Fermented foods are full of gut-healthy bacteria called probiotics. These little “bugs” are the good bacteria necessary to override the negative affects of bad bacteria in the gut. Without enough good bacteria/ probiotics you can experience symptoms like brain fog, depression, and poor digestion. Start including these simple recipes to enjoy all of the fermented-food benefits!
Ok, What Exactly is a Fermented Food?
Fermentation chemically breaks down organisms via bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms. The unfermented food will determine the type of ethanol and sugar it creates. Sour kraut and sourdough are yeast fermentations, which is a lactic acid fermentation. Kombucha on the other hand is both a bacteria and yeast fermentation, making it both an acetic acid and lactic acid fermentation.
Fermented Food Benefits
Fermenting Makes Grains More Digestible and Bioavailable
Fermenting partially digests the grains in cereal foods! For example, sourdough bread is a fermented version of normal bread (obviously). What makes sourdough bread better for you and more digestible, is the fermentation process! The yeasts accumulated in a sourdough starter innoculates the flour and water in your dough and begins to digest the parts that are hard on your stomach.
Whole wheat bread contains the entire wheat kernel including the nutrient-dense outer shell called the bran, and the mineral-rich insides called allurone and germ. This is what makes whole-wheat bread better for you than white bread (which only contains the allurone). Unfortunately, the bran in whole wheat bread also contains phytic acid which makes it difficult for the body to absorb. The fermentation process neutralized the effects of phytic acid and allows the body to digest all of the nutrients!
Food Preservation
Historically, foods have been fermented to allow them to keep for a longer period of time. This was especially important to store a summer harvest for the cold winter months when nothing was growing. This rings true for gardeners, bulk buyers, and families on a budget today! Fermenting foods is one way to preserve foods bought in bulk, on sale, or from a bountiful garden harvest.
Makes Foods Easier to Digest & More Bioavailable
Veggies and whole grains, although packed full of nutrients, are hard to digest. Unfortunately, this means that even though you may be consuming these superfoods, your body can’t actually break them down and use the nutrients they contain!
During the fermentation process, lactic acid breaks down the bigger molecules in the foods and makes the nutrients they hold more available to the body!
Sourdough Starter
Sourdough starter is the base of every sourdough recipe you will make. This contains the colony of good bacteria that will eventually ferment your flour and water mixtures into yeasty, bubbly deliciousness! I personally think having a sourdough starter around is one of the easiest ways to include more fermented foods in your diet. Surprisingly, sourdough starter can be used for more than just sourdough bread. It can also be used to make pancakes, pizza dough, cookies, breads, crackers, and so much more! The process of making a sourdough starter is very simple, but it takes about a week.
Sourdough starter is a mix of one part flour and one part water that will feed on the naturally occurring yeasts in the air. Every day for a week, you will add in more flour and water (enough to double what you already have) and allow it to create a healthy, yeasty colony of good bacteria.
A few notes before we begin:
*Any type of flour will work fine for a sourdough starter, but whole wheat and rye flours tend to be the most bubbly. That being said, all purpose flour works absolutely fine.
*There can be chemicals and minerals in tap water that are said to inhibit the growth of sourdough starters. Although filtered water is always best, tap water will work fine as well.
*When feeding a sourdough starter (with flour and water) you need to add in ***at least**** the same volume of flour and water that you have in sourdough starter. You can always feed your starter more volume than you have, but never less. This is why we will discard starter along the way. Otherwise by the end of the week you would be feeding your starter an entire bag of flour.
How To Make a Sourdough Starter:
Day 1: Add 1/4 c of your flour of choice and 1/4 c water to a glass jar and stir with a non-metal utensil. Leave uncovered at room temperature. If you’re concerned about bugs/ animal hair, etc. cover with a layer of cheesecloth.
Days 2-3: Discard (either throw out or use in another recipe) one half of the sourdough starter mixture. And feed the starter another 1/4 c of flour and 1/4 c of water- stir vigorously. Feed once per day.
Days 4-5+: Discard and feed your starter 1/4 c flour and 1/4 c water twice per day & stir vigorously. Once in the morning and once in the evening.
For more details on sourdough starter, click here!
Sourdough Bread
Yield: 2 Loaves
Crusty Sourdough Bread
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Additional Time17 hours
Total Time17 hours 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 200 g bubbly sourdough starter
- 950 g flour of choice
- 650 g warm, filtered water
- 24 g salt
Notes
Extra Items to Have Handy:
Food scale
Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Large mixing bowl
2 small, loaf-sized bowls or banneton baskets
Cling film, lids, or plastic bags to. cover bowls
Sourdough Crackers
One of my favorite ways to use sourdough discard is to make crackers! I’ve found it really difficult (& expensive) to find crackers with ingredients that I really like! Sourdough crackers are so simple and absolutely delicious!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 c sourdough discard
- 1/2 c melter butter
- 1 tbsp seasoning of choice (we love rosemary and a little cracked pepper!)
- salt to taste– I like a lot lol
Directions:
Melt 1/2 c butter in a microwave-safe bowl.
Mix in 1/2 c sourdough starter and a pinch of salt.
Line a pan in parchment paper or a reusable silicone baking mat. Pour mixture and spread out evenly. (This should be very runny & the thinner you spread it out, the crispier the crackers will be.
Top the “batter” with salt and your seasoning of choice.
Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for a total of 35 min. Halfway through, about 17 min into baking, take the crackers out of the oven and score them with a knife into cracker-sized squares. The dough should be somewhat tacky at this time!
Bake the final 17 min or until golden and crispy. Allow to cool and enjoy!
Water Kefir
Read more details on the benefits of water kefir here!
Yield: 4
Water Kefir
Make this refreshing and probiotic-rich beverage with only a couple of household ingredients!
Prep Time4 minutes
Cook Time1 minute
Total Time5 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 cups of filtered water
- 1/4 cup raw, organic sugar
- ONE mineral addition (a few raisins, a pinch of sea salt, a pinch of baking soda, one squirt of trace mineral drops, 1 tbsp of molasses, OR one cleaned egg shell)
- 1/4 cup water kefir grains
Instructions
Bulk Fermentation
- Add 1 cup of water to a microwave safe cup or jar (I like to use a quart-sized mason jar).
- Microwave the water for one minute.
- Stir in 1/4 cup of raw, organic cane sugar until dissolved.
- Add in ONE mineral supplement to aid in the fermentation process (1 tbsp molasses, a pinch of sea salt, a pinch of baking soda, one cleaned egg shell, one squirt of trace minerals, OR a few of raisins). Include a different mineral addition every few batches for thriving grains.
- Add 3 cups of cooled or room temperature water to the jar and stir.
- Add about 1/4 cup of water kefir grains to your jar. Make sure the water isn't too hot as this can kill the bacteria in the grains! (If the water is too warm you can add an ice cube to cool it quickly!)
- Secure a coffee filter, cheese cloth, or paper towel over the top of the jar with a rubber band to keep insects out. Leave your jar in a warm place for 24-48 hours depending on the temperature of your home. (78-82 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for fermentation, but make sure to keep it out of direct sunlight.) The cooler the location, the longer the fermentation process will take. I ferment my grains until there are lots of bubbles when the jar is moved.
- Once there are lots of bubbles (around 48 hours later), you can strain out the grains (with a fine mesh, non-metal strainer) and either place them in the fridge covered in water kefir or start a new batch!
Second Fermentation (optional, but adds flavor and carbonation)
The water kefir can be drank at this point, but I like to do a second fermentation to add carbonation and flavor to my drinks!
- Pour your water kefir into two swing top bottles and add your favorite flavors! The general rule of thumb is to add 2-4 oz of fruit juice to 16 oz. of kefir but there's a lot of room for experimentation here! You can see some of my favorite combinations below. ***There needs to be a source of sugar to continue the fermentation!
- Let the infused kefir ferment for another day or two, depending on your carbonation preference! In warmer temperatures it's best to check your kefir frequently to make sure it's not getting too bubbly. (This will avoid a kefir explosion in your kitchen!)
- At this point you can transfer your bottles to the fridge where they can be stored for another week before the flavor changes and the probiotic benefits decline.
Flavor Combos I Enjoy:
Greek Yogurt
For more details on the benefits and process of making Greek yogurt click here!
Yield: 2 pints
Greek Yogurt
This easy and inexpensve greek yogurt is a great protein and probiotic- rich snack! It also serves as a sour cream alternative and replacement for butter and oil in baked goods.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Additional Time1 day 6 hours
Total Time1 day 8 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon milk (raw, organic, whole, 2%, or skim)
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
Instructions
- Add 1/2 gallon (8 cups) or milk into your crock pot and cover.
- Put crockpot on low and leave for 2 hours.
- Turn crockpot off for 2 hours. At this time, take 1/2 cup of greek yogurt out of fridge to warm up.
- Add yogurt to the warm milk in the crockpot and stir to incorporate.
- Cover and leave for 12-18 hours. (Yes, leave the milk/ yogurt mixture on the counter in the crockpot! I know it seems crazy to leave a dairy product out of the fridge for so long, but this ferments the yogurt and creates that great probiotic-rich yogurt and sour flavor.) The longer you leave the yogurt, the more sour and higher in probiotics the yogurt will become!
- Once the yogurt is to your taste, pour it into your prepared straining set-up. This could be a purchased greek yogurt stainer or a lined strainer inside a bowl. You can line your strainer with layered cheesecloth, a tea towel, or coffee filters.
- Cover your straining set-up with cling film and place it in the fridge for 12-24 hours. The longer you let the yogurt strain, the thicker, higher in protein, and lower in lactose it will become.
- Once the yogurt is as thick as you'd like, transfer it to a bowl and whisk until smooth. If the yogurt got too thick, you can reincorporate some of the strained whey water.
- Pour into a jar or air tight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- As for the whey water, you can save that as well! Whey water can be used in place of water in many recipes. This includes boiling pasta, rice or veggies, as well as to make ricotta cheese! You may even consider adding it to a bath a hair rinse.
Notes
Additional Kitchen Items:
1. Crockpot
2. Strainer that can fit in a large bowl OR greek yogurt strainer
3. Cheesecloth, tea towel, or coffee filters
4. Cling film
5. Whisk
