Does anyone know how carcinogenic potassium bromate really is? Opinions are welcome, but cited facts are what I am looking for. It has recently come to my attention about how bad bleached and bromated flour really is. It's not anything new to me, but I never quite realized the severity of it until recently. I guess I should be grateful my parents never allowed me to eat bread other than whole wheat, but I have children now too. I love real whole wheat bread, but unless I bake it, or buy an expensive loaf, my kids don't like it. ?
There are other health reasons to prefer whole wheat bread, including lost nutrients, protein, fiber, and absorption rate of glucose (from the breakdown of carbohydrate) into the bloodstream. Eating refined carbohydrates in the absence of fiber, whether it is from vegetables or bran in the same meal, is a contributor towards diabetes, heart disease, and weight problems. Bromates are bad, and can potentially cause cancer. The risks are very low because only very slight traces of bromates are present in brominated flower, but are present nonetheless. Sometimes chlorine dioxide is used to bleach flour instead. If the flour says "bleached" it is probably a bad thing. Go to a healthfood store to buy good white bread. You should be more concerned to avoid drinking tap water in the USA. It contains small quantities of chlorine or chloramine, and sometimes also fluorosilicate.
Thanks. I found some information on it. It's pretty scary really. Bleached flour uses powderd benzoyl peroxide and/or chlorine dioxide gas. The peroxide when heated turns into benzoic acid, leaving trace amounts. I like whole wheat, but I also like white flour. I'm well aware the white flour is pretty much the grain stripped of all its nutrients. Bran on the other hand. Maybe when I get a little older. It's a full days work to limit the chemical additives in nearly everything food related these days.
hello friends, Well, I did it!! I actually made bread (as opposed to doorstops) from sourdough starter without the addition of baker's yeast. I didn't think I could do it (don't get me wrong,I knew it could be done in the abstract sense, I just didn't think that I could actually do it) but thanks to Carl's starter, I did!!! thanks
