The Sourdough School

BALM – Proven as one of the healthiest approaches to bread in the world.

Based in the walled gardens of Dr. Vanessa Kimbell's beautiful Victorian home in rural Northamptonshire, UK, we tutor individuals and train bakers and healthcare professionals in Baking as Lifestyle Medicine (BALM). Personalising bread to your lifestyle, gut microbiome, and unique genetics for optimal health—tailoring fermentation, fibre, and diversity so that your daily bread becomes the foundation of your health.

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Pick Me Up Pizzas

Teenagers Mental Health

Recipe By:Claire Roberts
Recipe Status:Untested
Kind of Bake:Instant use of discard recipe.
Makes:5-6 Breakfast Muffins or 10-12 pizza's.
Created Over:1 day
Recommended For:
  • managing blood sugar levels
  • mental health issues
Diversity Score:16 in breakfast muffin. 8 more with pizza topping. Total 24 but can be more depending on toppings.
Increase Fibre:Fibre from the Botanical Blend Flour. Fibre from vegetables and herbs.
Probiotic Serving Suggestion:Sauerkrauts. Kimchi. Salads. Olives. Artisan Cheeses. Vinegar. Olive oil. (Core Principles - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Antioxidants:Botanical Blend Flour, rosemary and olive oil for Breakfast Muffin. Basil, oregano, tomato, peppers, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Served with olives, sauerkraut, kimchi and salads.
Suggested Botanical Blend:Blend Number 2 Meadow

Ingredients

IngredientsQuantity
Tepid water around 27C80g
Newly discarded starter100g
Butter45g
Thick set Greek style probiotic yoghurt i.e. Yeovalley Greek Recipe Yoghurt100g
Milk 80g
Olive oil1 tbsp
Honey (preferably local)1 tbsp
Salt1.5 tsp
White stoneground flour225g
Botanical Blend No. 2 flour175g
Fresh rosemary chopped1 tbsp
For tomato sauce: Passata100g
Balsamic Vinegar5g
Maple syrup1 tsp
Dried oregano1-2 tsp
Black pepperAs required
Tomato puree35g
Grated cheeseAs required
Toppings of choice i.e. cooked peppers, onions, mushrooms, olivesAs required
Basil leaves6-8

Recipe Introduction

This is a recipe which is to be shared with others. It can be eaten as part of a meal, served with salads, sauerkraut, kimchi, olives, cheeses, grapes, vinegars and olive oil. Or it can be eaten on its own. It is great as a snack or a packed lunch and can be eaten hot or cold. The most important thing is to share them,with loved ones, friends, at home, at work or when out and about. They are so versatile that they can be used for any occasion and can be personalised with toppings to meet different people's tastes.
This recipe was originally created for my daughter who struggled with mental health issues. She lost a huge amount of weight because she stopped enjoying food. I created this recipe to have something simple, light, fibre rich, antioxidant rich, nutritious and enjoyable, to support her mental health. Whilst helping her re-connect with food to help get her appetite back. She named them Pick Me Up Pizza's because they did exactly that. After enjoying these, she slowly started to eat other foods and now is completely recovered, a healthy weight and enjoying food.
It is advised to bulk cook the muffins and freeze them, ready to make into pizzas whenever they are needed.
This recipe brings people together as it involves them in the process, as they get to choose their toppings. It is meant to be eaten with others. It connects with the local beekeeper by using local honey. It connects with the local mill by using their flour.
The main aim of this recipe is to make a simple, nutritious, enjoyable food which appeals to all ages but particulary with younger people in mind. The recipe has ingredients to support the gut, support mental health and stabilise blood sugar. The purpose of this recipe is to bring people together.

Studies

StudyHow this study has been applied
The Role of Gut Microbiota in Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Disorders as Well as the Protective Effects of Dietary ComponentsThis study looks into how the gut microbiota could influence the brain and mental health. Reporting various ways in which this may happen, including the cross-directional communication between the gut and brain, the gut microbiota’s production and regulation of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and glutamate and the role of certain microbiota producing short chain fatty acids. It is therefore proposed increasing the diversity of the gut microbiota could be a valid treatment or method of prevention for mental health disorders. It discusses how the lactobacillus species has research to support it can help improve depression. The yoghurt in this recipe contains lactobacillus. It also highlights how increasing fibre can help with mental health problems via the impact on gut microbiota. The botanical blend flour, vegetables, salads and suggested accompaniments will help increase fibre. This study also highlights that people who have a higher intake of vegetables and fruit correlates to a better mental health outcome.
Polyphenols as novel interventions for depression: Exploring the efficacy, mechanisms of action, and implications for future researchThis study looks at how polyphenol rich foods (which are rich in antioxidants) may be protective against and used to treat depression. It reports absorption of polyphenols is heavily dependent on an individual’s gut microbiome. The diversity of plant foods in this recipe will actively encourage diversity in the gut microbiome. It also reports that polyphenols regulate gut microbiota composition, through supporting the growth of beneficial bacteria and inhibiting the less beneficial bacteria. The polyphenol rich foods such as olive oil, black pepper, oregano, rosemary, basil, onion, garlic and botanical blend flour.
Therapeutic effects of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and its active constituents on nervous system disordersThis study looks at how the active ingredients in rosemary may be useful in helping depression and anxiety. One area it focuses on is how inflammation may induce depression and rosemary can have an anti-inflammatory effect. For this reason I have added rosemary to the breakfast muffin recipe.
Gut microbiome-derived ammonia modulates stress vulnerability in the hostStreptococcus thermophilus found in the yoghurt I am using has been shown to reverse depression like behaviours induced by a gut microbiota altered by stress. It acts by providing a buffer to stress, inducing a gut-brain communication, which appears effective to reducing depression.
Psychobiotic Lactobacillus plantarum JYLP-326 relieves anxiety, depression, and insomnia symptoms in test anxious college via modulating the gut microbiota and its metabolismThis study looks at gut microbiome composition and how it can effect lactobacillus bacteria (amongst others). Lactobacillus can be downregulated through stress and adding them can help reduce depression. It reports other studies showing lactobacillus reducing anxiety. The yoghurt in the recipe and the accompaniment of sauerkraut contain lactobacillus containing bacteria.
Putative probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolated from sauerkraut fermentationsThis study looks at the bacteria produced from the fermentation of cabbage by lactic acid bacteria. The resulting sauerkraut is shown to contain several strains of lactobacillus bacteria. With the research based benefits of lactobacillus strains on mental health, the accompaniment of sauerkraut to this recipe is recommended.
A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the SMILES trialThis study looks at implementing a Mediterranean type diet with an aim to improve depressive symptoms. After 12 weeks on the dietary intervention there was a significant reduction in depressive symptoms. Based on the above research, wholegrains from the botanical blend flour, vegetables and herbs in the muffin, tomato sauce and toppings and the addition of olive oil to the muffins were all incorporated in the recipe, to support mental health.

Equipment

  • Bowl
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Griddle or Frying Pan
  • Baking Tray
  • Tea Towel
  • Muffin cutter (optional)
  • Crumpet rings (optional)

Tin Size cm (HxWxD)

No tin required x Not tin required x No tin required

Starter Quantity

100g

Status of Starter

1-day-old starter

DDT

22°C (72°F)


Flours

  • Botanical Blend No. 2
  • Redbournbury Mill Stoneground White Flour

Baking Temperature

200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6

Baking Time

20 minutes breakfast muffins. 15 minutes pizza.


Timings

StepDayTimings (hh:mm)
Mix water and starter together. Day 18.00am
Add softened butter, yoghurt, olive oil, milk, honey, chopped rosemary and salt. Mix well.Day 18.05am
Add flours and mix until it forms a dough.Day 18.10am
Leave for 45 mins at room temperature.Day 18.15am
Over the next hour mix 3 times. Day 19.00am
Leave at room temperature (21C) for 7-8 hours or if made before bed can be left overnight. Day 110.00am
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board.Day 15.00pm
Very gently flatten the dough to about 3cms thickness. Day 15.00pm
Cut out rounds with a cutter, crumpet/muffin ring or cut square muffins. This recipe should make 5-6 muffins.Day 15.05pm
Leave on a lined baking tray on the side for 1 hour.Day 15.10pm
Preheat oven to gas 6/200C/180Cfan/400FDay 16.05pm
Heat up frying pan or griddle pan and lightly oil. Day 16.05pm
Lightly brown breakfast muffin on the top and bottom, doing 2/3 at a time.. Be careful not to burn. Day 16.07pm
Put muffins on lined baking tray and cook for 20 minutes.Day 16.15pm
Remove muffins from the oven and put on wire rack and leave to cool. Day 16.35pm
When cooled store in an airtight container, freeze or make them into pizzas. The muffins can easily be made into pizza the following day Day 17.00pm
To make pizza. Slice muffin in half and add tomato sauce and grated cheese.Day 17.00pm
Put in preheated oven(Gas 6/200C/180C fan/400F) and cook for 10 minutesDay 17.05pm
Take out pizzas and add toppings of choice i.e. cooked onions, peppers, mushrooms, olives and bake for a further 5 minutes. Day 17.10pm
Remove from the oven and serve or they can be eaten cold later or the following day. Day 17.15pm

How to Store

Can be stored for 2-3 days in an airtight container. Muffins can be frozen, then defrosted ready to make into pizza's. Great to always have some spare in the freezer.

Top Tips

If yoghurt used isn't thick set it can make the mixture sticky, which is fine but it can become difficult to shape them. If mixture is too wet more flour can be added.

Make the muffins in bulk and freeze for making pizzas.

All reasonable care is taken when advising about health aspects of bread, but the information that we share is not intended to take the place of treatment by a qualified medical practitioner. You must seek professional advice if you are in any doubt about any medical condition. Any application of the ideas and information contained on this website is at the reader's sole discretion and risk.

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