How Much Calcium Does Sourdough Bread Really Have?

Sourdough bread comes in many shapes and flavors, depending on the ingredients and how it’s made. True sourdough bread doesn’t have commercial yeast, so it gets its rise through naturally fermenting a mixture of flour and water for a few days. That sour taste comes from the organic acids produced as a byproduct of the fermentation process. Commercially-produced sourdough will have baker’s yeast and added acids to produce a similar sourdough taste.

Although sourdough bread is believed to be healthier than other types of bread, it doesn’t have as much calcium as you might believe. Gram-for-gram, sourdough bread has less calcium than white bread, pita bread, and wheat bread. A 28-gram serving of sourdough from Panera has 10.4 milligrams of calcium compared to the 40 milligrams in white bread and 35 milligrams in wheat bread.

The amount of calcium found in all types of bread can vary significantly, Registered Dietitian Angel Luk told Health Digest. “The calcium from sourdough bread comes from the flour,” she added. “While sourdough recipes are unique, one potential comparison is from the USDA nutrient database that shows ½ cup of sourdough bread mix (amount for ⅙ loaf) providing 30 milligrams of calcium.” However, this store-bought sourdough bread mix has yeast, sugar, and acids, meaning it’s not authentic sourdough. True sourdough has a specific benefit that other breads don’t have.

Sourdough may not have more calcium or other nutrients than breads made with traditional baker’s yeast, but sourdough’s fermentation process will help your body absorb minerals better. Flour may be enriched with minerals such as calcium, iron, and zinc, but the phytic acid in flour can bind to these minerals. In other words, traditional bread may have certain minerals on the nutrition label, but your body won’t be able to absorb them. The wild yeast and bacteria in sourdough break down this phytic acid to make these minerals more available for your body.

The fermentation of sourdough may make this bread easier to digest for some people. According to a 2023 article in Frontiers in Nutrition, the lactic acid byproduct of fermentation degrades some of the gluten peptides found in many types of flour. Because sourdough bread isn’t gluten-free, it’s not suitable for people with celiac disease. However, the reduced gluten in sourdough may be fine for some people with gluten sensitivity. Sourdough fermentation can also break down some sugars such as fructans, so some people with irritable bowel syndrome may find that sourdough bread doesn’t aggravate their condition.

You can improve the health of your gut if you eat fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi. Sourdough is also fermented, but you won’t see the same probiotic benefit. “Like all fermented foods, they may contain probiotics, but once the dough is baked using high heat, the live bacteria are unlikely to survive,” Luk said. “However, sourdough continues to have prebiotics, a type of fiber that is food for healthy gut bacteria to thrive on.”

Sourdough bread has a unique flavor that may enhance some of your favorite dishes. Grilled cheese may be humdrum on plain white bread, but sourdough gives grilled cheese some zing. Luk has her own favorite dishes that include sourdough. “Given its tangy flavor, I personally prefer to enjoy it with other deliciously rich foods such as green curry mussels, creamy tomato basil soup, or with melted cheese and fried eggs,” Luk said. “I also feel that it’s the perfect canvas for a lot of dips and spreads such as chutney, spinach dip, or warmed brie.”