Gluten Free and Sourdough Bread (the best thing since sliced bread!)

Gluten free bread is probably the best invention in the gluten free world!  No matter who you are, think about how many times you need a couple of pieces of bread to quickly make a sandwich, or you need a piece of toast in the morning.  Think about the number of times your kids need sandwiches at school.  Think about how easy it is to eat lunch out if you can grab a burger or a sandwich at a restaurant.  We all love cookouts and you could not imagine a burger without a bun.  Bread is everywhere!  Now imagine you need to eat gluten free and none of those options are available to you!  So when gluten free bread came on the market a few years back the world rejoiced!

If you are like my son and I (with Celiac disease) you are forced to be gluten free.  Or if you have a wheat allergy or are just gluten intolerant you need to eat gluten free.  Maybe you just feel better eating gluten free.  There are many brands of gluten free bread on the market and I will not attempt to cover them all but here are a few:

Some brands are very good and some are just fair.  Some are a little gummy, and some are dry and tasteless.  Some fall apart when you are halfway through a sandwich! Some are sourdough and some are “rye” flavor.  My favorite brand is Canyon Bakehouse.  It has a great flavor, and holds together nicely.  

Even though I love bread, I eat very little bread nowadays as I try to eat a low carbohydrate and low grain diet. But when I do eat bread I choose a sourdough bread.  Why? Because sourdough is healthier than regular bread.  And yes that is true for sourdough wheat bread and sourdough gluten free bread.  They are better for your gut than regular bread.

Sourdough bread

Here is why sourdough is healthier- when you take a grain and ferment it, you increase its digestibility and nutritional value.  Fermentation breaks down some of the proteins in the grain.  It enriches it with enzymes and vitamins. Our ancestors knew this intuitively and they would prepare a sourdough “starter” and bake a daily loaf of bread.  Many indigenous peoples around the world had similar food preparation techniques when it came to grains.  They would soak the grain before preparing it into a baked item.  Also, sourdough bread stays fresh for longer because it is slightly acidic.  And, less yeast is needed because the “souring” produces carbon dioxide which helps to raise the bread.

There are a couple of gluten free sourdough breads available.  Most of the Schar baked products (not the cookies and snacks) are made from sourdough.  Schar does this for the sole purpose of making a better-for-you bread.  It is preservative free because of the sourdough process.  I keep a loaf of Schar bread in the fridge just in case I need a quick sandwich.  Go HERE to see Schar tell of “the many benefits to sourdough”.  Schar is usually available in supermarkets and most certainly in “natural” supermarkets such as Whole Foods and Natural Grocers.

Simple Kneads brand is another bread I keep on hand.  This sourdough bread is not for the faint of heart!  It is serious sourdough that has a strong “sour” flavor and is firm and a bit dry.  I usually toast it and put butter and jam on top.  It is only available on-line at Simplekneads.com. 

It is worth trying some of these breads, even if you are not “gluten free”. Be adventurous! Wheat is definitely over rated!