My Perfect Loaf Of Bread E-Book

Gerd Oberfeld

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 104

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Bake your own healthy bread. It´s so easy! Bread - the right type of bread! - can be the foundation of your health. Whole grains with nothing removed offer all the dietary fiber, vitamins, and trace elements that are essential to a healthy gut and microbiome. In this book, the author presents the results of his years of searching for the perfect bread (recipe). He shows step by step how everybody can bake a healthy and professional loaf of bread - all the while balancing family and work responsibilities. - Dietary fiber, microbiome, and health - Nutrients and baking properties of different grains - Sourdough making and bread baking made simple - Step-by-step recipe with many variations

Leseprobe

Contents

Why another book on bread making?

Whole grains

Why whole-grain bread?

Dietary fiber and health

Whole-grain flour and whole-grain bread — definitions in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland

The ingredients

Whole-grain flour

Wheat

(Triticum)

Rye

(Secale)

Oats

(Avena)

Barley

(Hordeum vulgare)

Whole-grain flours and whole grains

Grind your own whole-grain flour!

Storing whole grains and whole-grain flours

Sourdough

Salt

Bread spices

Water

The baking tools

Dutch oven

Mixing bowl

Balloon whisk

Danish dough whisk

Dough scraper

Screw-top jar, small

Screw-top jar, medium

Screw-top jar, large

Oven/barbecue mitts

Kitchen/baking scale

Dish brush

Stainless steel bucket

Small measuring jug

Metal skewer

Pitcher

Flour and grain scoop

The recipe

The time requirement

Bread baking schedule for a 4-hour rising time

Bread baking schedule for a 7-hour rising time

Bread baking schedule for a 10-hour rising time

The making of the dough

The rising of the dough (proofing)

The baking

Baking in a masonry heater

The cooling and drying of the crust

Recipes for three Dutch oven sizes

Bread recipe for a small Dutch oven

Sourdough needed for a small Dutch oven — 600 g flour

Flour variations for a small Dutch oven — 600 g flour

Bread recipe for a medium Dutch oven

Sourdough needed for a medium Dutch oven — 1200 g flour

Flour variations for a medium Dutch oven — 1200 g flour

Bread recipe for a large Dutch oven

Sourdough needed for a large Dutch oven — 1500 g flour

Flour variations for a large Dutch oven — 1500 g flour

Using bread

Starch retrogradation

Storing bread

Freezing and defrosting

Using old bread

The superfood spread

Recipe of dry superfood mixture for 1500 g (3.3 lb)

Dietary fiber, vitamins, and trace elements

Dietary fiber and protein content

Dietary fiber, vitamins, and trace elements

Resources for Dutch ovens, sourdough starters, organic grains, and grain mills

Resources for Dutch ovens

Resources for sourdough starters

Resources for organic grains

Organic farms — Austria

Mills — Austria

Mills — Germany

Mills — Switzerland

Mills — Australia, Canada, UK, and USA

Resources for household grain mills

References

Whole grains

Ingredients

Superfood spread

Appendix

Ingredients and baking times for 300 g to 1500 g of flour

Why another book on bread making?

Several years ago, I developed a deep desire for a healthy and flavorful whole-grain bread I could enjoy every single day of the week. I could not find this type of bread at any supermarket, but only at a few select bakeries — none of which was in my neighborhood.

I got myself a copy of “The Bread Builders” and, for the first time in my life, I began experimenting with bread baking based on the authors’ instructions.

I used a three-stage sourdough fermentation process and had to deal with sticky dough. To make things easier, I got a powerful kneading machine. I placed the bread doughs into floured proofing baskets or buttered / baking paper-lined loaf pans. I also tried using bowls of water and bakestones in the oven …

Along this entire journey, I always pondered how to simplify this process. I was looking for an option to make fresh and healthy bread for my family with minimal effort while working a full-time job.

A good friend of mine gave me the proverbial nudge that lead me in the right direction. She let me sample her bread she bakes in a Dutch oven. From here on out, bread baking became easier and more balanced — one step at a time.

My bread baking process is now stripped down to the essentials, and the bread still includes everything a whole food should contain. It’s a bread I love baking. It’s delicious, it’s a joy to eat, and it also promotes overall health. Why? You will find the answer to this question also in this book!

Whole grains

Why whole-grain bread?

In various forms, cereal grains are our staple food. Especially in the multilayer outer skin and inner germ of grain kernels, we find the substances that are vital to our health, including dietary fiber, trace elements, antioxidants, and vitamins. With refined flours (white flours), a large percentage of these valuable substances are removed. Refined flours can provide energy and protein, but they are no longer nourishing whole food. Most foods made with grains like breads, baked goods, and pastas are made with refined flours.

As a result, the risk to develop certain diseases increases: obesity, type 2 diabetes, arteriosclerosis including stroke and heart attack, inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, breast cancer, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ADHD, and autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and psoriasis. These types of diseases have become widespread in populations that follow a Western lifestyle. They not only cause trouble and restrictions for those affected but also much suffering and high health care costs.

In contrast, whole-grain flour with the germ contains all vital nutrients. Food made with whole-grain flour therefore has such a positive impact on our health.

More and more people in science and society recognize the outstanding benefits of whole foods on our health. Already 2500 years ago, Hippocrates, the most prominent physician of antiquity, coined the statement: “Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food.”

Dietary fiber and health

As mentioned earlier, a diet low in vital nutrients is devastating to our health. In the US, the average daily intake of dietary fiber in women is about 13 g and in men about 17 g. The German Nutrition Society (DGE), however, recommends that adults consume at least 30 g of dietary fiber daily. Dietary fiber is also referred to as total dietary fiber or TDF. About 10,000 years ago, the diet of our ancestors still contained more than 100 g of dietary fiber a day.

Dietary fiber consists of complex carbohydrates that are found in plant-based foods and are not digested or absorbed in the small intestine. In the large intestine or colon, however, dietary fiber can then be partially or fully fermented by microbial communities and thus develops a broad range of important functions.

Dietary fiber is mainly found in legumes (for example, in black and brown lentils, but less so in split red lentils), beans, chickpeas, vegetables and fruit, nuts, flaxseeds, and whole-grain products.

About 15 g or 50% of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber can be found, for example, in 200 to 250 g of whole wheat bread or 150 to 200 g of whole rye bread.

Whole-grain products are rich in insoluble and soluble dietary fiber.

Cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are types of insoluble dietary fiber that help with bowel movements by absorbing water and increasing stool volume. Among other diseases, insoluble dietary fiber also decreases the risk of colon cancer.

Arabinoxylan, beta-glucan, xyloglucan, pectin, and fructan, for example, are types of soluble dietary fiber that increase the viscosity of the bolus. This leads more quickly to a feeling of satiety in the stomach, and fewer bile acids are reabsorbed in the lower small intestine. Since bile acids contain cholesterol, the overall cholesterol level is lowered. The intake of soluble dietary fiber can help increase stool volume and regulate bowel movements by softening hard stools (constipation) and bulking up loose stools (diarrhea). Soluble dietary fiber is very important as it reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by slowing down the rise of blood sugar.

Soluble dietary fiber can be easily fermented and thus makes for remarkable changes in the colon. It supports a diverse and healthy microbiome (eubiosis) and helps microorganisms, which are mostly beneficial to the host, thrive. Soluble dietary fiber affects all functions in the intestines: digestion and energy production, mucous membrane immunity, intestinal barrier integrity, protection against pathogenic agents, production of vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B12, folate, and vitamin K) and other useful substances like short-chain fatty acids (butyric acid, acetic acid, and propionic acid). These fatty acids are both anti-inflammatory agents and energy sources for the intestinal mucosa. The balanced or eubiotic state of the microbiome is anti-inflammatory.

Relevant levels of beta-glucan are found in oats and barley. Beta-glucan reduces cholesterol, glucose, and insulin levels in the blood, which lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. In addition, its antioxidant properties help reduce the risk of diseases — such as arteriosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancer — by capturing reactive oxygen species.

About 10 billion (1013) of all kinds of intestinal bacteria live in our small intestine and about 100 billion (1014) in our large intestine. They are all part of the so-called gut microbiome, which was previously referred to as intestinal flora.

The composition of the microbiome is different in each person and can change over time. Especially our nutrition as well as our lifestyle, stress level, antibiotics and medication intake are all factors. The predominant intake of products containing refined flours, sugar, artificial sweeteners, highly saturated fatty acids, and the like have a negative impact on the microbiome. There is also increasing evidence on the negative effect of the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup®) on the microbiome. As a preventive measure, we should therefore make our daily bread from organically grown cereal crops. Maintaining a healthy microbiome requires periodic food restriction (fasting) for a minimum of 12 hours in the evening and at night.

In the PubMed database of the United States National Library of Medicine, more than 35,000 papers could be found in mid-2023 by using the three search terms “human,” “health,” and “microbiome” — indeed, a very high number. And about 26,000 of those papers have only been published in the last five years. The numbers clearly show that researchers have recognized the important role of the microbiome in human health. Now, all that’s left to do is adjust our own awareness in the same way.

What is the most important factor for a healthy microbiome in our daily life? The answer is simple: The regular and sufficient intake of dietary fiber!

A healthy microbiome is a key factor for maintaining and improving the function of our organs, including our brain and thus longevity. The good news is that the microbiome adapts to the food it is offered and can change within a few weeks. Even after taking antibiotics, healthy microbial communities typically restore themselves to their original levels within a few weeks to months.

The physiological properties of different types of dietary fiber vary greatly. A single type of dietary fiber cannot fulfill all physiological functions. To benefit from a wide range of physiological functions provided by dietary fiber, it is recommended to consume a variety of fiber sources in our daily diet.

The content of total dietary fiber is given in grams per 100 g of whole grains or per 100 g of flour. This information can now be found on many food labels.

The content of total dietary fiber depends on several factors such as:

Grain type and variety: For example, rye contains more dietary fiber than other types of grains, and oats more beta-glucan.

Extent of flour refinement: It has a major impact. Whole-grain flours contain the entire grain kernel including the bran and thus boast the highest levels of dietary fiber.

The content of dietary fiber in flours can vary greatly. Refined wheat flour — such as cake or pastry flour, white flour, type 405 — has only 3 to 4 g of dietary fiber per 100 g of flour; in contrast, true whole wheat flour boasts ca. 10 to 13 g. Refined rye flour — such as type 650 and below — has about 6 to 7 g of dietary fiber per 100 g of flour and true whole rye flour between 13 and 20 g.

A list of the dietary fiber content of selected grain products (flours and whole kernels) can be found in Chapter “Dietary Fiber, Vitamins, and Trace Elements.”

The following table shows typical levels of dietary fiber in g per 100 g of whole grains.

Whole grains — whole kernels / whole-grain flour

Dietary fiber [g/100 g]

Rye and Siberian rye

13 – 20

Wheat

10 – 13

Purple wheat

11 – 13

Einkorn

8 – 9

Khorasan wheat (Kamut®)

9 – 12

Emmer

7 – 10

Spelt

5 – 11

Oats

8 – 13

Barley

5 – 18

Whole-grain breads with whole kernels