Bread intolerance does not always have to have something to do with gluten or wheat. According to a study, the resting time of the bread dough has an impact on how digestible bread is.

Flatulence, diarrhea or abdominal pain – many people have these and other unpleasant symptoms when they eat bread. Many of those affected assume that they have gluten intolerance and therefore avoid gluten-containing foods, especially wheat. It’s not always the wheat itself. According to a study by the University of Hohenheim, the rising time of bread plays a particularly important role.

Types of sugar in bread dough

The background: There are certain types of sugar called “FODMAPS” in the grain of wheat. The abbreviation stands for “fermentable oligo-, di- and monosaccharides and polyols”. However, the substances are difficult to digest – and therefore cause many people stomach problems.

However, the proportion of FODMAPS in the bread can be reduced: if the bread dough rests longer, the types of sugar are broken down. The researchers of the study found this out in an experiment. They let different bread doughs rest for different lengths of time and then analyzed the FODMAPS content.

After one hour of resting time, all types of dough contained the most FODMAPS. After four hours, there were only ten percent of the types of sugar originally contained.

The rising time is shorter for cheap industrial bread

The explanation: the yeast in the dough ferments during the rest period and feeds on the sugars. It kind of pre-digests the dough. The longer the dough rests, the more FODMAPS the yeast can convert.

For people with bread intolerance, this means that it is better to avoid industrially produced bread. With cheap bread from discounters and bakery shops, the dough has little time to rise, and the ready-made baking mixes are also enriched with artificial enzymes and additives.

Buy good bread or bake it yourself

Local artisan bakers and especially organic bakeries are better: they use organically certified ingredients and traditional production methods and give the bread dough enough time to rise. High-quality bread may cost a little more than in discounters or bakery shops, but it is more digestible and not an assembly line product.