Sourdough in the camp oven – is it healthy?

Have you got the sourdough bug?

Your sourdough starter doesn’t have to be left at home in your fridge when you go travelling.

Baking your own sourdough whilst on the road can bring you a lot of joy as you are able to slice delicious fresh bread whenever you want and your neighbours will be jealous from the smells that are coming from your motorhome or caravan.

Don’t have an oven in your van?  Have no fear the good old camp oven (dutch oven) is perfect for over the campfire and gives the correct steaming that your sourdough loaf will love in order to give you the ‘perfect spring’.

Benefits of eating sourdough

• Digestible – Sourdough is easier to digest than regular bread, preventing issues like indigestion, etc.
• Beneficial Bacteria – Sourdough contains the healthy gut bacteria lactobacillus – the same major player in yogurt and kefir.
• Fewer Nutrient Binding Qualities – Most of the phytic acid in sourdough is broken down, reducing the effects of nutrient-binders on other foods in your diet.
• Lower Glycemic Load – Since sourdough takes longer to digest, it doesn’t cause as much of a spike in blood sugar as traditional bread does.
• Sourdough is a Prebiotic – Since sourdough functions as a prebiotic, it helps support healthy digestion.
• Reduced Acrylamide – Souring the dough reduces the amount of the amino-acid asparagine that is a precursor of acrylamide formation, and acrylamide is a cancer-causing ingredient found in toasted grains, including bread crusts. So with sourdough, you can enjoy your bread crust with less acrylamide.
• Gluten Friendly – The long fermentation process also breaks down gluten, so those who report sensitivity to commercial bread will find that eating sourdough is a much more pleasurable experience.

Common Characteristics of a Sourdough

A crunchy crust and an open crumb structure are distinctive textures of a great sourdough loaf. The proving and fermentation process involved in making sourdough characterises each loaf with a unique texture both inside and out.

So if you have ever been warned that you should cut bread out of your diet because it’s full of carbohydrates, makes you gain weight, and is bad for your health? If you’re a bread lover, sourdough bread may be a great option, because the health benefits of sourdough bread are numerous.  If you are gluten intolerant there are gluten free sourdough options available too.