The Fresh Loaf

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Stomach Pain After Eating Sourdough Bread

cfiiman's picture
cfiiman

Stomach Pain After Eating Sourdough Bread

Hey everyone,

I finally baked my second real sourdough loaf using my sourdough starter that has been doing great for the last couple of weeks.  It smells wonderful and raises wonderfully.  My question is I'm experiencing stomach pain almost within minutes of eating the bread.  I baked it last night and about 10 hours overnight letting it cool I had 2 small slices with butter and jam for breakfast, it tasted great, but within 3-5 minutes I felt my stomach start to hurt.  It has been almost 2 hours since and while it isn't nearly as bad I still feel that "over-full" feeling and seem to burp up some acid (gross I know sorry).  My wife doesn't get sick nor others that ate it.  I have a sensitive'ish stomach but bread has never been an issue, well unless I pig out on it or something lol.  I don't seem to feel this way if I don't use my starter so i'm sure it is something to do with the wild yeast.  Just seems like to me it can't be bad, b/c there is no signs of that, the look is great, smell is great, etc. plus no one else feels bad after eating it.  This comes on almost immediately so wouldn't if the starter had gone "bad" it would take longer before I felt sick, like a couple hours or something?  I'm basing this off of a food poising scenario, it doesn't happen within a couple minutes, more like a couple hours right?  I'm thinking I may just be sensitive to the wild yeast if that is possible, which really sucks b/c the bread taste great, and I don't want to have to go back to eating "regular" bread :)  If I buy sourdough from Panera, grocery, whatever this never happens, just my own.  I tried a loaf that I made with my starter after less than a week and when it happened I thought maybe it just hadn't "matured" enough, so now it has been 2 weeks + and it happened again.  Not sure what to do, b/c even though I love the taste I hate feeling like this for a few hours afterward.

Blacksilk Helen's picture
Blacksilk Helen

Could be that your dough is too sour.  If there is an acrid afterburn that's probably what's going on.  Just Try a shorter ferment or perhaps a smaller percentage of prefermented flour.  Depending on your climate your dough could be overfermenting if the weather is hot. 

Blacksilk Helen's picture
Blacksilk Helen

Could be that your dough is too sour.  If there is an acrid afterburn that's probably what's going on.  Just try a shorter ferment or perhaps a smaller percentage of prefermented flour.  Depending on your climate your dough could be overfermenting if the weather is hot. 

pmccool's picture
pmccool

None of us can diagnose you, but we could make an attempt at diagnosing the bread if you share some more information.  Things that come to mind:

- formula (ingredient types)

- process (temperatures, times, methods)

- observations (what did you see / feel / smell / taste at different stages of making the bread?)

Perhaps something you describe will spark a thought for someone.  Of course, it could just be something in your individual makeup that doesn't respond well to this kind of bread, although I have no idea what or why that might be.

Paul

 

cfiiman's picture
cfiiman

Thanks for the responses, I think it is just me, I gave a piece to another friend and he was find and loved it, and I took a small, just a bit size piece off of his and within a minute or two I seemed to have a flare up.  I still feel full right now, like a brick in my stomach and I haven't had anything today except the 2 small bread slices this morning around 9:30am and a banana.  I haven't eaten lunch yet b/c I don't want to aggravate the situation.  I'm going to try an experiment and make a plain loaf with regular yeast and then try that tomorrow morning, then when I'm feeling fine i'm going to try a small bit of the sourdough and see if the same thing happens, which I'm assuming it will :(  My process is as follows:

3.25 cups flour
1/5 cups water
1.5 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup starter which is mixed 100% by weight

Mix all ingredients, allow to rest 30 minutes, preshape and rest 30 minutes, final shape and proof 1.5-2 hours then bake.  Everyone loves the bread and no one feels the way I do when they eat it, very frustrating.  I know it has to be MY starter b/c I can eat commercially made sourdough no problem, ugh...

 

placebo's picture
placebo

I don't see how your recipe could possibly be right. Only 1/5 cup of water? Your bread would be a brick if that's even enough water to incorporate all of the flour. And there's no way that a sourdough will ferment in 2 or 3 hours. The first bulk rise by itself will take probably on the order of 5 hours. Are you sure you've described your procedure accurately?

Also, how long after feeding your starter do you mix up the dough?

cfiiman's picture
cfiiman

Sorry that was suppose to say 1.5 cups, not 1/5.

mardorch's picture
mardorch

the fact that others eat it and feel fine means that either it is not the bread or that it is your body alone which is reacting.  you have already removed the jam and butter as a possibility. that leaves your body as the reason.  with that in mind, you may have celiac.  can you eat pasta and white bread products?  you mention that you eat sourdough bread without a problem, but true srdgh bread is fermented for 8-12 hours and acts on the gluten to render it harmless for all practical purposes to those with celiac or gluten intolerance.  SO, if you are using a high protein flour (12+% gluten protein) AND only fermenting it for 3 hours (literally nothing), then a person with celiac or gluten intolerance would certainly have a problem with this bread and not necessary with other flour products such as white bread or pasta.

ndechenne's picture
ndechenne

Lose the butter and jam. Eat a plain piece and see how it goes. Bet a dollar you're fine.

ndechenne's picture
ndechenne

Lose the butter and jam. Eat a plain piece and see how it goes. Bet a dollar you're fine.

cfiiman's picture
cfiiman

I've had both the butter and jam on other things with no stomach issues so I doubt either of those is it.  Honestly my stomach still hurts, that is what happens when I eat this stuff, it is like an all day sour stomach from 2 minutes after eating it....

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

that agrees with your stomach, don't run around with an empty stomach.  Some folks do get more gas and stomach problems with fresh bread.  Wait a few days to try it again and then go seek out a health care professional.  Take note of your ingredients, especially the flour and any prescriptions and/or supplements you are taking.  

Do you have the same problem if you make pancakes with identical ingredients subbing baking pwd for sourdough?  Or what about the same ingredients with instant yeast instead of sourdough?  Sub out the flour and see what happens.  

Wild-Yeast's picture
Wild-Yeast

Mini's advise is echoed.

Suggest that you might try retarding the formed dough overnight to see if this changes the "stomach outcome". Longer, lower temperature ferments and retarding help lower elements that cause digestive upset.

Yerffej's picture
Yerffej

If you are not already, I would use organic flour.

Jeff

MangoChutney's picture
MangoChutney

Try drinking a glass of water with the bread. I find some foods that give me heartburn don't do so if I drink a glass of water as I eat them. Coffee or juice would probably work just as well, but nothing carbonated.

Vicious Babushka's picture
Vicious Babushka

You should mention this to your doctor. Maybe you have a unique intestinal flora that reacts to ingredients in the bread? But please talk to a doctor about this!

Fatmat's picture
Fatmat

I get a tummy ache if bread is undercooked.

phaz's picture
phaz

 how do you feel after eating regular, non sour bread?  my sister developed gluten intolerance at the age of 40, and also can't handle milk products anymore.  it just poped up, almost overnight.  but the best thing to do is see your doctor.  it's probably nothing serious,  but odd things like this should be checked by a professional. I wish you luck, I don't think I could live without bread!

cfiiman's picture
cfiiman

Hi everyone, sorry it has been a while I meant to get to your responses sooner!  Well I think I found the issue, well hopefully.  A lot has been going on so I didn't get a chance to try any of the suggestions but tonight I got too.  I went ahead and made a new loaf of sourdough and my wife said "how about pancakes for dinner?" since I had already made a mess.  Yes! I thought, this would make a good test.  I was suspecting the flour b/c it was the "new" ingredient, I switched to Gold Medal Bread Flour to get better gluten development.  Anyway I ate about 1/3 of a 2 pancake stack and decided to just stop after a weird aftertaste/feeling in my throat, and sure enough several hours later my stomach hurts almost the same way as I remember, so the starter has nothing to do at least with this episode.  I've never had a problem eating bread and have no known allergies but something is disagreeing with me and this flour is the common denominator.  When I used KAF I never had an issue, or GM Bleached was fine as well, I'm chucking the bread flour.  Sad too b/c this is how my new loaf came out, I tried a new method from my trial and error to get a good oven spring which I haven't really got and wouldn't you know it, it came out like this but I can't eat it lol, well my wife is excited at least.  Hopefully I can get just as good looking a loaf with new flour:

 

jey13's picture
jey13

There was a recall on some KAF recently (Experation:  December 2019 lots), but KAF is otherwise very reliable and I recommend you go for unbleached organic bread flour if you can get it. I’m sorry to hear you got a batch of flour that you reacted badly to for whatever reason. Quite possibly, as noted in another post here, you had an allergic reaction to something in that flour. Not fun!

Optimally, your experience eating sourdough should be the opposite of what happened. You *should* be able to consume it and not feel stuffed at all. When I started making this bread, my husband was amazed that it didn’t make him feel over-full like bread bought at the store. There really is something in sourdough, fresh made and especially if using good, organic and/or whole grain flours that makes it easy on the stomach and gut—or at least, it should be easy on the stomach and gut.

Maybe you should check around and see if there’s a small, local mill where you can buy organic, whole grain flours in small batches? I was amazed to find such a small, local mill about an hour from where I live. It’d be too costly to buy all my four from them if I baked bread daily, but as a weekend baker, it’s great. They don’t make bread flour (I use KAF bread flour), but I can get awesome, fresh, organic whole wheat and rye from them. As I don’t use a lot of either in my sourdough recipes, their small bags go a long way. I still haven’t depleted the “spring wheat” I bought two months ago. 

Sweetpea's picture
Sweetpea

I too have problems eating my home made sourdough bread. I don't get stomach pain. The problem comes later when it gets into my intestines. It gives me IBS symptoms. I have sensitivity to high FODMAP foods, so I thought sourdough would help with that as it is recommended, but unfortunately it does not agree with me. The problem is not the flour I am using either, because I can make regular yeasted bread with the same flour and have no digestive issues from that. The only answer I can come up with for me is that the bacteria/yeasts in the sourdough must not agree with my other intestinal flora. My husband eats my sourdough bread and enjoys it very much. Everyone is unique in one way or another.

Mrsblackard's picture
Mrsblackard

Its the yeast i make homemade yeast rolls and just after one my stomach hurts like you wouldnt believe and I burp like crazy and tons of acid. I have alot of stomach issues and I'm getting ready to have a hida scan so ill let ya know what my dr says cauaes it but it is 100% the yeast! No other bread bothers me but bread with yeast 

David R's picture
David R

Unfortunately, you're wrong. The fact that your problem turns out to be yeast, doesn't mean it's the problem for everyone else.

Mrsblackard's picture
Mrsblackard

Unfortunatly, your grumpy and rude you havent commented on a single post up until mine so what you dont like me name or what your just a grumpy person who thinks I care about what you think You know. I never said it was the problem for everone else I said it was the problem for me and it sounds like its the problem for them also considering he had the EXACT SAME OUTCOME!!!!! So until you can become a Dr., actually know how every food affects him and be able to look into his stomach and see the problem  go be rude to someone else! 

Lucidcat2's picture
Lucidcat2

I have had a problem for many years with eating sourdough. It immediately makes my stomach swell to epic proportions, is extremely painful and takes hours to calm back down. I quit eating it years ago. I have recently started making bread & decided I would try homemade sourdough. The company I buy my flour from had a pop up store recently & were giving out starter to those who made purchases and brought a jar. I bought their sourdough & have had a few nibbles of it without any problems. I have recently found out that if you have pollen allergies, your body will often react to different foods (burning, tingling in the mouth, which I do get from some flours) & am wondering if this is an extension of that. If you have a pollen allergy, that could be one explanation.

simon m's picture
simon m

I'm surprised there aren't more complaints of this kind here and wider out but some complaints are deservedly rare. I've been suffering from this - sharp recurring pain turning into a cramp in my upper stomach - ever since I started eating sourdough, a couple of years ago. Obviously, I stopped eating it as part of my regular diet but since I really like it I sometimes come back to it. I don't bake my own bread so what experience I have with SD is based on what I buy from good London bakeries. Poillane kills me. Some Gail's SDs are even more dangerous. It appears that this problem for me happens when I eat SD on an empty stomach, which is typically in the morning. I used to put it down to coffee but having experimented I had to conclude that the drink has nothing to do with it. Neither is any other type of bread capable of producing this effect on me. The pang in my stomach comes and goes every couple of minutes and the whole bout lasts for 5 - 7 hours. Like I said, I stopped having sourdough in the morning but the last two days I had a slice and both days I paid the price. At least now I'm in no doubt as to the real cause of this awful reaction I have to the food I eat. 

jey13's picture
jey13

A friend of mine who lived in London had the same problem, to the point where he was sure he was gluten intolerant and didn’t eat bread hardly at all. But then he visited us and found that he could eat U.S. bread. No trouble at all. 

Have you visited other countries and had the same reaction to “country”/ sourdough bread? 

simon m's picture
simon m

Thanks for your helpful suggestion! However, the flour provenance might not have a role to play in it. I can eat the London sourdough and not experience those pains except when I eat it on an empty stomach either in the morning or lunchtime. I used to have very light breakfasts (or none) and have my sourdough sandwich at lunchtime with an apple and coffee and that would without fail trigger the pains, an hour or so later. I attributed it to coffee first (which made no sense because I'd drank coffee any time of day since the age of 16 and never had problems), then apple (acidic but so what?) and finally had to concede that it was due to my favourite bread. This was french sd Poilane. I stopped this lunch practice years ago and the problem went away. But whenever I eat a proper french style sd on an empty stomach same thing happens again. The last time it happened was a month ago and the pains came and went cyclically for almost two days! I later ate sd pizza (not on an empty stomach though) and had no problem. Confusing and frightening I must say. I would also feel very bloated from it. At one point, I also thought it could be a stomach ulcer but never went as far as checking it. 

BobbyFourFingers's picture
BobbyFourFingers

It could be a number of things:

* Sensitivity to glyphosate, though awful but unlikely (?)

* GERD caused by a indigestible starch in the new flour you used

* GERD triggered by the sourness of your bread

One thing I am certain of is that we all have unique digestive needs. What works for one person often will not work for another person.

Back to bread and digestion: soda bread gives me the worst tummy aches but sourdough does not. 

Horses for courses.

mrswibblywitt's picture
mrswibblywitt

I googled this after realising that my recent bouts of nausea only happened after I ate sourdough on an empty stomach. Like clockwork by 10.30 I get a sudden urge to be sick. I salivate profusely for a few minutes as though about to be sick but have never actually been sick. (TMI) I am pleased to get to the bottom of what is causing it - and that it isn’t anything I am doing wrong with my sourdough making, as it happens with shop bought too. There is no doubt about this. The nausea disappeared when I was too busy to bake sourdough for several weeks and has only happened again when I ate a shop bought sourdough the other day, which is when light dawned... it was interesting reading some of the comments on this thread.. for those who like to assume all-knowledge of all things culinary as well as medical, be humble and remember we are all very different beings and we are vastly complex biological machines. Even the biochemists and bacteriologists who have studied for a lifetime don’t have all the answers. I think for many people sourdough is probably a healthy choice, but clearly for some reason it can make some people feel sick, as with other intolerances. We have so many mixed messages about food and such diverse opinions it can make people angry and polarised, but even if we are intolerant of certain foods, we don’t need to be intolerant of others’ opinions! There’s food for thought!

mrswibblywitt's picture
mrswibblywitt

I should add that it was an older thread on this subject that was causing some controversy - in case i am coming across as pious!

Kristina's picture
Kristina

It appears this is an old post but if it helps anyone, I get instant heartburn when eating breads made from starter dough, sourdough, or store yeast.  It only began in my 40s and I understood why after I got an IGE blood test and tested positive to gluten and yeast sensitivity.  It's not celiac nor an allergy, but a sensitivity.  It is safe to say that and any food you eat causes fullness, bloating, gas, heartburn, IBS, then you most definitely have a sensitivity to that food.

Azay's picture
Azay

Funny but I am currently struggling to make my first sourdough starter. My wife became intolerant to bread and her stomach pains and bloating put her off it. However of late she has been eating my latest bread made with dried yeast and has no issues. I am wondering whether she had experienced her issues with sourdoughs so my efforts currently could be a waste of time. I am certainly finding making the starter testing...

Cookie's picture
Cookie

I too suffer stomach pain after eating my sourdough.  I had this problem 10 years ago and thought I’d try again and even made my own sourdough starter this time.  So sad to have the same problem.  What I have noticed though is that when I make lower yeast bread that is allowed to slow rise in fridge for 18-48 hours, there is a nice sour flavor and no digestive upset.  When I use sourdough starter, its a problem. I made a scallion pancake (per a youtube video on what to do with discard starter) with just discard starter and scallion, and after eating just a small bit of it, it definitely was the problem. Try the long ferment alternative if you don't want to give up the sourdough flavor!

Poldarn's picture
Poldarn

Hi there,

I just wanted to share that I've got as well stomach ache. In my case I decided to fry the remaining starter I had with a bit of salt and garlic and the results were amazingly good! It's like a salty crunchy pancake which I loved! The problem came after 30' min. or so where I started having stomach ache that lasted for some hours.

I have done this twice with different types of starters and amount of fermentation and got the same pain in both :(

ddkmika's picture
ddkmika

I have similar issues with sourdough starters.  I’m gluten free and made a gluten free starter.  After making GF sourdough bread on one occasion and a GF sourdough coffee crumb cake on another I had the same issues.  Sharp stomach pains, cramping and a couple of others.  Both were made with different combination of flours that I can eat when I make “regular” bread or desserts.  My only conclusion is the sourdough does not agree with the flora in my intestine.  My husband has been able to eat it both without any trouble so this makes me think it’s just me.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

bread cool thoroughly?  Are you eating it fresh?  Before the gel sets in the crumb?

Have you tried toasting it days later?  

Meat5000's picture
Meat5000 (not verified)

Underbaked and overly moist bread repeats on me all day. I can taste it 8 hours later.

I bake my loaves 10 minutes longer and let it cool thoroughly, now, and the problem doesnt occur. Im not allergic but my stomach is sensitive to wheat, especially pasta and especially in conjunction with acidic things like apples, which destroy my stomach. I figured my bake was not properly killing the yeast which resulted in the fermentation of my stomach contents. The acidics exploded the effect.

ddkmika's picture
ddkmika

I have similar issues with sourdough starters.  I’m gluten free and made a gluten free starter.  After making GF sourdough bread on one occasion and a GF sourdough coffee crumb cake on another I had the same issues.  Sharp stomach pains, cramping and a couple of others.  Both were made with different combination of flours that I can eat when I make “regular” bread or desserts.  My only conclusion is the sourdough does not agree with the flora in my intestine.  My husband has been able to eat it both without any trouble so this makes me think it’s just me.

Goffnw's picture
Goffnw

I decided to make sourdough again during all of this time at home.  Much to my disappointment I started having lots of stomach problems immediately after eating the sourdough - in any form - bread, toast, biscuits, waffles, etc.  No one else that has eaten it has had any problems.  I am sorry to say that I will probably have to toss the rest of my starter and just go back to making regular yeast bread.  This is definitely due to it being sourdough, I have never had a problem with any other type of bread,

Mr Immortal's picture
Mr Immortal

Sorry to hear of the issues you’re having with sourdough.  It’s a shame, because it closes off a whole world of baking adventures.

 

I’m curious to know...  are you lactose intolerant?  I’m no sort of medical professional, but I can’t help but to wonder if there is some sort of connection between lactose intolerance and the lactic acid producing bacteria that are present in sourdough.

 

This is definitely something worth mentioning the next time you visit your doctor.

Wimps's picture
Wimps

Hello my partner and I have also been experiencing the same thing...we have a similar conclusion regarding gut flora..also I think the acidity from the bread was also causing some acid reflux issues.. interestingly I had a stool sample test and turns out I'm a c diff carrier and depending on how much sourdough I was eating this was causing an imbalance in the bacteria that normally keep it at bay And giving me upset stomach and fever symptoms I honestly felt awful for a few days.. something to consider as 1 in 10 people are carriers so maybe be an answer ..but I don't know for sure ...hope that helps anyone 

simon m's picture
simon m

Interesting. In my case the problem occurs only when eating SD on an empty stomach. Since I’m something of an irregular eater it isn’t unusual for me to allow half a day or even more to go without eating anything. If i then reach for SD that can be perilous. The other day the pains came after eating some SD ‘thins’, a hard baked type of cracker made of SD. So even the smallest quantity can be a trigger. 

Mitch's picture
Mitch

This is enlightening to me that others suffer from intestinal or stomach pain after eating sourdough.  I am not celiac, but went gluten-free and alcohol-free after a terrible experience with my intestine, after eating someone's delicious and well-made sourdough, while drinking all naturally-fermented wines.  I'd never had pain before from this bread.  Now I'm thinking it must have been the wild yeasts in everything together.  I had always thought it could have been the wines!

maggierob's picture
maggierob

My problem appears to be wild yeast. Years back, I did the "pineapple juice" method to create a starter, and while others had no problem with the resulting bread, it regularly upset my digestion. I've had a few commercial sourdough starters in the meanwhile (I am not great at keeping them alive for more than 6 months or so :) ). I've never had a problem with them. A couple of days ago, my husband brought home a sourdough loaf from a local baker who, I'm pretty sure, uses wild starters. Major problems both today and yesterday! Needless to say I am not eating anymore of that loaf. One thing I've noticed is the denser consistency of the bread, which is similar to what I used to get with my wild starter. 

Ciarli's picture
Ciarli

that pain is due to 'celta worm bacterius' and not gluten intolerance or IBS. though it has destroyed many lives it works just fine with many types of stomachs!

Kar Ken's picture
Kar Ken

Hi Ciarli,

Could I have more information about the “celta worm bacterius”?  I cannot seem to find it on any of the search engines I’ve tried. I wonder if perhaps you can help me? Thank you.

Mrsboom's picture
Mrsboom
  1. There's a local artisan Baker in our village and I buy sourdough from her. This time however I had awful wind, and I wondered if she'd hurried the process this time, or if she'd used a different starter. I bought two different loaves from her, one of which had more grains and seeds, so it could be that I suppose. I have switched to sourdough specifically for the slow proving because I have probable IBS. Can sourdough be hurried? Anyway, I also found this article on my travels through searches trying to find an answer... I did eat A LOT of her bread today because I never eat bread otherwise and it's just far too delicious not to. My partner has Crohn's and he's having the same problem. Just an unfortunate batch do you think? 🤔

https://theprint.in/health/why-the-kimchi-yogurt-and-sourdough-bread-you-love-can-be-harmful-to-health/320863/