by Tina Wellman, Ph.D.
Personal chef to Oprah Winfrey,
recipient of the James Beard award
and best selling author of Back To The
Table, Art Smith notes “throughout
history humans have sat down together to
break bread.” Some designate “manna” as a
universal term for bread, the staff of life, translating
into distinct cultural terminology
including rye, pumpernickel, challah, matzoh,
crumpet, brioche, foccacia, biscuit, cornbread
and pita. Query the average person and you’ll
quickly discover bread is an integral menu staple
in most meals—as a breakfast accompaniment
(eggs and toast), an “oreo” exterior for
luncheon filling (hamburger/bun) and as an
appetizer for dinner (biscuits/bread loaf).
Since antiquity some form of bread has found
its way into human cuisine.
While many “healthier” whole grain
breads are infiltrating the marketplace in
response to consumer demand, a unique
bread “alternative” worth considering for its
health and culinary virtues is naturally leavened
hearth bread baked in a steamy brick
oven. From its inception “desem” bread has
been prepared according to centuries old
Flemish traditions1 using natural leaven
instead of baker’s yeast. Initiated by the
Egyptians in 2300 B.C.2 and practiced in
Europe for centuries, this time-honored baking
practice is worthy of distinction.
 From a health perspective, natural food
authority Ron Kotzsch suggests that despite
our “consummate care,” we have not succeeded
in baking traditional bread, citing a myriad
of ailments (anemia, rickets, digestive
disturbances) linked by modern researchers to
our “untraditional” bread making methods.3
And what is the source of our error? Kotzsch
points to using the wrong leavening agent—
baker’s yeast—as the culprit distinguishing
this industrialized “insipid bread”4 from its
counterpart, naturally leavened artisan bread.
Time for revival of an ancient “skill that will
nourish the body and delight the senses.”54
Emergence of Naturally Leavened Bread:
Desem (pronounced “day’-zum”), a Flemish
term for “starter,” was first developed in
Belgium following WW II in response to
public demand for a healthier menu to
include bread comparable to European
brown bread.6 The distinguishing feature of
this sourdough bread is its ferment. A desem
culture or starter dough is a living ecosystem
unto itself. Through a process of gradual fermentation
this product grows into a highly
digestible, nutrient dense bread. In contrast to
baker’s yeast (a lab grown and controlled singular
yeast strain), desem relies on its multispecied
ambient microorganisms (including
enzymes, lactic acid and bacteria) that naturally
occur on the grain.7 For those with
health concerns (allergies, digestive disturbances),
who consider bread prohibitive in
their diet, it is worth considering if it is the
bread itself or the ingredients and preparation
that influence tolerance, allergenicity and
digestibility. Now let us turn to the bread baking
site, the kitchen, to review the preparation
of this artisan bread.
Naturally Leavened Bread Baking:
Preparing desem bread is more labor and time
intensive than conventional bread preparation
—it’s an art that doesn’t take shortcuts.
The quality of the finished product, however,
justifies the initial time investment and
reflects the love of the baker’s craft. Desem
bread baking requires following simple yet
critical guidelines: pure water, quality salt,
fresh ground organic flour, leaven (desem)
and strict avoidance of contaminants.8 The
emphasis here is on freshness and purity of
product coupled with nurturing the process
(from start to finish) that determine the final
product’s integrity—the life force of the
bread. Organic grain must be ground fresh to
preserve nutrients. Pure water is imperative to
avoid chemical contamination (affecting
quality and taste).
Few people realize the hefty differences
between naturally leavened and yeast risen
bread nor the effects of the raw materials on
overall health and vitality. These differences
are even more significant when comparing
commercial white to naturally leavened
bread—one is a starch filler (whose germ and
bran are removed to extend its shelf life at the
expense of its nutrients) while the other is a
nutrient dense staff of life meal.
Commercial flour is bleached and processed.
It can contribute to various mineral
deficiencies and health ailments. Within
hours of grinding flour, nutrients (vitamins,
minerals and enzymes) fall prey to oxidative
damage, including fatty acids that readily
become rancid. Additives (sugars, caramel
coloring) may add uniformity in color to
bread loaves but hardly contribute to its nutritional
integrity. 9,10
Advantages of unleavened bread over yeasted breads:
Yeasted breads rise quickly, driven by a refined
single yeast strain developed under controlled
lab conditions. In contrast, naturally leavened
breads rise and expand over time by the action
of the desem or fermented starter that is continuously
reinoculated during the leavening
cycle. A symbiotic relationship develops
between the “family” of friendly bacteria as it
feeds on the nutrient dense whole grain and
the mineral-rich salt, while the leavening of
the bread develops a wholesome, fine-grained
moist texture.11 Additionally, the need for fats
(oils), dairy and sugars is unnecessary. They
are replaced by the inherent germ oil from the
freshly ground organic whole grain and
the sweet taste imparted by the
natural sugar complex in the
grain.12
During the sourdough process the bread is proofed
(allowed to rise), bran flour breaks down and nutrients are
released into the dough. Specifically, the phytic
acid in the seed grain is 90 percent neutralized, a
requirement for minerals residing in the bran to
be released and absorbed.13 This is in stark
contrast to conventional yeasted breads where
90 percent of the phytin remains—to digest or
not to digest, that is the question.
Once “proofed” over several hours, the
unleavened dough expands, yielding its characteristic
slightly sweet, moist, chewable texture.
One can bite into such a bread and feel satisfied
from eating a nourishing product that appeases
both one’s appetite and senses.
Another highlight to naturally fermented
bread is its digestibility. Sourdough bread maker
and author Meredith McCarty notes that with
sourdough bread proteins are broken down into
their simpler amino acid form and complex carbohydrates
are digested into simpler sugars.
Enzymes that develop during the proofing
process remain intact throughout the baking
time since the bread loaf center bakes at a cooler
temperature than the crust.14 A caveat: Although
we refer to this bread as “sourdough,” in Europe
it is called “leavened” instead of yeasted bread.
When prepared properly however, the flavor is
not sour.15
If yeast-related allergies make bread consumption
prohibitive, this side note
may help. It is the beneficial bacteria
in naturally leavened bread
(Lactobacillus, for example) that
enhances its digestibility. This
improves digestion, absorption,
and assimilation in addition to
monitoring Candida (the
opposite effect of baker’s yeast, which favors the
Candida organism).16,17
Allergic to Bread?
Complete avoidance of bread products due to
sensitivities is a common complaint whether
due to wheat or yeasted breads. If you consume
processed grains such as white flour bread, you
may be reacting to the flour, chemicals in the
grain18 and preservatives used to increase shelf
life instead of the bread itself, in addition to
experiencing blood sugar fluctuations from
white flour’s high glycemic index. Or you may
be reacting to the leavening agent—baker’s
yeast. Try switching to organic naturally leavened
hearth bread and test the results to determine
allergenicity. If you have a medically
determined known allergy or health
malady (celiac sprue) to WORB grains (wheat,
oat, rye and barley), consider naturally leavened
wheat bread alternatives including spelt and
kamut. Many find increased tolerance to these
heirloom grains as opposed to hybridized grain
berries. Or, if you are baking your own bread
via this method, try a combination of grains
including amaranth, buckwheat and brown rice, in addition
to kamut and/or spelt.
Closing Thoughts:
Desem bread is a work of art from start to
finish, drawing “its excellence from the
marriage between the baker’s skill and the natural
goodness of the bread.”19 Once the initial
leaven is prepared (from a mixture of flour and
water that is fed over several weeks), it can last
for a lifetime if it is maintained through weekly
“feedings” and provided with conditions that
favor its growth. From then on, each baking session
consists of grinding fresh organic grain
(preferably milled in a stone-burr grist mill),
mixed with pure water and sea salt, transitioned
through proofing phases, ultimately baked in a
wood fired brick oven to yield a full bodied
crusty, chewy, crumb savory bread.20 A portion
of leaven is reserved from each batch to reinoculate
the next bread baking dough.
 |
| While many “healthier” whole grain breads are
infiltrating the marketplace in response to consumer
demand, a unique bread “alternative”
worth considering for its health and culinary
virtues is naturally leavened hearth bread baked
in a steamy brick oven. |
For home bakers unable to access a brick
masonry oven21 or grist mill who wish to prepare
this artisan bread, one can simulate this method
using a conventional oven and
a ceramic cloche baker
available from Sassafras Enterprises, Inc. Hand or electric
grain mills are available commercially as well.
A number of yeast-free bakeries have
popped up nationwide, exclusively devoted to
baking naturally leavened hearth breads
including spelt and kamut varieties. Preventive
medical doctor Hy Lerner of Baldwin Hill
Bakery in Massachusetts opened the first commercial
natural leavened bakery in the 70s and
in so doing found his ultimate life’s niche—
trading in his white lab coat for a white baker’s
apron and cap. Check with your local health
food store for brand names or companies that
provide mail order service.
There are “distinct positive changes and
healing that occur when bakers unite in
the kitchen to bake.”22 It is no wonder the
totalhealth editor has recognized the cathartic
experience and stress-reducing benefits of this
hands-on nurturing craft. A theme resonating
among bakers of naturally leavened bread baking
is their intrinsic sense of connectedness to
their craft, their deep sense of satisfaction
derived from producing a homespun product
subject to their individual discretion, molded
at the hands of its potter from culture to crust.
While in the driver’s seat, the baker is a powerful
instrument directing with a gentle hand
the entire performance combining the ingredients
of care, patience and nurturing. It is our
positive traits concentrated into this fine art
that reflect back when we bring our best
manna to the table.23
Desem bread is a story of rebirth experiencing
a new heightened popularity as artisan
bread baking steeped in tradition reaches its
long-awaited crescendo into mainstream
bread baking. While there is a science to fermentation,
in the end, “methods and rules are
not as useful as understanding the process of
naturally leavened hearth bread baking,” notes
Daniel Wing, M.D. “A baker who understands
the process is liberated—free to create new
recipes and to manipulate the determinants of
bread quality in pursuit of his or her perfect
loaf.”24 Test the process for yourself to determine
whether the proof is in the pudding.
To your good health and happy baking—
naturally.
For information: Tina Wellman, Ph.D.
at ECS Distributors, phone 817-652-3792
e-mail:
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References:
l. Robertson, Laurel, et. al. The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book, Random House Pub., N.Y., 1985.
2. McCarty, Meredith. Fresh From A Vegetarian Kitchen, St. Martin Griffin, N.Y., 1995.
3. Leonard, Thom. The Bread Book, East West Health Books, MA., 1990.
4. Alan, Scott and Wing, Daniel. The Bread Builders, Chelsea Green Publishing Co., VT., 1999.
5. Robertson, op. cit.
6. Scott and Wing, op. cit.
7. McCarty, op. cit.B
8. Ibid.B
9. Denzer, Kiko. Build Your Own Earth Oven, Hand
Print Press, Blodgett, OR., 1998.
10. Scott and Wing, op. cit.
11. McCarty, op. cit.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. Denzer, op. cit.
15. Robertson, op. cit.
16. Ibid.
17. McCarty, op. cit.
18. Scott and Wing, op. cit.
19. Robertson, op. cit.
20. Scott and Wing, op. cit.
21. Denzer, op. cit.
22. Robertson, op. cit.
23. Ibid.
24. Scott and Wing, op. cit.
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