Breadmaking is making a comeback in many people’s homes for several reasons. While plenty of inexpensive bread is available in stores, and it is so easy to pick up a loaf on the way home from work, I believe people have become dissatisfied with the quality of most major bread brands. That is not to say that there are not some great loaves of bread out there, and the rise of the artisan bakery is a welcome addition to the food industry. In the case of bread, those great loves come at a cost.

My favourite bread has always been sourdough. It’s just my luck that they are also harder to find and more expensive. You also have to be careful when purchasing sourdough bread to ensure it is authentic, made using Lacto-Fermentation, and not just regular bread with some sour flavour added.

Real sourdough bread is better for you. According to an article in the Journal of Food Microbiology,
“Cereal fermentations also show significant potential in improvement and design of the nutritional quality and health effects of foods and ingredients. In addition to improving the sensory quality of whole grain, fibre-rich or gluten-free products, sourdough can also actively retard starch digestibility leading to low glycemic responses, modulate levels and bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds, and improve mineral bioavailability. Cereal fermentation may produce non-digestible polysaccharides, or modify accessibility of the grain fibre complex to gut microbiota. It has also been suggested that degradation of gluten may render bread better suitable for celiac persons.” ( Volume 26, Issue 7, October 2009, Pages 693-699 )

I know that is a mouthful, but let’s look at it one part at a time. “Fermentation can show significant potential in improvement and design of nutritional quality.” This is all related to the fermentation process, making nutritional components more available. What that means to you is that you benefit from better nutrition with the same amount of food.

The following section states that “sourdough can also actively retard starch digestibility leading to low glycemic responses.”  Lower GI foods are better for us, so combining whole grains with sourdough fermentation makes sourdough bread an even healthier choice.

The final part of that long journal paragraph states, “It has also been suggested that degradation of gluten may render bread better suitable for celiac  persons.”  This is supported by another article from the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, which stated that ” Sourdough fermentation resulted in a solubilization and depolymerization of the gluten macropolymer.”  (Gluten Hydrolysis and Depolymerization during Sourdough Fermentation, Claudia Thiele, Simone Grassl, and, and Michael Gänzle*Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 200452 (5), 1307-1314DOI: 10.1021/jf034470z)

While many people may be unable to digest gluten, these journal articles suggest that the bacteria used in sourdough making can and do digest it. Perhaps the fact that slow fermentation and sourdough breadmaking were replaced in the 1950s by quicker breadmaking methods, allowing companies to increase production and profits, explains the rise of gluten intolerance in our community.

Perhaps it was not a sudden change in people’s ability to digest gluten but a sudden change in the bread we eat. Both scientific and empirical evidence suggest to me that returning to traditional breadmaking methods, such as slow fermentation, is better for our health. Making it yourself is better for your budget.

Basic Sourdough Directions

Useful Tips

• Use the best-quality, organically grown flour you can find, preferably freshly ground. I buy organic wheat and grind my own.
• Use filtered water (to get any chlorine out of tap water).
• Always allow your culture to come to room temperature before opening and handling, and keep it closed as much as possible.

Essentially, sourdough is made with flour and water. Most bread cultures are used to control the indigenous bacteria naturally present in the flour, which might produce unwanted characteristics such as excessive sourness or a spoiled taste. Adding the cultures will ensure uniform, more complex flavour development with minimal batch-to-batch variation.

The variety of flour used influences the characteristics of the sourdough, and it is possible to make sourdough with wheat, rye, and other flours or mixtures. Other important parameters that influence bread attributes are fermentation time and temperature. Additionally, it is possible to produce sourdough by adding sugar and salt, which will also influence the result.

Making Your Sourdough Starter

First, you must prepare your sourdough starter using flour, water, and yeast. In some cases, you may also add sugar and/or salt, which can affect the flavour of your final bread. Once you have made your starter, you are ready to take a portion of it to make your bread, following the recipe of your choice. The remaining starter can be stored in your fridge for later use.

Step 1. Preparing the initial pre-dough.

• Mix 250 grams of flour with 250 ml of water (1 part flour to 1 part water) to make 500 grams of pre-dough.
• Add your starter culture or one pinch if using our mini measuring spoons. The starter culture can be dispersed in a small amount of water, then added to the flour and mixed well.
• Cover with a wet tea towel and allow to rest. Depending on the required effect (acidity and flavour development) and flour type, the wheat pre-dough’s resting time should be up to 24 hours at 20-30°C. At 25°C, 12-18 hours are recommended, whereas at 20°C, the time should be increased. For pure rye pre-dough, it is recommended to allow a resting time of more than 24 hours at a temperature above 37°C. The shorter the resting time, the less sourness (acid production) and flavour components are developed. The dough should be stirred periodically.

Step 2. Feeding sourdough

• Mix 250 grams of flour with 250 ml of water.
• Take 500 grams of the pre-dough and blend it with your new mixture of flour and water to bring the total to 1 kg.
• Depending on the bread recipe, additional baker’s yeast may be added together with salt, sugar, and other ingredients.
• Cover with a damp tea towel and let it rest. Leave it for 4 to 6 hours at the same temperature used for preparing the pre-dough. The shorter the time, the less sourness and flavour develop.

Now you have a sourdough mother and are ready to make bread using this as your leaven. Following your bread recipe, add the required amount of sourdough mother (leaven) to your other ingredients. Allow to rise for the recommended time in your recipe, or until the dough reaches the desired rise.

Preparation of the bread

I have used this sourdough mother (leaven) to make bread, either with or without additional baker’s yeast, with good results. The addition of baker’s yeast speeds up the rising process. Without the yeast, I prefer to let my bread rise for 12 to 24 hours, depending on the type of flour I use. Rye flour always takes longer to rise. Slow-fermentation bread is also easier to digest as the gluten and other difficult-to-digest proteins are partially broken down during fermentation. This may explain why many people with gluten intolerance can eat sourdough bread with little to no adverse effects.

Basic Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• 750 grams of wholemeal flour
• One tablespoon of dried baker’s yeast (optional)
• One-half teaspoon of salt
• Two cups of sourdough pre-dough (about 500 grams)
• One and a quarter cup of water

Directions

Place the flour and salt into a bowl and mix. Make a well in the centre, add your sourdough starter, and mix in. Add one cup of your water and mix it in. Add additional water as necessary until a smooth, elastic dough forms. If using yeast, mix it with the water before adding it to your sourdough starter or flour mix.

Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for several minutes. Knead until it is smooth and elastic. Under-kneaded bread can collapse, so don’t skimp on this step.  

Once your dough is the right texture, place it in a clean, oiled bowl to rise. This is not a quick bread that uses commercial yeast. You’re using sourdough starter, so expect this to take some time.

Once your bread has risen for the first time, punch it down, then turn it out again. Cut the dough in half, form it into loaves, and place them in two oiled bread tins. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and allow to rise for at least six hours. The longer you leave the bread, the better. The best results are achieved when you make the dough one day and bake it the next, allowing it to rise for 12 to 24 hours.

Bake your bread in an oven preheated to 200-220 °C. This should take about one hour. Your bread is done when you can remove it from the tin, tap it on the bottom, and hear a hollow sound, similar to a drum. You can also use a temperature test to see if your bread is cooked through. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature, which should be 90° C. Once done, remove your bread from the tin and allow it to cool on a rack, allowing air to circulate around it.

Using baker’s yeast will result in lighter, fluffier bread. Sourdough bread is different, and if you have someone who is used to white bread that is as light as a feather, real bread might be a shock to the system. A bit of yeast will help with the transition.

For me, bread-making is a must-have skill for anyone wanting to live a more sustainable and independent life. I remember being in suburban Logan, just south of Brisbane, when floodwaters cut us off for a few days. The shops ran out of food, and no deliveries could get through. We still had fresh bread every day, and so did the neighbours.

As always, live well.

Valerie