeled “sourdough.” Stores can label a loaf of bread as sourdough when they used traditional baker’s yeast and added sour flavor.  While you still have the flavor or sourdough, you do not have the lower levels of gluten and fructan.  While homemade sourdough takes more time than popping to a store, your body will appreciated the additional health benefits of homemade bread over store bought.