I have a friend who has stomach/intestinal issues when eating regular bread. After getting tested, she knows it isn’t gluten as originally expected, but potentially sugars that are in the flour. So, what to avoid and what is still safe? As she found out, certain bread cause stomach issues, but not all. Different flours, including ancient grains, don’t seem to help. So, what is going on here?
You may have heard of fermentable oligo-, di- and monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP), i.e. carbohydrates or sugars. FODMAPs are associated with bowel and intestinal issues. They are present in wheat and other traditional flours. Research investigating FODMAP effects on intestinal health indicates that the bread making process and leavening agents (e.g. yeast vs. sourdough) impact the level of FODMAPs in bread.
Typically store bought bread is leavened for three hours or less using commercial bakers yeast. Compared to this, traditional sourdough can take 24 to 48 hours until it is baked. The sourdough culture includes various yeast strains and lactobacillus strains, not just the one yeast strain used for bakers yeast. Yeast, lactobacillus, and enzymes present in flour convert carbohydrates. The longer the fermentation process, the more FODMAPs are converted, lowering their concentration in the final product, which improves digestibility.
In summary, long fermented sourdough has low levels of FODMAPs especially compared to store bought quick fermented yeasted bread. What that means to you (without the science gibberish) is that you not only get great flavor with traditional sourdough, it’s also easier on your stomach!