I love to bake bread, but unfortunately not everybody in my family loves to eat it. And this is not because it doesn’t taste great. It tastes amazing. But unfortunately not everybody has an easy time digesting bread. So I decided to make bread that anybody can digest without any problem.
The 7 most easily to digest breads are:
- Sourdough Bread
- Toast Bread
- Whole Grain Bread
- Artisan Bread
- Ancient Grain Bread (Spelt, Millet, Emmer, Quinoa, Etc.)
- Sprouted Grain Bread
- Long Fermented Bread
Now let’s take a closer look at each of those breads and see how and why they are easier to digest than other types of bread. And at the end I will tell you how to combine all of those types of bread and make the easiest to digest bread in the world.
1. Sourdough Bread
Out of all types of breads, sourdough is the easiest to digest. And this is all thanks to the probiotics found in the starter.
Here is what the probiotics are doing in order to make sourdough bread so easy to digest.
- Decreasing the Phytic Acid Present in the Wheat
Phytic acid is known as an anti-nutrient because it impairs the absorption of nutrients, like iron, zinc, and calcium.
Phytic acid is naturally found in grains and plant-based foods, so all types of bread contain some amount of phytic acid, it’s not something specific to sourdough, on the contrary, sourdough bread contains less phytic acid than other types of bread.
The probiotics found in sourdough drastically reduce the amount of phytic acid, thus making sourdough bread considerably richer in nutrients, and it makes it easier for our body to digest and absorb those nutrients.
- Lowering the Glycemic Index of the Bread
Another thing that can make bread hard to digest is sugar.
All flour types contain small amounts of sugar which increases the glycemic index. But because the bacteria and yeast in the sourdough consume the sugar in order to grow, the glycemic index of sourdough bread is considerably lower than any other type of bread.
- Pre-digesting the Flour
While not the most appealing fact about sourdough probiotics, it’s actually one of the main things that makes sourdough bread so easy to digest.
In order to survive probiotics need to eat, in the case of sourdough they eat the flour. So basically sourdough is pre-digested, which makes it easier for our stomachs to digest it, as some of the work has already been done.
Those are just a few of the things that make sourdough bread so healthy and unique. If you would like to know more you can check out my article: Does Sourdough Contain Probiotics? (+ What They Do)
2. Toast Bread
Toasted bread is easier to digest than untoasted bread. This applies for all types of bread.
While the bread is in the toaster, the starch from the bread, which is what makes bread hard to digest, converts into dextrin.
When we digest bread the starch is broken down into dextrin which is further transformed into monosaccharide dextrose. So by toasting the bread we are basically doing some of the work that our stomach would have done. So the bread will be considerably easier to digest.
3. Whole Grain Bread
Most grains are made out of 3 parts:
- Bran
- Germ
- Endosperm
Most flour is made out only of the endosperm, the rest of the grain being left out. But whole flour keeps all parts. And this makes it more nutritious and easier to digest.
The bran and the germ add a lot of fibers to the bread, and as a result the bread will travel slower through the digestive system, and as a result there will be more time to properly digest the bread.
One thing that I would like to point out is that when you are buying whole grain bread from the supermarket, you should read the label very carefully. In some cases I’ve seen bread that was advertised as whole grain but after reading the label I noticed that it wasn’t really whole grain, as it only included the endosperm and the bran. So make sure to check the label as well.
One of the best types of whole grain bread is rye bread. Whole grain rye bread is one of the most nutritious and easiest to digest breads that you can find, so I would definitely recommend you to give it a try.
4. Artisan Bread
Artisan bread is superior to supermarket bread in all possible ways. It has better taste, better smell, it’s healthier and easier to digest. The only downside to this is that it doesn’t last as long as supermarket bread. But even this is in a way an advantage. And that is because they don’t use any preservatives, flavor enhancers, etc.
While I can’t speak for all artisan bread, most of them only contain basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast.
Most supermarket bread contains other things as well. And in a lot of cases those other things can be quite hard to digest. So if you are having trouble with bread bought from the supermarket maybe you should change the place you are getting your bread from.
5. Ancient Grain Bread (Spelt, Millet, Emmer, Quinoa, Etc.)
The main reason why bread is hard to digest is that grains, in general, are hard to digest for humans. But that wasn’t always the case.
Some types of grain, known as ancient grain, are easier to digest than the rest. They are called “ancient” because they’ve been grown the same way for several hundred years, according to the Whole Grains Council. Unlike some modern wheat products, they haven’t been genetically modified. And as a result they are easier to digest, but harder to grow.
6. Sprouted Grain Bread
Bread made with sprouted grain is way more easily digestible than non sprouted grain bread.
Sprouted grains have started their germination process, and in this process they break down the starch. And as I already mentioned, starch is what makes bread hard to digest.
7. Long Fermented Bread
Another type of bread that is easier to digest is long fermented bread.
Any type of bread can be long fermented. The fermentation process can be easily controlled by a lot of factors but the most efficient one is temperature. So if you are making your bread at home, you should let it rise in the fridge.
The longer a bread is fermenting, the more time the yeast will have to eat the sugar and the starch in the dough, and the easier the bread will be to digest.
If you don’t make your own bread, and you buy it. You can try and ask at local bakeries if they have or if they are willing to make long fermented bread. Most local bakeries accept special orders and don’t charge too much for it, since they don’t have to make any big changes.
Final Thoughts
One final tip that I want to share with you is that you can combine a lot of the types of bread on this list to make the easiest to digest bread in the world. And that is Toasted Sourdough Whole Sprouted Rye Bread. And despite the long name it is actually quite easy to make.
Sourdough bread is simply bread made using a starter instead of commercial yeast.
Whole grains are grains that didn’t have their bran and germ removed.
Sprouted grains are grains that have begun germinating.
You probably won’t find Whole Sprouted Rye Flour in all supermarkets, but there are some that have it, and you can always order it from Amazon. Or you can always make your own, you can use a simple inexpensive coffee grinder, like this one, and buy the grains separately. And if you plan on baking your own bread I would really recommend you to get your grinder and make your flour at home, as it’s healthier and it will be a lot cheaper in the long run.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you can make your own. On average it takes two weeks for it to be ready, but after that you can use it daily. Or if you don’t want to wait you can buy it from a local bakery. Most of them will sell some of their starter.
When you let the bread rise, you should keep it in the fridge. This way the fermentation process will slow down, and the yeast will break down more of the sugars and starch in the dough.
And after your bread is done, throw it in the toaster. And you’ve made the easiest digestible bread in the world.