This week's healthy recipe is good for your gut!

Did I mention that it is also loaded with flavour, packed with fibre, and makes one hell of a yummy sandwich? Seriously, I think you should try this one.

This week's healthy recipe is for a version of sourdough rye bread, but it doesn't actually require any kneading (which is nice, if you just don't want to spend the time or the energy on kneading the dough for a while). The recipe uses simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen, and honestly, it just makes a really good loaf of caraway rye bread. Loads of flavour, and even the mouthfeel is on point (a difficult task with rye brad, I have found).

Try adding other seeds or grains in with this recipe as the base, and see what you like best. I have ever tried adding a ribbon of raw honey, and it was quite nice. Use your imagination and don't be afraid to try new things. That's half the fun of baking!

Have you tried any other types of sourdough? Maybe pumpernickle, or spelt? The options are endless! But all of them contain probiotics, which are great for your gut.

No Knead Sourdough Rye Bread:

·         2 cups bread flour

·         1 cup rye flour

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon bread yeast

·         2 Tablespoons caraway seeds (optional, but highly recommended)

·         ½ cup sourdough starter

·         1⅓ cup cool water approximately

·         Cornmeal, for dusting

1)    The evening before you want fresh bread, stir together the flours, salt, yeast and caraway seeds. Add the sourdough starter and water; stir together until a shaggy dough forms (you may need a little more or less water, but 1⅓ cups is usually pretty spot on. The dough should be fairly wet, too wet to knead, but not overly so). Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm spot in your kitchen for 12 to 18 hours. It should get bubbly and have risen noticeably

2)    Turn the dough out onto a floured board and turn the sides in. You’re not really kneading, just more like folding. A dough scraper helps

3)    Flip the dough over so the seam side is down and place on a tea towel that has been dusted with cornmeal. Top the dough with a light sprinkle of cornmeal, then fold the ends of the towel in loosely to cover the ball and set in a warm place to rise for another 1 or 2 hours (I usually do 2 hours in the winter because it is colder, but if you live in a warm climate or if it’s summertime, 1 hour is usually sufficient). The dough should have spread out a bit when it’s finished rising

4)    About 30 minutes before the second rise is done, put the dutch oven, with the lid on, in the oven and preheat it to 475°F

5)    Remove the hot dutch oven out of the oven, take off the lid, and flip the dough over into it, upside down. You can shake the dutch oven a little to get the dough centered if need be, then cover and return to the oven for 30 minutes. Take the lid off and cook for another 15 minutes

6)    Cool for several hours on a rack before cutting