One of the things we excel at is teaching our bakers about the digestibility and potential health benefits of sourdough. There are many:

• The process of long slow fermentation and acidification of bread can also actively retard starch digestibility leading to low glycemic responses.
• The acidification of the dough also can also modulate levels and bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds, and improve mineral bioavailability.
• Cereal fermentation also produces non-digestible polysaccharides and modifies accessibility of the grain fibre complex to gut microbiota, which actually helps to feed our microbes that digest the food for us. It has also been suggested that certain fermentation levels can result in degradation of gluten and may render bread more digestible for people sensitive to gluten. The changes in cereal matrix during fermentation have huge potential to improved nutritional quality - there are numerous studies that have evidence of improved nutritional qualities.
• The acid production by the lactic acid bacteria is particularly beneficial with wholegrain sourdough, delivering minerals and potentially protective compounds in to our blood circulation.
• The action of enzymes produced during fermentation also causes hydrolysis and the solubilisation of grain macromolecules, including proteins and cell wall polysaccharides, and then there are new bioactive compounds, such as prebiotic oligosaccharides, produced as a result of the fermentation and acidification, again helping to support our digestive system and therefore our wellbeing.

This category provides articles with information and explanations of the benefits and nutritional advantages of baking sourdough.