Is one healthier than the other?
Many people wonder if sourdough bread is better than yeast bread. Because it sounds more “authentic,” sourdough bread is often thought to be healthier. But is that true?
To separate fact from fiction: it has never been shown that sourdough bread is healthier than yeast bread. Of course, that does not mean that this is not necessarily the case. We cannot emphasize here enough that the link between diet and health is just about the most difficult that can be scientifically proven. After all, the variables are endless.
Yeast
Yeast bread is actually a fairly recent development. Yeast is a living microorganism, in fact a fungus, which has gradually been developed in all possible forms in yeast factories. The special thing about yeast is that it can live in two ways, with or without oxygen. If there is oxygen, yeast will multiply. If there is no oxygen – for example when yeast is processed in a dough – it switches to a so-called anaerobic way of life. It does this by fermenting the sugars in the dough and converting them into CO2 and alcohol.
Not every yeast culture can do this equally well. Some are just mistaken fructose, others only glucose. Bakers use a yeast form that can convert both sugars, as both are found in bread dough.
sourdough
Until well into the 19th century, bread dough was only allowed to rise with sourdough. This process, like almost all complex processes in food production, was discovered by chance very early (in this case probably by the ancient Egyptians). Sourdough is in fact nothing more than a mixture of flour and water that ferments spontaneously in a warm environment. This happens because the lactic acid bacteria in the flower start to multiply. That is why sourdough also has a noticeably sour taste.
Nowadays, it often happens that yeast is used in addition to flour and water in the preparation of sourdough. Technically speaking, in this case the term ‘brew’ is more correct than sourdough, but even bakers rarely use it.
Health versus taste
The choice for yeast or sourdough mainly has consequences for the structure (how does it rise?) and taste of the bread. Bread that is skillfully baked with sourdough will have a more characteristic aroma, the crumb will be more tender and resilient, and the shelf life will also be slightly better.
The main advantage of sourdough bread for you as a bread eater is that baking it by definition involves a lot of craftsmanship. Baking a yeast bread can also turn out well for a good amateur. When baking a sourdough bread, a lot more can go wrong. The outcome is therefore very uncertain if you do not know exactly what you are doing. Sourdough bread is almost by definition professional bread and craftsmanship always tastes better.
Slow rise
In any case, an artisan baker with craftsmanship will always let his bread – whether from yeast or sourdough – rise slowly. Much slower than with industrial bread. And that could certainly have health benefits: bread from slow rise dough contains significantly less phytic acid. And that could be beneficial for the absorption of minerals by the organism.
In short: yeast bread or sourdough bread? It’s all a matter of taste. It is especially important that it comes from a good artisan baker. The latter is also very important because the term ‘sourdough bread’ does not enjoy any legal protection. Anyone can put the label ‘sourdough bread’ on any loaf of bread in order to charge more for it. The Inspection Service of Value established that this also happens on a large scale: industrial bakeries mix some sourdough powder through the bread, creating a sour taste, but the bread is otherwise ‘normal’ bread that rises and is baked in the shortest possible time. So, if you’re looking for the health benefits of slow-rising bread, go to a real baker you trust.
