Sourdough Breads at BC2
All breads at BC2 are made from entirely vegan* ingredients. We use only unrefined sugars, and kosher salt for low sodium levels. Our sourdough breads are made fresh daily and the rest of our breads are baked according to the following schedule:
Monday-Thursday
French whole wheat
Friday
12 grain levaine (new!), whole wheat cinnamon raisin
Saturday
whole wheat cinnamon raisin, honey cracked wheat, whole wheat cherry almond, German sour rye
*Vegan diets do not include any animal products of any kind (including dairy and eggs). Read more about veganism here.
Sourdough and Health
[excerpt from "Bread and Health," at Wild Yeast Bakery]
"Sourdough or wild yeast bread is leavened by natural fermentation. This requires the presence of natural yeasts from the air or the grain, combined with enzyme enhancing bacteria. These cultures grow slowly given the right temperature, digesting the starches and changing the pH, allowing the wild yeasts to feed and the dough to rise.
Sourdough baking is a long process, due to the absence of added yeast. From start to finish, the baking process takes up to 36 hours, compared to the 90 minutes of commercial yeasted bread. During this time, wild yeasts and lactobacilli bacteria (the same found in yoghurt) get to work, fermenting the dough slowly but surely, pre-digesting the flour so that the bread becomes far more digestible. And in the process, the nutritional properties of the bread change dramatically.
For a start, 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.
There is increasing interest by health professionals in the benefits of beneficial bacteria in many foods. A balance of the appropriate flora is critical to ensuring not only a healthy intestinal tract, but also for long-term health through protection against pathogenic organisms and supporting gastro-intestinal health. The most important friendly bacteria are lactobacillus, which are cultivated in sourdough fermentation. They produce lactic, formic and acetic acids, which inhibit other organisms due to the acid environment, a good example being E. coli.
The yeast and bacteria themselves provide B vitamins and biotin (important for vegetarians). Bran in whole grain flour is also pre-digested in this process so that its minerals and vitamins are more easily absorbed by the body. The enzymatic properties of sourdough also aids digestibility. Natural antioxidants in the whole grain flours also reduce exposure to toxins.
The yeasts in these breads are gentle in their action and compatible with the way the body processes natural foods such as fruit."