Do you love bread but struggle with gluten? Rye sourdough might offer you the chance to enjoy bread again. This post shares how rye is different to wheat, what the sourdough process does to make bread more digestible and explains why making rye sourdough bread in your own kitchen is easier than you think:
“I can’t eat wheat bread, it just doesn’t agree with me.”
How many times have you heard this?
Maybe it’s you that struggles with ‘normal’ bread, or maybe your partner or friend. There are so many of us. Because, these days, it’s not just celiacs who have problems with wheat. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is staggeringly-prevalent in our modern age.
And it can be devastating, because, seriously, bread rocks! It’s a huge part of our society’s food culture; it’s something we can share, keep, create a quick meal with and that can satisfy us at such a deep level. Good bread is the stuff of life.
If it’s you or one of your loved ones that can’t tolerate wheat and its gluten, don’t despair. Before you give up ever eating decent bread again and swear to go gluten-free, give rye sourdough bread a go.
Why rye sourdough bread is a good option
Rye gluten is not equal to wheat gluten
To start with rye is much lower in gluten; a recent study showed it as having three times less gluten than wheat. In addition to this, the gluten in rye has a different chemical composition to the gluten in wheat.
This is why rye breads do not rise in the same way that breads made with white wheat flour do. It’s gluten that helps trap the air inside a wheat bread. Rye flour just doesn’t have the same level of gluten as wheat flour, and the gluten that it does have doesn’t work in the same way. That means it also may not work in the same way in your body!
Sourdough changes the nutritional profile of bread
The long fermentation involved in the sourdough process breaks down many of the compounds in grains that can cause digestive issues as well as, at the same time, making many more nutrients available for us.
This means that when a slice of sourdough bread hits your digestion, it is literally not the same food as a bread made industrially with commercial yeast. Combine this with the lower and chemically-different gluten in rye and you’re looking at something that your body may just thank you for!
How to make rye sourdough bread in your kitchen
Along with struggling to digest wheat, many people find mastering the sourdough process tough. If you’ve struggled with a wheat sourdough starter or when making wheat sourdough bread, know that using rye is a lot simpler:
Rye: a fuss-free sourdough starter
Making and maintaining a rye sourdough starter is easier than keeping a starter made with wheat flour. Wholegrain rye flour is full of enzymes that encourage and support fermentation and the water-holding capabilities of rye means you can refresh your rye starter less often and give it less attention than it’s wheat counterpart.
No kneading or shaping required
This same ease holds true when it comes to making rye sourdough bread. Rye bread doesn’t need kneading or shaping like wheat does, so even if you’re a beginner at bread-making you’re in with a chance of getting a good result.
Take your pick!
Rye sourdough breads come in all shapes and sizes; they’ve been made by traditional cultures in rye growing regions around the world for centuries. There are dark, heavy breads, that’ll satisfy parts of you that you didn’t know existed. There are everyday sandwich-able ryes that’ll be feeding you all week. And there are deeply-scented spiced breads that’ll wow you with their fragrance and lasting flavour.
Here’s how to learn more:
Bringing rye sourdough bread into your kitchen and life needn’t be intimidating; have a listen to my podcast episode dedicated to it: Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics.
Bring ancient grain baking into your kitchen!
Download my free 30-page guide with five healthy and tasty 100% ancient grains recipes.