The Secret Ingredient Missing From Your Gut-Friendly Sourdough Bread Recipe (2024)

Sourdough bread is the star of quarantine baking for a number of reasons. Not only is it delicious, but the fermented dough also gives your gut health a boost. I mean, what more could you want? You might not want to mess with your traditional sour dough bread recipes, but it’s always fun to switch things up with the addition of an avocado.

Natalya Syanova, the food blogger behind Natasha’s Baking, loves sourdough more than most people. She’s also a fan of experimenting with her recipes, and that’s why she decided to try to create a version that includes an avocado. The resulting avocado brioche recipe is a success due to its soft texture. An avocado adds an impressive amount of healthy fats, fiber, and antioxidants to every loaf.

Experts In This Article

Watch this video to find out why avocados are so good for your health:

The Secret Ingredient Missing From Your Gut-Friendly Sourdough Bread Recipe (1)

In her recipe for avocado sourdough bread, Syanova used ripe avocados, bread, sweetened condensed milk, an egg, and a handful of other ingredients—including a sourdough starter. And if you look at the ingredients list, you’ll notice a lot of the ingredients are listed in grams. That’s because, when it comes to baking, it’s the only measurement she trusts. Using a kitchen scale ($28) means every measurement is so much more accurate.

“With sourdough baking, everything can be so unpredictable,” she says. “From my experience, I learned to follow all the directions and be very accurate with all the measurements. That’s why the scale is my best friend.”

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Sourdough bread takes a whole lot of time and patience for everything to come together (this recipe takes three days to complete!), so the last thing you want is for even the tiniest measurement to be off. But once you taste the finished product, all that extra effort will be more than worth it.

Avocado brioche sourdough bread

Ingredients

For the stiff sourdough starter:
10 grams sourdough starter
30 grams water
60 grams bread flour

For the dough:
300 grams bread flour (100%)
150 grams ripe avocado (50%)
1 tsp lemon juice
100 grams sweetened condensed milk (33.3%)
1 large egg
30 grams milk
15 grams sugar (optional)
30 grams soft butter (10%)
60 grams stiff starter (20%)
6 grams salt (2%)
0.5 grams dry yeast (optional, to reduce sourness)

Day 1

1. At 10pm, add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, and form a ball. Roll it into a tight roll, place in jar, cover with water, and let sit at room temp 74°F to 78°F until it increases in size and starts to float on the top of the water.
2. In about 8 to 10 hours, the top of the starter will dry and the bottom will start to melt in water. We will need the center part of it.
3. Keeping stiff starter in the water will help to reduce its acidity and sourness of final product.

Day 2

1. At 8am, cut fresh ripe avocado and add it to the food processor along with lemon juice, sweetened condensed milk, regular milk, and an egg. Purée it all together. Note: if you are planning to use dry yeast, add it to the food processor as well.
2. Add purée and stiff sourdough starter and sugar to a flour. Mix dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 2 to 3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes until well incorporated.
3. Add salt mix for a couple more minutes. The dough should form a ball and seems kind of stiff.
4. Add soft butter and mix for 10 more minutes until the dough is well incorporated and comes up together.
5. Cover and let it proof for 3 to 4 hours at 76°F to 80°F.
6. During that time, perform two stretches and folds. The dough should become slightly puffy.
7. At 12pm to 1pm, transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation until the evening (for 8 to 9 hours).
8. At 10pm, remove the dough from the fridge.
9. Shape as desired. I used a glass loaf pan with the dimensions 16.6 by 2.5 by 9.8 inches.
10. You can divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and braid it.
11. Put a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom of your loaf pan.
12. Transfer the shaped loaf into the loaf pan.
13. Cover the dough and let it proof overnight ( for 8 to 9 hours) at 70-72F /20-22C until it doubles in volume.

Day 3

1. Sprinkle some flour on top of your loaf or egg wash it.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown.
4. Enjoy your avocado brioche sourdough loaf.

Here’s another gut-friendly recipe to try:

For more healthy recipes and cooking ideas from our community, join Well+Good’s Cook With Us Facebook group.

The Secret Ingredient Missing From Your Gut-Friendly Sourdough Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What ingredients should not be in sourdough bread? ›

The inside of the bread should be bubbly and chewy and the bread should have a slightly tangy taste. Real sourdough bread does not contain additives like oil, milk, corn, and dough conditioners. It is made with whole grains and is generally more expensive than regular bread.

What is the secret to making sourdough bread? ›

Top 10 Tips & Tricks for Making Sourdough
  • Use your sourdough starter at its peak. ...
  • Moisten the surface of the dough before baking for more rise. ...
  • Handle with care: be gentle with your dough. ...
  • Use sifted flour to make your sourdough less dense. ...
  • Soak your flour beforehand for a lighter loaf. ...
  • Just add water for softer sourdough.

Is sourdough bread good for your gut health? ›

Sourdough bread may be easier to digest than white bread for some people. According to some studies, sourdough bread acts as a prebiotic, which means that the fiber in the bread helps feed the “good” bacteria in your intestines. These bacteria are important for maintaining a stable, healthy digestive system.

What makes the best sourdough bread? ›

While the actual formula for my best sourdough recipe is simply a mix of flour, water, salt, and levain, there are many nuances here to pay close attention to; here are a few key things to successfully making this bread: An active starter. An autolyse. A high hydration.

How inflammatory is sourdough bread? ›

Refined grains, such as the grains found in white bread and white pasta, are known to increase inflammation across the whole body. Sourdough bread and rye bread are both good options for an anti-inflammatory diet. The best sourdough and rye bread varieties to reduce gut inflammation are those made from whole grains.

What is the healthiest sourdough bread? ›

When choosing a sourdough loaf, look for ones that have whole wheat, spelt or rye, Rizzo adds. Some studies suggest that Einkhorn wheat, a type of "ancient grain," may offer more nutritional benefits. When comparing nutrition labels, try to opt for the one with fewer ingredients and less sodium and sugar.

What is the healthiest flour for sourdough bread? ›

Compared to whole wheat flour, rye flour is said to be the most nutrient- and amylase-dense option for a sourdough starter. Overall, it has a lower gluten protein content than wheat flour, which means it produces slack, sticky, and dense doughs.

Why do you put vinegar in sourdough bread? ›

There are two main acids produced in a sourdough culture: lactic acid and acetic acid. Acetic acid, or vinegar, is the acid that gives sourdough much of its tang. Giving acetic acid-producing organisms optimal conditions to thrive and multiply will produce a more tangy finished product.

How do you make sourdough bread more flavorful? ›

Generally a more mature and well established starter will produce a more flavorful, sour loaf. Hydration of the Dough - this affects how long your dough will take to ferment. A slightly lower hydration will take longer to ferment than a higher hydration loaf, leading to a bigger depth of flavor and sourness.

Is sourdough bread good for losing belly fat? ›

But flour type and personal diet need to play a big role. Is sourdough bread good for weight loss? Yes, it may help in your weight management journey. It's complex carbs and high fibre content can leave you feeling full and limit snacking.

What is the healthiest bread to eat? ›

Look for “whole grain,” “whole wheat,” or “whole meal” on the label. If a loaf contains 6 grams of fiber per 100 g, it's rich in fiber. Choose breads with plenty of intact grains, like oats, barley, and quinoa, as well as seeds, if you can eat these. Watch out for mass-produced sourdough breads.

What are the pros and cons of eating sourdough bread? ›

Sourdough bread is a great alternative to conventional bread. It's richer in nutrients, less likely to spike your blood sugar, and generally easier to digest. Just remember that sourdough fermentation doesn't degrade gluten completely.

What is the secret to sourdough? ›

Hydration of dough is important. Shaping loaves with watered hands helps. Temperature is the key to bread meeting it's promise. Use high temperature baking.

What ingredients are in true sourdough bread? ›

Sourdough bread is made from flour, water and salt fermented using lactic acid bacteria and wild yeast. Sourdough bread is known in almost every country around the world. Each culture has a different name for it.

What is the best grain for sourdough bread? ›

Glutenous flours, such as spelt, einkorn, rye, and wheat, tend to work best. However, it's possible to use gluten-free flours, including buckwheat, amaranth, brown rice, and teff, but these may need a little help at first, known as a boosted starter.

Why not to eat sourdough bread? ›

The longer fermentation process used to make sourdough bread reduces phytate levels. Phytate is naturally found in many grains and acts as an antinutrient because it binds to minerals, reducing your body's ability to absorb them.

What is the disadvantage of sourdough bread? ›

Potential Drawbacks

Therefore, sourdough bread is not a safe choice for people with celiac disease or a wheat allergy, and it is not an ideal choice for people who are eating gluten-free or avoid wheat for any other reason.

What does sourdough bread not have in it? ›

Genuine sourdough bread is NOT made using additives, baker's yeast (usually listed simply as yeast) or chemical raising agents (eg baking powder).

Who Cannot eat sourdough bread? ›

Beyond Celiac does not recommend that those with celiac disease eat sourdough bread unless it is clearly labeled gluten-free or has been made safely at-home with gluten-free starters/ingredients.

References

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