History and Benefits of Sourdough

This post is from my previous blog Sourdough365.com:

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Before I get to the benefits of natural leavening and the drawbacks of using fast rising commercial yeast, I'd like to share a little bit of the history of natural leavening or what we call sourdough starters.

So, where did the name "sourdough" come from? The name for natural leaven starter became popular with the U.S. California and Alaska Gold Rush. The natural leaven starter that created sour dough was precious since there were no bakeries for Westerners or those in the Alaskan Frontier. Miners carried their sourdough starter with them everywhere and even slept with it on cold nights to keep it warm. They were very careful to keep it healthy and going because if the starter went bad or was lost it was not easy to replace and took time to make a new one.  Because the miners carried their sourdough everywhere with them, experienced miners became known as "Sourdoughs".

Where did the process of natural leavening begin? It is believed that 3,000 to 5,000 years ago the Egyptians discovered wild yeast by accident and developed a similar method to sourdough for leavening breads. Grains were usually soaked or fermented before baking with them or eating them as porridge or what have you. Natural leavening was used into the 1800s. In the late 1860's Louis Pasteur identified yeast as a living organism and that it was what made leavening and alcoholic fermentation. It wasn't long until yeast strains were isolated and Charles and Maximilian Fleischmann produced and sold cakes of compressed yeast. By the early 1900s factory produced baker's yeast was readily available and most bread baking was done with the isolated yeast strains.

Many people today use commercial yeast to make their sourdough starters but that is not true sourdough. True sourdough starters are made simply with water and flour. The natural existing wild yeast on the grains is already there just waiting to be found. I'm not being a sourdough snob by saying that real sourdough is not made with commercial yeast. Natural leavening is made of several strains each of beneficial bacteria and yeast. The beneficial bacteria helps control the type of yeasts and how many are in the dough and the yeast do the same with the bacteria. They work together through fermentation of the dough, to break down natural toxins in the grains and make the nutrients more available and easier to digest. For example phytic acid, which is a natural preservative that protects the grain, inhibits the absorption of the minerals in the grain and can cause digestive issues. The natural enzyme inhibitors and proteins that are hard to digest cause allergies and many other diseases. Gluten is made up of several different proteins and the bacteria helps to break them down. Breads that use large amounts of yeast to produce loaves in a very short time, do not allow the dough to ferment for several hours, so there is very little chance for natural bacteria to destroy the harmful elements in the dough.

With commercial yeast, there is also the problem of the yeast being allowed to multiply without the bacteria to keep them under control. According to an article written by Jacques de Langre, the issue with commercial yeast is that it is an isolated strain that is a "mushroom-type" microorganism with a very rapid reproduction cycle. One gram of compressed yeast contains several trillions of yeast cells. Dough containing only 1% commercial yeast can double the amount of cells in 6 hours at 80 F. If the fermentation is allowed to continue, the cells would multiply to produce 150,000,000 cells per cubic centimeter no matter how little the amount of yeast used to begin with. You end up with destructive cells that, according to the research of Dr. Warbourg, M.D., are an exact duplicate of human cancer cells. Makes you think twice about using commercial yeast doesn't it? Combine that along with all the chemical additives, synthetic vitamins they "enhance" the breads with, hybridized grains, the digestibility issues, and you have the answer to why you should take the time to make your own natural leavened/fermented bread or find someone who sells it. If you buy your sourdough bread or a starter from someone else, make sure they do not use commercial yeast in the process at any point. It should be 100% wild yeast only. It is also best if you can use the organic ancient or older grains that have not been hybridized. If you buy your bread from someone, ask what type of grains they use and where they come from. Many people who have trouble with grains due to gluten or other issues, find that they can better tolerate the ancient grains, especially if they are naturally leavened. You may want to experiment with different combinations. For best results the dough should be allowed to ferment for at least 8 to 12 hours, though as little as six may be ok for some. Some people see even better results if they allow fermentation up to 72 hours. This would require you to place the fermenting dough in the refrigerator to slow the process and allow the bacteria to further break down the irritants in the grains. See my article "Grains: Then and Now" for more information about ancient grains.

Sourdough bread for blood sugar control? Research was done on overweight older adults. They gave them sourdough bread for breakfast and a second time after lunch. Those who ate the sourdough bread saw the least amount of blood sugar and insulin response. Before making dietary changes, always consult with your doctor.

Natural leavened/sourdough bread keeps well since it retains it's moisture unlike breads made with commercial yeast that dry out quickly and need refrigeration. Sourdough bread is best stored at room temperature, wrapped in a tea towel, and placed in a bread box. It freezes well too. If frozen when it is fresh, once it is thawed and reheated, it tastes just as fresh as the day it was frozen. Allow the bread to completely cool before slicing it and then double bag the bread in freezer bags, getting out as much air as possible. Label it and pop it in the freezer.

Some Sourdough Benefits

•     Predigest starches
•     Lowers insulin and blood sugar response, no sugar spikes
•     Makes bread digestible and nutrients more available
•     Breaks down harmful elements in the grains like phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors that can cause digestive issues, allergies, inability to absorb nutrients in grains
•     Breaks down gluten allowing some people with gluten sensitivity eat bread
•     Lactic acid acts as a natural preservative retarding mold growth, resulting in longer lasting bread

Below is a video I found on Youtube about Sourdough Miners. It has some nice pictures put to the music. Thought you might enjoy it.



*Disclaimer: The content of this blog is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor before making any dietary changes.