White bread can make the most perfect pre-workout snack. Do you suffer from unscheduled trips to the toilet? Snacking on white bread before your workout could your tastiest solution!
Read on to read to reduce the amount of toilet stops on your next run with a slice of simple white bread ;).
Find Bron (my gorgeous sister’s) yummy white loaf recipe at the bottom of this blog.
White bread baker Bron (my lovely sister) has become some what of an expert baker since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. Her white farmhouse loaf is light, airy, and oh so tasty. A slice of this loaf is an absolutely perfect pre-session snack. My toppings of choice are peanut butter and a chunky tasty jam, or if I’m in a savory mood then you can’t go wrong with Marmite.
What is your favourite white bread topping combination?
- Marmite and margarine?
- Peanut butter and jam?
- Marmalade?
- Veggiemite?
- Just plain butter?
- Baked beans?
You might ask why should you eat white bread? Experts have conviced you its bad because it is high on the GI index.
As with anything in vast quantities I agree, too much white bread is not healthy. But there is most certainly a time and place for it if you’re a runner. There is nothing wrong with consuming a moderate portion before exercise. Especially is you have baked the loaf yourself.
Highly processed white bread should however be avoided in large quantities. You have no idea what additives are added too that loaf. If you bake the bread yourself you can ensure safe amounts of sugar and salt are added.
Why Should Runners Care About Glycemic Index?
For starters, glycemic index is one more useful way to classify most runners’ fuel of choice: carbohydrates. A GI ranking offers a quick and dirty way to identify if a carb is highly processed, because foods that are high on the GI scale are often also high in processed carbohydrates and sugars. Alternatively, foods that are lower on the scale are usually richer in fiber, protein, and/or fat. (Runners World, 2018)
White bread has less fiber than brown bread.
How can less in white bread’s reduced fiber be useful for a runner (or anyone doing a hard workout)?
White bread is the perfect snack if you need instant release energy right before a run. With it also being low in fiber it also rules out one of the main contributing facts to stomach upsets. No one likes an upset stomach and by sticking to a low fiber snack before your run could save you an unplanned trip to the toilet.
Balance
Even if you’re not a runner you should maintain a healthy balance in your diet. So if you want some tasty freshly baked bread then have some. One slice alone isn’t going to be a problem (unless of course you’re celiac). All pleasures in life are fine to be eaten in moderation.
New to baking bread? Here are some items you might need to get started baking white bread.
Paul Hollywood’s white bread recipe is actually the one that Bronwen uses. The book is full of fantastic easy to follow recipes if you would like to start baking more things yourself. It is so much easier to control the amount of refined sugars and salts added to the bread if you bake it yourself.
Kitchen Aids are expensive but are a beginner bakers best friend. All you need to do is purchase the needing attachment and you’re ready to go. Why should you ever get your hands stick and gluey? Don’t worry it’s definitely not cheating ;).
Do you want to learn about the best way to lose weight running? Give my article on how to lose weight running a read.
| Cook Time | 25 mins |
| Servings |
small loaf
|
- 300 g white flour
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fast action dried yeast
- 175 ml warm water
Ingredients
|
|
- Put the flour into a large bowl, add the butter, and rub in with fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, salt, and yeast. Gradually mix with enough warm water to make a soft dough.
- Knead well on a lightly floured surface for 5 mins until the dough is smooth and elastic. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 45mins or until doubled in size.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead well, and put into a greased 500g tin.
- Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place to let the dough rise for 30mins, or until the dough reaches the top of the tin.
- Remove clingfilm, sprinkle with flour and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees C, for 25 mins
- Holding the tin with oven gloves remove from the oven, loosen the bread with a knife, and transfer to a wire rack to cool
