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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Turmeric Chai Porridge Boule with Chocolate, Orange and Walnuts

Recipe By:Jessica Higgott
Recipe Status:Untested
Kind of Bake:Retarded overnight – San Francisco Style – mixed in the morning, retarded in the fridge overnight, baked at any point the next day
Makes:2 boules
Created Over:3 days
Recommended For:
  • anyone can eat this
Diversity Score:27
Increase Fibre:Through the combination of wholegrain flours (rye in the leaven & wholegrain spelt in the botanical blend) and the oats & seeds in the porridge.
Probiotic Serving Suggestion:Cultured butter or organic greek yogurt with fresh blueberries or blueberry compote.
Antioxidants:There are antioxidants in the wholegrains, the turmeric chai, the dark chococolate, the walnuts, the orange zest and the blueberries/blueberry compote.
Suggested Botanical Blend:I created my own Botanical Blend

Ingredients

IngredientsQuantity
Starter35g
Turmeric Chai (Turmeric root, Ginger, Cinnamon) @ 27'c85g
Rye (for the leaven)75g
Porridge blend (rude health, 5 grain, 5 seed porridge60g
Water for the porridge240g (add more if needed)
Strong White Bread Flour700g
Botanical Blend300g
Water @ 27'c750g
Fast Leaven200g
Pink Himalayan rock salt20g
Dark Chocolate75g
WalnutsWalnuts
Zest of 1 orange1

Botanical Blend by Jessica Higgott

IngredientsQuantity
Wholegrain Spelt650g
Einkorn & Emmer270g
Flaxseed20g
Chia20g
Hemp20g
Pinto or Kidney Beans15g
Rosemary, Lemon Balm & Lavender5g

Recipe Introduction

It all begins with sourcing the ingredients, visiting farmers markets & talking to people - who are genuinely interested to hear what you plan to create with the produce they have grown. This recipe is about slowing down, enjoying the process and nourishing the body - mind connection. There are a few different components within this recipe which all provide moments of mindfulness and calm, then once they come together you are left with a delicious labour of love to cherish and enjoy with whomever you wish.

Whilst the Turmeric Chai is brewing & cooling, be sure to pour yourself a cup to enjoy the fragrant scent. Make two bowls of porridge, one to nourish you and the other to nourish your bread. Inhale the uplifting aroma's as you grate the orange zest and chop the dark chocolate.
This recipe was also created with my late mother in mind who sadly passed away after suffering extremely early onset Alzheimers, all the ingredients I have chosen are to promote brain health and a healthy gut-brain connection and general positivity, even the colour of the turmeric as yellow is very symbolic and often thought of as the colour of hope (which we all need!).

Studies

StudyHow this study has been applied
479- ‘EFFECTS OF ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS L. ON MEMORY PERFORMANCE, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND SLEEP QUALITY IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL’. COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES IN CLINICAL PRACTICE . 30: 24-28The use of rosemary in my botanical blend to boost memory, reduce anxiety and rich in polyphenols
634 - ‘THE NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF POLYPHENOLS, THEIR ROLE IN INNATE IMMUNITY AND THE INTERPLAY WITH THE MICROBIOTA’. NEUROSCIENCE & BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS. VOLUME 128, PAGES 437-453The gut-brain connection and importance of polyphenols for neurodegenerative diseases.
616 - ‘PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTATION CAN POSITIVELY AFFECT ANXIETY AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS’. NUTRITION RESEARCH. VOLUME 36, ISSUE 9, PAGES 889-898Behaviour and Neurochemical changes affected by deficit in bacterial communities
587 - ‘BRAIN-GUT-MICROBIOTA AXIS IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE’. JOURNAL OF NEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY AND MOTILITY. VOL. 25 NO. 1: PP. 48-60Anti inflammatory ingredients to aid the gut microbiota and neuro inflammation
534 - ‘THE EFFECTS OF PROBIOTICS ON DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN HUMANS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW’. ANNALS OF GENERAL PSYCHIATRY. 16:14Use of probiotics to enhance serotonin.

Equipment

  • Small saucepan for porridge
  • Wooden spoon
  • Small bowl for leaven
  • Tea-towel
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Dough scraper
  • 2 x 1kg banntons
  • Lame
  • Cloche

Tin Size cm (HxWxD)

N/A x N/A x N/A

Starter Quantity

35g

Status of Starter

bubbly, lively first-build starter

DDT

26°C (79°F)


Flours

  • Marriages organic strong white bread flour
  • Sharpham Park Organic Wholegrain Spelt flour
  • Maud Foster Einkorn & Emmer

Baking Temperature

220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7

Baking Time

1 hour in a cloche


Timings

StepDayTimings (hh:mm)
Refresh starter (first build)Day 110am
Refresh starter (second build)Day 110pm
Make Turmeric ChaiDay 27:30am
Make porridgeDay 27:45am
Plan bakeDay 28am
Mix LeavenDay 29am
Mix flours and 650g waterDay 211am
Autolyse with leavenDay 211am
Bassinage incrementally 100g water (25g at a time)Day 211:15am
Add porridgeDay 212:30pm
Add salt and begin bulkDay 21pm
Stretch and foldDay 21:20pm
Pre-shapeDay 23pm
Final shapeDay 23:30pm
Put in fridge at 5'c and leave overnightDay 24pm
Pre-heat oven for 30 mins then Bake!Day 3After 9am

How to Store

Because this is a high hydration porridge bread it does keep for a few days or you could slice and freeze.

Top Tips

Choose a porridge that already has a high diversity score to really help boost the fibre content and overall diversity.
With the chai, don't just add the liquid, add the contents of the tea bag too - again this will increase diversity.
Make sure the gluten has had plenty of time to develop before adding the porridge.
When gradually aded the water during the bassinage, if you think the mix is too wet then don't add all the water.
Make sure the porridge has absorbed all the liquid and is not sloppy!

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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