It is said that bread has high energy, but these 4 types of bread have lower energy than steamed bread

□ Gu Chuanling

Friends in the north who are tired of eating steamed buns ask if they can replace steamed buns with bread? But they are worried about the high energy of bread, such as French croissants, pineapple buns, thousand-layer toast, Danish pastry, etc. If there are jams, butter, bean paste, chocolate sauce, etc. in the filling, such as a certain chocolate sauce sandwich bread, the energy will be higher. So, is there any bread with the same or even lower energy than steamed buns (236 kcal/100g)? This article recommends 4 kinds.

French baguette

French baguette is also known as baguette. According to the French Bread Law, baguette only has four ingredients: flour, yeast, water and salt. Nothing else can be added.

There are three authentic baguettes on the market: Chufan Whole Wheat Baguette, Chufan Original Baguette and Wu Shuang Jin Baguette. The energy content per 100 grams is 180 kcal, 185 kcal and 229 kcal respectively, which are lower than steamed bread. But it should be noted that the improved baguettes with added sugar, sesame, flax seeds and chia seeds are mostly higher in energy than steamed bread. For example, a flax seed baguette contains 281 kcal per 100 grams. Using it instead of steamed bread is more likely to make people fat.

In addition, baguettes have a high salt content. For example, a certain original baguette contains 1.37 grams of salt per 100 grams.

French baguettes are best eaten freshly baked. Eating them the next day will be more difficult for your teeth. Some friends say that their cheeks hurt after chewing them. You can spray some water on them and bake them again.

Italian Ciabatta

Ciabatta is the transliteration of ciabatta. This kind of Italian bread is flat and long. In addition to the four kinds of baguette ingredients mentioned above, 3%-5% olive oil is added. Therefore, its energy per 100 grams is 250 kcal, which is slightly higher than steamed bread, and it can still replace steamed bread.

Similarly, there are many improved versions of ciabatta on the market. For example, a certain ciabatta is mainly made of whole wheat flour, extra virgin olive oil, and sugar substitutes to increase sweetness. It contains 244 kcal per 100 grams, and mono- and di-glycerol fatty acid esters are added to slow down the aging of bread, so it can be kept for 30 days in a cool and dry place. Another ciabatta contains 211 kcal per 100 grams, raisins are added to the ingredients to increase sweetness, calcium propionate and sodium dehydroacetate are added for preservation, and the shelf life is 5 days. They are all suitable for office workers to eat as a staple breakfast.

The most popular ways to eat ciabatta are to cut it into slices, drizzle it with olive oil, and eat it with a sauce, such as leftover pasta sauce; the second is to make a sandwich with cheese and ham.

German lye bread

Alkaline bread is a traditional bread in Germany. In addition to the four ingredients of baguette, sugar and butter are also added. There is an alkaline bread on the market, which contains 227 kcal per 100 grams, which is lower than steamed bread.

However, the reason why the crust of lye bread is dark brown is because it needs to be soaked in lye (sodium hydroxide) before baking. Traditional lye bread is also sprinkled with sea salt, which are the small white particles on the surface.

Most of the pre-packaged alkaline breads sold on the market do not have white salt grains, but because salt is added to the recipe and the alkaline water used for soaking also contains sodium, the sodium content is relatively high.

If you use alkaline bread to replace the staple food, try to put as little salt as possible in the meal.

Bagels

It is said that bagels originated in Poland and became popular in the United States. In addition to the four kinds of baguette ingredients, sugar and oil are also added. In addition, before baking, it is also scalded in hot water, so that the protein on the surface of the dough coagulates, making it chewy.

In addition to plain bagels, raisins, dried cranberries, and diced oranges are often added to the dough of bagels. Some bagels are sprinkled with sesame seeds, garlic grains, cinnamon powder, etc. In general, plain bagels have lower energy. For example, a popular plain bagel has an energy content of 254 kcal per 100 grams, which is slightly higher than steamed bread. There are also plain whole wheat bagels and cranberry bagels on the market, with energy contents of 319 kcal and 211 kcal per 100 grams respectively.

The classic way to eat a bagel is to cut it in half, spread it with cream cheese, and then add other toppings such as smoked salmon, eggs, avocado, red onions, etc.

(The author is a director of the Capital Health Nutrition and Gourmet Society and a registered dietitian)