conversations with baker sara vande velde
sharing a common love for wholegrains.
I met my friend Sara on a rainy summer day after the purple wheat sourdough flatbread workshop by vild hvede at the grønt market. I listened to her baker story and we had conversations about sourdough and wholegrains. she was spending her summer in denmark, learning more about the grains she was so passionate about. she wanted to connect with the grains on a deeper level. she wanted to experience the whole journey a grain makes: from the source to the hands of a baker. I have always loved . choosing the darkest, most wholegrain bread of the shelf. the more wholegrain the better. full of flavour and nutrition. it is beautiful to see bakers unfolding the endless potential of whole grain varieties. Sara is one of them. I asked her to share her point of view of why wholegrains are so valuable in her eyes. here a truly inspiring insight into her journey and experiences as a sourdough baker.
the footprints of
words by baker sara vande velde <3:
Wholesome Grain.
Written by Sara Vande Velde
MSc in Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & Research Sourdough Baker | Illustrator | Writer
Whole grains include all parts of the grain kernel, from the inner germ to the outer bran.
This outer bran, which is often sifted away to produce whiter and lighter loaves, could provide a significant amount of insoluble fibre to our diet. Insoluble fibers are long chains of glucose molecules that we, as human hosts, cannot digest. However, the microbes that live in our gut can break down these glucose polymers into smaller, digestible food components.
When our gut bacteria feast on fibre, microbes multiply and thrive, producing beneficial molecules. Some of these molecules provide us with additional energy, while others communicate with our immune system, produce vitamins, and interact with our metabolism. Some even influence our gene expression and psychology. These characteristics are particularly attributed to a group of molecules called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).
Our intestinal microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining immune and metabolic homeostasis. In a gut with a healthy and diverse microbiome, there is no space for potential pathogens—they are outcompeted by the bulk of beneficial bacteria, leaving no room for intruders. In this way, our microbiota forms our first physical line of defense.
When gut bacteria "feast," they break down food components into smaller, more accessible, more digestible, and tastier molecules. This breakdown is also known as fermentation. Fermentation gives us access to key nutrients in the gut and, when practiced outside our bodies—in kitchens—it creates exciting flavors while producing nutritious, safe foods with a longer shelf life.
Fermentation enhances food safety because its byproducts, such as acids and alcohol (which evaporates during baking), inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. The fermentation process also reduces the presence of less favorable food components, such as phytic acid in wheat bran. This compound, which binds to dietary minerals and inhibits their absorption, significantly decreases through fermentation.
Bread made with a long, slow fermentation process is not only more delicious but also has a longer shelf life compared to yeasted bread. Adding stale bread to the next batch of dough is known to further delay the staling process. This was common practice at an Amsterdam bakery where I worked. The Sustainable Food and Innovation Group at DTU conducted R&D on this topic and developed a recipe for "eternal bread."
Bread is one of the most wasted foods, yet stale bread has great potential for a second life in our kitchens. Many classic Italian dishes, like pappa al pomodoro, are made with "old" bread. Copenhagen-based startup Eat Wasted has even proven that pasta can be made from otherwise wasted bread. Bread can also undergo more dramatic transformations through fermentation. For a pop-up event with the European Miso Institute, I grew koji mold on stale bread and turned it into bread miso, which we then incorporated into the bread we served that night. It added depth, caramelized sweetness, and umami flavors.
Back to Whole Grains...
Whole grains also make a lot of sense from a miller’s perspective. When turning whole grains into whole wheat flour, all parts of the grain are used, meaning the extraction rate is 100%. In contrast, when white flours are produced, the bran is separated from the inner part of the grain, which contains more starch and less fiber. This results in a flour that is less nutritious, while the bran becomes a waste product. For example, Italian tipo 00 flour has an extraction rate of about 70%, meaning less than three-quarter of the original grain quantity is converted into flour compared to whole wheat flour.
To feed as many people as possible a healthy diet, whole wheat bread makes the most sense. A daily accessible bread—both in terms of availability and nutrition—should be whole grain and fermented using sourdough rather than quickly produced white yeasted bread.
Over the summer, I traveled to Denmark to visit farms, meet farmers, and work in a flour mill. As a baker, I wanted to understand how grains grow, how they look in the field, and what happens to them before they arrive at the bakery, already milled.
The different farms I visited had varied farming systems, yet all cared deeply for the soil and their products. Some were biodynamic, others organic; some incorporated animals into their systems, while others did not. They grew summer or winter wheat, used different approaches to cover crops and field rotation. The farming systems they chose depended on multiple factors—the scale of the farm, land location, soil type, personal backgrounds, and experiences all played a role. These small-scale yet intentional farming projects contribute to a better food system.
The grain supply chain in Denmark is relatively short. The farmers I met had flour mills on their farms and delivered their flour directly to the city, maintaining a connection to the land while understanding what bakers were looking for.
In a short food supply chain, information about—and appreciation for—different grains seems to flow more easily from farm to bakery to consumer. In Denmark, wheat varieties are called by their specific names, whereas in many other countries, people are unaware that wheat comes in different varieties, much like apples or pears.
The characteristics of these different grain varieties are influenced by the weather and changing climate. Seeding and harvesting at the right time, ensuring the baking quality of grains, and delivering flour as freshly milled as possible to bakeries is a complex, multifaceted process. I am grateful to have caught a glimpse of it and to have met the people who hold this knowledge and make the people and things around them grow.
As bakers, it is up to us to incorporate these grains into our offerings at the bakery, presenting them in ways that make people eager to try them.
And it is up to the people to be curious—to taste, to learn, and to understand that smaller-scale, intentional farming may be more expensive, but not at the expense of the earth. Slow-fermented bread represents the efforts of many hands, channeling energy from farm to mill to transport to mixing, shaping, and baking—a process that creates a food that can nourish us daily.
I want to thank all the bakers, farmers, millers, and scientists who welcomed me into their world and shared their knowledge. I am also grateful to those around me who encourage me every day to trust my instincts and follow my gut feeling.
For a deeper understanding of the grain supply chain, I recommend listening to the Farmerama podcast. Their series on bread explores what makes good bread—from field to baker.
Sources:
Course guide on Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & Research
Kimbell, V. (2025). Sourdough School: A Complete Course. KYLE BOOKS.
Buddrick, O., Jones, O. A., Cornell, H. J., & Small, D. M. (2013). The influence of fermentation processes and cereal grains in wholegrain bread on reducing phytate content. Journal of Cereal Science, 59(1), 3–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.jcs.2013.11.006
French Flour Usage Code (ANMF, October 2016)
Text, illustrations and photos (c)Sara Vande Velde