If you have to do bread....there is a healthier option to "brown" bread

What is this? Bread? And why are you posting this here? Isn't this part of the 'enemy'? Carbs? You are misleading us!

:-D

Just take a minute (or three....I can foresee this is going to be a long post) and read through....

This is sour dough bread made from whole meal flour (not whole wheat). While we all know that white bread is especially bad when you're trying to live healthy, spiking your blood insulin, providing unnecessary calories....it turns out, there is a healthier bread, and it's sour dough bread.


What makes it healthy? I had actually composed a looong post with a lot of scientific mambo jambo, but figured it's easier to point it out then if you have a question I can try to answer or point you to a website that does.

The dough to make the bread contains a lactobacillus culture used in combination with natural yeasts. The lactobacillus is in greater proportion to the yeast and therefore the bread is not yeast based. The sourdough produces a sour taste mainly because of the lactic acid produced by the bacteria.


Sourdough bread preparation improves nutrition by:
1. Changing the nature of the starches (pre-digesting them) making the bread more easily digestible.

2. Lowering insulin response/improving glucose tolerance. - This effect actually lasts through to the next meal affecting the way your body responds to the next meal positively.

3. Protecting Vitamin B1 from the damage of the heat of baking

4. Breaking down gluten (very important!!!) into amino acids taking us back to easily digestible.

5. The bacteria in sourdough activate an enzyme that breaks down an anti nutrient present in all grains, beans and seeds i.e increases bio availability of nutrients.

6. It has a low glycaemic index. Low GI foods indicate  that food does not cause a spike in blood sugar and insulin levels. This has been proven to provide many health benefits for medical conditions such as diabetes while also assisting weight control by improving appetite control and delaying hunger.

7. The Lactic Acid produced by the bacteria keeps the bread longer....It has a longer shelf life. However, because making this bread is a process (the waiting time not the actual labour) I usually make enough for 3 weeks to a month and freeze the bread. The only downside is you cannot have the bread without toasting it, you can also de frost in the oven but this takes longer.


Next post....how to make sour bread at home....