I understand the starter is fermented flour and during the fermentation the carbs, proteins and fats(maybe?) have been already broken down and therefore the grain is more easily digestible and other nutrients have been added. But with sourdough bread you have the starter and the flour (plus other ingredients). The flour add to the started has not fermented, so won't it lack the benefits of fermentation? Won't the bread be hard to digest?
Normally, the starter (already fermented) is added to a mixture of water, salt, and unfermented flour, which will then undergo the fermentation process (bulk fermentation + proof). Bread dough is essentially a starter, since most of the nutrients are broken down during bulk and proof. Not EVERYTHING is broken down, but a good portion is.
Also, bread is not inherently hard to digest. There are plenty of folks who make breads without super-long fermentations nor sourdough cultures who don't necessarily have digestive problems.
Hope this helps
Thanks. I sort of assumed what you said about proofing and that not eveything is broken down to be the case.
The flour (unfermented at this stage) and other ingredients in the final dough are combined with the starter and then allowed to ferment, right? The fermentation prior to shaping the loaves is (usually) called bulk fermentation and the part that occurs after shaping is (usually) referred to as final fermentation, or perhaps proofing. Either way, by the time the loaf goes into the oven, all of the flour has been fermented.
As to what you may intend by "broken down", I'm not sure. It certainly won't help the bread if all of the proteins and starches and sugars and fats have been metabolized by the bacteria and yeasts that cause the fermentation; all that would be left is a puddle of goo. Yes, some percentage of the ingredients will have been metabolized but not all. That is also true for the starter.
As to digestibility, I've heard anecdotes but have no information of my own to offer.
Paul
edit: I see that lepainSamidien was faster with the keyboard than I was but it appears we've said the same thing.
Thanks pmccool. I see your points.