Recently, I decided to venture into making sourdough bread from scratch. That includes waiting for the natural yeast to develop, which is called sourdough starter. I had no idea how much I would learn through this process. Did you know that up until about 100 years ago, all bread was basically sourdough bread?
HISTORY
In the past, there was no such thing as store-bought yeast. The first yeast packets showed up in the supermarket around 1868 when the Fleischmann brothers offered yeast as a cake of compressed grain, barley malt, and brewer’s yeast. In 1869, chemist Eben Horsford figured out baking powder would make bread rise without a starter and its popularity grew quickly.
Before the convenience of store-bought yeast and leaving agents, yeast was naturally created through the fermentation of ground grain. This is how it was done for thousands of years. Though store-bought yeast is a quicker option, it does not allow for beneficial fermentation. The fermentation is crucial in bread-making. It helps the body absorb the vitamins and minerals. Therefore, breads made with store bought leavening do not offer the natural process of breaking down the wheat properly. Without this fermentation time, our digestive systems have a hard time breaking down the grain and therefore absorbing the grain’s nutrients.
SIDE EFFECTS FROM STRIPPED BREAD
Additionally, commercial breads are produced by the refining and separation of the grains, which takes out a lot of the health benefits. Did you know that there are three parts to the wheat kernel – the bran, endosperm and the germ. Researchers have discovered that most of the beneficial nutrients are contained in the bran and germ of the wheat. Unfortunately, these are the parts removed from white bread. In fact, in the early 1900s, it was discovered that people were getting sick with a disease called pellagra. They believed this disease was caused by the deficiency of nutrients (particularly Vitamin B3) as a result of commercial white bread being sold at the time. People were experiencing dementia, skin rashes, intestinal problems, and other symptoms. Consequently, we now see ‘enriched’ bread offered, where they put artificial nutrients back into the bread because they have been stripped out through processing.
Saint Hildegard von Bingen, who was born in the year 1098 warned us not to strip wheat roughly 1000 years ago.
ALLERGIES
The commercially processed white bread is generally not that tasty. This is why we often see lots of additives, flavoring, sugar and binders to give us the desired texture, taste, and appearance. But what are these additives and refined breads actually doing to our body? Could this be one of the reasons we see so many people having gluten intolerance?
NUTRITION
Many don’t have time to make bread from scratch and may desire to purchase wholesome bread from others. A word of caution when buying sourdough bread; some of the sourdough bread sold in stores are not even officially a sourdough product. Rather they have added flavors to give it that sour taste and often are made with fast-rising yeast. Try finding a local bakery that makes authentic sourdough and always check your ingredients.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Making your own bread, and yeast, from scratch is pretty easy once you know what to expect and get the hang of it. Making your own yeast only takes flour and water and is pretty amazing how God made it all work for our benefit.
Once you mix the flour and water together, the enzymes in the yeast, break down the flour and release sugar, which converts to carbon dioxide and ethanol. This causes the dough to rise. It takes anywhere from 7-21 days to get a good sourdough starter going before it’s useful in using in recipes without added leavening agents. However, there are LOTS of recipes out there that can be used with your sourdough discard, while you get it going.
A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Galatians 5:9
To be honest, I was not expecting to do a video about bread, I just wanted to figure out how to make sourdough. However, each time I looked into the process, the Lord would bring to mind scriptures and parables having to do with bread. In fact, even the wheat grain itself can be a lesson to us spiritually.
JESUS IS OUR DAILY BREAD
In the last 100 years, we have commercially began to strip away the natural nutrients that God intended in our bread. As we know, a grain of wheat is 3 parts, but now, we mostly use the clean-looking endosperm. All 3 parts were intended to be used with grain.
And strangely, many people now get sick or have allergies to the grain God gave us. To me, this also reflects what has happened spiritually over the last hundred years. The Word of God can easily become commercialized. But we need the full gospel of God’s Word to be properly nourished. We need all 3 parts – truth, grace and understanding.
In Proverbs 9, there’s an interesting parallel between the calling of wisdom and the calling of folly. Both are represented by a woman calling out to ‘simple’ people. Wisdom calls for the simple to turn to wisdom and take of the bread and mingled wine. But lady folly calls to the people to take as stolen water and bread.
“Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.” Proverbs 9:5-6
PARALLELS
The correct way of doing things is not easy to discern, if we are not diligently seeking God. Making bread is a lot like our walk with the Lord. First, the dough must be worked, and pressed in order to get it ready for proper rising. Just as we need to have proper training and strength through trials in life. We are to be renewed by Jesus, which is not always easy nor is it a quick process. Thankfully, these trials don’t last forever. They give us wisdom and help us grow in Christ.
Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. This also comes from the Lord of hosts; He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. Isaiah 28:28-29
Dough is not useful for consumption unless it is baked hot by being put through the fire. We are not helpful to others unless we stand in times of adversity when fellow believers need encouragement and when non-believers need hope.
JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35
When Jesus said ‘I am’ – it was the same ‘I am’ that referred to God Himself, in the book of Exodus 3:14 – God said to Moses, “I Am who I Am.” And He said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I Am has sent me to you.’”
Not only did He say He was the bread of life, but whoever comes to Him will not thirst. Bread is made of grain and water, that the Lord has given us on earth.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. Exodus 16:4
To step even further, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and Bethlehem literally translates to mean ‘house of bread’. Jesus is the bread. Can you see why communion is so important once you are a believer? And as they were eating, He took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is My body.” Mark 14:22. This bread is a symbol of consuming everything about Jesus and physically putting it into our bodies. It’s God’s food for us. The Levites in the book of Nehemiah said this:
You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them. Nehemiah 9:15
However, the book of John gives us deeper insight:
For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. John 6:33
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh. John 6:51
NOT LITERAL BREAD
However, we should not hunger for literal bread as Christians. Instead, we should hunger for the continual filling of the Holy Spirit and a relationship with Christ. When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness, He said – It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4. We are to be careful not to fall out of relationship with Jesus by failing to consume the Word. When we are no longer being constantly influenced by God’s Word and influence, we will easily be influenced by the world.
In John 6, the people are coming to Jesus, right after He miraculously fed thousands of people, with a few loaves of bread and a couple fish. They were asking Him for another sign, saying that Moses reigned bread down from heaven. They were wanting the same from Him. And Jesus is trying to explain to them that He is the bread. Jesus exposes the hearts of the people explaining that they are only there for literal bread, and not a relationship with God.
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him God the Father has set His seal.” John 6:26-27
This should be a warning to us all to seek after Jesus as if He is our only food falling from Heaven. Seek after the relationship with Jesus as if your life depends on it…because it does. Jesus said:
I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6
MAKE BREAD
As a side note, I highly recommend making your own bread and breaking away from commercial breads. It’s not easy, but neither is being a Christian that is on fire for Jesus! It takes perseverance. My first two breads I made turned out like hockey pucks and were inedible. But the third one turned out much better, but still pretty sour. I am still perfecting my bread.
I’m providing a link to Bob’s Red Mill (https://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes/how-to-make/sourdough-starter/) for more thorough information. Everyone does their sourdough starter differently. I recommend watching videos and doing your own research as well. It also helps to ask friends who have made sourdough. I had to contact a couple of my friends to ask questions and that really encouraged me to continue.
I hope you enjoy making your own sourdough bread! There are also lots of recipes to make using the sourdough discard. Hopefully, I can post a few my own soon!
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh. John 6:49-51
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