Sourdough

[Howard]

New member here. We have been doing low carb for nearly 7 or 8 years. I lost about 25 pounds in the first 6 to 8 months and have been on a maintenance diet since. Of all the things we miss the most, a good quality bread must top the list.

Enter sourdough. On the surface, it would seem to be forbidden fruit, until you realize what it is, which is nothing more than flour and water. OK, that sounds bad until you realize that it's made by fermenting the dough for upwards of 12 to 24 hours. The yeast and bacteria go to work on the starches and carbohydrate in the flour, converting them to CO2 and alcohol, along with various acids that give the bread it's sour flavor. In my mind, I can see this as a process of mining the carbs out the same as yeast do on fermentable sugars in wine, beer and other spirits.

The question is, how would one know how much of the carbohydrate is removed and how much is left? Judging from the carb count in the flour going in (30 grams per 1/4 cup of all types of flours.....according to the food labels), a slice might contain as much as 12 to 15 carbs.......but a lot of that is lost through that fermentation. We hear it is a low glycemic food, but how low?

Any thoughts?

[Tril]

I think you're comparing the carbohydrate in the grain with the carbohydrate in the added sugar. The yeast uses the added sugar... not the grain... for fermentation. That's why all raised products which use yeast must also contain added sugar... otherwise, it won't rise. Same for beer... wine... there are sugars in there (fructose from the grapes) and in beer, natural sugars from the malted barley and hops. Grains in flour are not malted so the sugars are minimal and unavailable to the yeast.

So... you might be able to convince me that the carb count is lower for sour dough bread because the yeast consumes the sugar... but not for the flour. I would love to be wrong... if you find some "proof", I'd like to read it!!!

[Howard]

Well, that's just it. These types of sourdough and some "no knead" breads don't use added sugar. The only ingredients are various flours, water and salt.

The active critters in sourdough are wild yeasts and bacteria. The bacteria break the starches (maltose) in the flours down into fermentable sugars, which the yeasts then feed on, creating the CO2 for leavening and alcohol as byproducts.

No knead breads also use only flour, water and salt, and commercial yeasts are added to this and allowed to ferment for up to 18 hours. Commercial yeasts can feed on the maltose in the starches directly.

In both cases, the "livestock" in the dough are having to break down the sugars, so these are long fermentations.......and that is a good description. By long, I mean 12 to 24 hours. By contrast, yeast breads with sugars added take only 3 to 4 hours to rise and bake.

As for "proof", I don't have any. I only have this theory. I'm still looking for my proof!

PS: I tried to include a link to an outside site to demonstrate the process, but this wasn't allowed. Sorry.

[Aradasky]

http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nu...d/carbohydrate unfortunately, it is still high....

[daffodyllady]

I used to bake bread all the time. I preferred not adding any sugar to regular white bread. It makes it more "earthy" and European in flavor.
Usually, carb counts are calculated using formulation and analysis, which means they don't actually do chemical tests to see what carbs remain after fermentation. Instead, they just look at what went into the dough, and figure it is still all there. Which, in the case of yogurt, wine, and old-fashioned sourdough, is not factual. \

I was able to find this on the net:

...the glycaemic index of sourdough bread is 68 compared to 100 for non-sourdough bread. This means that sourdough will help you hold your blood glucose in check, according to research at Lund University in Sweden. The lacto-fermentation process actually uses carbohydrates in the food, converts it to lactic acid, and lowers the carbohydrate content.

from http://www.wildyeastbakery.co.uk/07-health.htm

Please note, however, that a glycemic index of 68 is still quite high for one who is trying to be low-carb.

[Aradasky]

The Swedish doctor http://translate.googleusercontent.c...7TAIi_1D4kmS_g says we should use a thin price of bread and slather butter and cheese all over it if we need bread.

[daffodyllady]

I have discovered Flax bread. I make it in a 9x13 pan, and cut it into 6 equal squares. When cool, I slice across, like a bun, and use for fried toast, etc. For lunch today, I fried a slice in a skillet, and melted sharp cheddar over top. With tomato, wow! And it's even good for induction.

[Aradasky]

Oh yes, flax bread. I love the mims.