Frequently Asked Questions

Sometimes looking at the nutritional information for food can be confusing. Even if you know how many calories a food contains, you still might not know if you should be eating it on a regular basis. However, sourdough bread is certainly something you can consider adding to your diet, replacing highly processed white breads you might normally eat. Sourdough is easier to digest because the preparation of the bread pre-digests starch. The process also breaks down gluten, which makes the bread good for people who are gluten intolerant. The bread is also full of vital minerals such as iron, zinc, and magnesium.

Sourdough bread may be delicious, but before you decide if you can introduce it to your weight loss diet, it is important to know all the nutrition facts. Different recipes from different companies may have slightly different nutritional content, but they will all be roughly the same, approximately 2 ounces contains 120 calories. This serving contains 1 gram of fat, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein. You will also get 8 percent of your daily allowance of iron.

View a selection of Artisan Sourdough Bread nutritional analyses (PDF):

Artissan Sourdough_Baguette

Artissan Sourdough_Ciabatta

Artissan Sourdough_Multigrain Bread

Artissan Sourdough_Potato Bread

Artissan Sourdough_French Bread

Artissan Sourdough_Rye Bread

Artissan Sourdough_Olive Bread

Artissan Sourdough_Wholemeal Bread

Sourdough bread is a type of bread made with dough that is left to ferment for 12 to 15 hours. It is a specialty of San Francisco, where it has been made since 1849. The bread has a unique sour taste, which takes some getting used to if you have never had it before; but it also offers some great nutrition. Replacing your regular bread with sourdough can help your diet to be more balanced, as consuming 200 calories of sourdough will give you a better quantity of nutrients than eating 200 calories of highly processed white bread which contains very little nutritional value at all. However, sourdough isn't going to work like a miracle weight loss product. You need to understand its nutritional value, and add it to your diet in a controlled way, always ensuring that the total calories you eat is less than the total calories you burn every day.

Sourdough bread contains lower amounts of gluten and its prebiotic- and probiotic-like properties may help improve digestion. However, keep in mind that sourdough fermentation does not degrade gluten completely. Sourdough bread containing wheat, barley or rye should be avoided by people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

In addition, the lactic acid bacteria found in the dough produce organic acids during fermentation. Some researchers believe these acids may help delay stomach emptying and prevent a spike in blood sugar in a way similar to vinegar. The sourdough fermentation process is often used to make rye breads, as rye does not contain enough gluten for baker's yeast to work effectively.