At the bakery you can choose from several types of bread every day. A large or small loaf, round or long, white or brown, with various grains, etc. There are even different bread names, but which bread contains the most dietary fiber?
Bread and special bread
According to Belgian law, there are two types of bread, namely “bread” and “special bread”.
- Bread consists of four basic elements: flour, water, yeast and salt.
- Special bread: we speak of special bread if, in addition to the four basic elements, gluten, fat, milk, malt sugar, malt flour or legume flour have been added.
Flour or flour is the most important basic ingredient
- Flour: is obtained from ground grain grains, such as wheat, rye, corn, barley, millet, spelt and oats. The most commonly used grain for bread preparation is wheat.
- Cereal grains are rich in: carbohydrates, proteins, vitamin B, vitamin E, minerals, flavanoids, indoles, and other bioactive substances.
The grain of wheat
A grain grain is the seed of a plant and consists of three parts: the flour body, the germ and the bran. Each part contains different amounts of nutrients.
- The flour body: contains mainly carbohydrates, little protein and a small amount of vitamin B.
- The germ: contains minerals, vitamin B and vitamin C.
- The bran: contains vitamin B, flavanoids, indoles, minerals and few proteins.
The difference between white and brown bread
The color of the bread is not only determined by the type of grain, but also by the extent to which the grain has been ground. During the milling process, the flour body is stripped of the germ and bran, then sieved and further milled until the desired size is reached. The grinding degree is therefore the amount of flour that is left after grinding and sieving.
- At a lower grinding degree, the flour is whiter because more germs and bran have been removed.
- The higher the degree of grinding, the more of the entire grain the flour still contains.
- Flour: is flour with a low degree of milling.
The higher the degree of milling of the flour used and therefore more of the entire grain grain is retained, the darker the bread will be and therefore contain more fiber.
Bread enriched with malt flour
Malt flour is made by sprouting wheat and barley grains in a moist environment. Then they are roasted. During germination, the starch present is converted into maltose by enzymes, making the malt flour taste sweeter. Roasting stops this conversion and turns the flour brown. Bread enriched with malt flour is also browner in color, but it does not necessarily contain more fiber. The problem with brown bread is that you cannot tell whether this bread is baked from grain with a high degree of extraction or whether malt flour has been added.
Whole grain bread
Whole wheat bread is made from flour with a high degree of milling, which means the bread contains more fiber. According to scientific studies, whole wheat is not only rich in fiber, but also contains protective components.
Benefits of whole wheat bread
- Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.
- They can help regulate blood glucose levels.
- Good to help prevent diabetes.
- Promotes the feeling of satiety.
- Good for digestion.
- Contribute to maintaining a healthy weight.