Sourdough September is here!!

Your Ultimate Guide to Sourdough September

What is Sourdough September?

Why it’s an initiative to promote sourdough!

Dubbed the month of sourdough by the Real Bread Campaign, the entire team of researchers, bakers, farmers, and volunteers works hard to spread knowledge of all things bread.

Their purpose is to reduce locals’ reliance on factory made bread - bread that is full of preservatives, chemicals/additives such as bread improvers, excessive yeast and so on all of which lead to poor digestion and gluten insensitivity.

In its 10th year, international Sourdough September is on a mission to help the world discover the significance and benefits of sourdough.

“Launched in 2013, the main aims of #SourdoughSeptember are encouraging people to:

• Bake genuine sourdough bread.

• Buy genuine sourdough bread from small, independent bakeries

• Boost the Real Bread Campaign, the charity behind Sourdough September.
  

For 12 months of the year, the Campaign promotes Real Bread in general, with September being a focal point for sourdough in particular.

Sourdough September is run as an opportunity for genuine sourdough bakers and baking teachers to showcase what they do.

It's also time to shout louder than usual 'say no to sourfaux' to alert people to this problem and help them avoid paying a premium for something that simply isn't the real deal.”

- excerpt from the Real Bread Campaign website.

Let’s talk about what sourdough is and how it benefits us.

Studies suggest that sourdough acts as a pre/probiotic in your gut, meaning the fibre in wheat feeds ‘good’ bacteria in our intestines. The bacteria helps maintain the ‘biome’ of our guts. In other words it promotes healthy digestion.

Sourdough is also considered lower in gluten than other breads.

What is a starter and how is it made?

A starter is a live culture and a natural leavening agent.

A starter is very easy to make - all that is required is equal amounts of flour and water otherwise known as feeding the starter. Once fed, it is left in warm temperatures to encourage fermentation.

Starters have to be fed as regularly as they are used. Once a week is a good way to go about it if you are going to use your starter once in a while.

Facts about sourdough:

1. Good source of priobiotics and prebiotics.

2. Lower Glycemic Index than regular bread: fermentation ensures sugars and starches in the flour are broken down and eaten up by the natural yeasts so there is much less left in the baked bread.

3. More nutritious than other bread: bacteria that breaks down the starter also breaks down phytic acid that blocks the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals. The lactic acid bacteria found in sourdough bread lowers the bread’s pH, which helps deactivate phytic acid/phytate by 70%. Thereby increasing the absorption of potassium, magnesium, zinc, and folate from the bread.

4. Better flavour: longer fermentation helps improve the aroma, flavour, and texture of (whole grain) bread.

5. Better for diabetics as it releases sugar slowly thereby avoiding a sugar spike or a crash. Research suggests fermentation changes the structure of carbohydrate molecules which in turn reduces its GI.

6. Nutrition: On average, one medium slice of sourdough bread made with white flour and weighing approximately 2 ounces (59 grams) contains:

   • Calories: 188

   • Carbs: 37 grams

   • Fiber: 2 grams

   • Protein: 8 grams

   • Fat: 1 gram

   • Selenium: 32% of the Daily Value (DV)

   • Folate: 21% of the DV

   • Thiamine: 21% of the DV

   • Niacin: 20% of the DV

   • Riboflavin: 17% of the DV

   • Manganese: 15% of the DV

   • Iron: 13% of the DV

   • Copper: 10% of the DV

sourdough starter

Sourdough boule