Ciabatta.co.zaJohn the Baker · South Africa

Bread and evidence

Match the claim to the evidence.

Fermentation changes dough and can change measured bread composition. What those changes mean depends on the bread tested, the process used, and the outcome measured. This page distinguishes composition studies from clinical findings and from a baker’s observations.

Wheat and gluten

Wheat ciabatta contains gluten.

Ciabatta made with wheat flour is not gluten-free. Poolish, a longer rise, folding, or an open crumb does not make a wheat loaf suitable for a gluten-free diet. People with coeliac disease need to avoid gluten and should follow appropriate clinical dietary guidance.

Fructans and composition

Fructans are not gluten.

Fructans are fermentable carbohydrates present in wheat and other foods. A 2022 comparison measured 48 breads sold in Spain. The sampled long-fermented artisan breads had lower average gluten and higher average fructans than the sampled short-fermentation supermarket breads. Those are measurements of the products in that study; they are not measurements of John the Baker’s loaf and do not establish a health effect.

Clinical outcomes

Composition does not predict an individual response.

A 2017 pilot involving 26 participants over seven days tested particular breads in people with irritable bowel syndrome. A 2024 paper reported two randomized crossover studies in separate groups with self-reported non-coeliac wheat sensitivity; the studies tested different wheat species and fermentation conditions. Their findings concern those products, participants, and protocols. They do not establish a universal “easier to digest” ciabatta or predict any one person’s response.

Baking method

Process terms describe dough behaviour.

Hydration is water weight as a proportion of flour weight. Dough strength describes its capacity to stretch and retain structure. Folds are a handling method used to organize a wet dough during bulk fermentation. Proofing is the final fermentation after shaping. These terms help a baker describe and adjust a process; they are not clinical measures.

Selected sources

Read each study within its design.

  1. Marín-Sanz, M. et al. (2022). Comparative characterization of gluten and fructan contents of breads.
  2. Loponen, J. et al. (2017). A pilot study on the effect of sourdough bread on gastrointestinal symptoms.
  3. Skodje, G. I. et al. (2024). Wheat species and fermentation in people with self-reported non-coeliac wheat sensitivity.
  4. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Eating, diet, and nutrition for celiac disease.
  5. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Gluten and food labeling.
  6. Wheat flour quality and rheology: a review of flour and dough properties.