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Asian countries are actively explored by our travelers. Accordingly, Asian cuisine is gaining more and more popularity. Soy is a leguminous plant very common in Asia. Soy products, which are native to Asian countries, are also loved by Europeans. Soy is used to make flour, butter, milk, sauce, cheese, and even meat.
Soy bread is rightfully considered the most useful bakery product. This product has been baked since ancient times: information about it came from the tenth century BC from Korea. The generic name “soy bread” covers several baked goods that can be made with soy flour, milk, or butter.
Chemical composition
The composition of the bread from these beans depends on the recipe and the soy ingredient on the basis of which it is made (flour, milk, butter). Soybean flour contains more vegetable fiber than soybean milk or oil, so soybean-based bread is the healthiest of all soybean breads.
With its low calorie content, it is rich in proteins, dietary fiber, and unsaturated fatty acids. Soy flour-based baking contains 52 g of protein, 17,4 g of carbohydrates, 1,2 g of fat. The energy value is 282 kcal per 100 g of the product.
Bread proteins from this type of legumes are complete in their composition, that is, they contain all the indispensable (essential) amino acids that are not produced in humans. Due to this, it can be considered a source of essential amino acids, in particular leucine, isoleucine, valine, tyrosine. In addition, soy bread is virtually free of the complex protein gluten.
The carbohydrate composition of soybean dough is complex polysaccharides, in particular, dietary fiber (cellulose and fiber). These polysaccharides are water insoluble. They absorb a lot of water, increasing many times in volume, which reduces the feeling of hunger and stimulates intestinal peristalsis, thereby normalizing the stool and promoting weight loss.
The fats of this bakery product are represented mainly by unsaturated fatty acids and are completely devoid of cholesterol. They contain a large amount of isoflavones – compounds that have a structure similar to female sex hormones. That is why soy bread, like other products from it, belongs to the “women’s products”. Soybean fats are rich in lecithin, a source of phospholipids, from which the walls of all body cells are built.
In addition to the main nutrients, soy bread is rich in B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, choline, pyridoxine, nicotinic acid, carotenoids, retinol, tocopherols, vitamin K). Baking on the basis of semi-finished soy products is a source of macro- and microelements (potassium, magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron, sodium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, selenium).
Useful Properties
Bread made from soy flour is a valuable bakery product that is included in the daily diet of vegetarians. This product is also popular among dieters due to its low calorie content.
Vitamin B4 (choline), contained in the flour from these legumes, has a choleretic effect, dilutes bile, preventing its stagnation in the biliary tract and the formation of gallstones. Due to this property, choline prevents fatty degeneration of the liver and contributes to the deposition of glycogen in it – an energy substance that is an internal source of glucose for the body. Choline is also part of the lecithin molecule, therefore it potentiates its lipotropic effect.
Lecithin accelerates oxidative processes, increases the body’s resistance to toxic substances and poisons, has a hypocholesterolemic effect, stimulates hematopoiesis. The presence of lecithin in soy flour makes baking with its content useful for the elderly, as well as for those who are predisposed or at high risk of atherosclerosis.
Soybean flour is a gluten-free product, so bread from it can be included in the diet of people with celiac disease or individual gluten intolerance.
Vitamins of group B, acting with soy products, restore the disturbed intestinal microflora. In bakery products from it, the amount of proteins, fiber and B vitamins is well balanced, so regular use of this product can eliminate digestive problems.
Polyunsaturated fats, although not found in large quantities in order to replenish the daily need for them, but contribute to the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, E and K in the intestine. Retinol improves vision, tocopherol promotes the healing of damaged skin and mucous membranes, and vitamin K is involved in blood clotting processes.
Bread made from soy flour has a high antioxidant activity: its substances are involved in redox reactions, preventing damage to cell membranes by free radicals.
The beneficial substances of this bakery product have a beneficial effect on the hematopoietic and immune systems:
- participate in the synthesis of hemoglobin;
- B vitamins, especially folic acid and cyanocobalamin, stimulate erythropoiesis (the formation of red blood cells);
- contribute to the synthesis of immunoglobulins of the humoral link of immunity;
- proteins and phospholipids are included in the structure of the cell walls of immunocompetent blood cells;
- Vitamin K is involved in blood clotting and the formation of platelets – platelets.
There is evidence in the literature that soy bread, when consumed regularly, reduces the risk of breast cancer in women.
This anti-carcinogenic property of soy baking is probably due to the presence of a large amount of lecithin and isoflavones in it, which have estrogen-like activity. Soy isoflavones contribute to the normalization of the hormonal background of women during menopause, improving their well-being.
This type of bakery products is also useful in that, due to the ability of soy flour to retain moisture and, accordingly, increase the weight of the product, eggs, baking powder and flavoring food additives do not need to be added to baking with its content. Thus, we can say that soy bread is the most natural.
Possible harm
Despite the many benefits, soy bread can also be harmful. Soy protein causes allergic reactions in some people. In addition, the fibers of these beans in the process of growth and maturation are capable of accumulating toxic substances and radionuclides. Therefore, soybeans grown in unfavorable ecological zones can become a source of hazardous substances and cause dangerous poisoning.
Large doses of vitamin B4 (choline) can have a depressant effect on cardiac activity, causing bradycardia and a drop in blood pressure. Soy isoflavones may also worsen the well-being of patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Soy bread should be consumed in limited quantities, since the isoflavones contained in it can adversely affect the hormonal background:
- inhibit the production of thyroxine by the thyroid gland;
- promote obesity in men;
- cause sexual impotence;
- reduce sexual desire;
- disrupt the menstrual cycle.
It is forbidden to eat soy bread for women during pregnancy, since soy isoflavones can disrupt the formation of the nervous system in the fetus and provoke miscarriage. Frequent use of bakery products based on semi-finished soy products in childhood is fraught with violations of puberty processes in adolescents.
With prolonged use of soy products in large quantities, infertility can occur in men and women.
Application in medicine
Soy bread is not used as a medicine in medicine. However, due to its beneficial properties, it can be included in limited quantities in the diet of people who suffer from:
- cholecystitis;
- biliary dyskinesia;
- cholelithiasis;
- intestinal dysbacteriosis;
- celiac disease;
- anemia;
- weakened immunity;
- increased bleeding;
- atherosclerosis.
Due to its low calorie content, eating soy bread is good for overweight people and those who are on a diet.
Cooking application
Soybean flour has found application in the food industry. In addition to the baking industry, it is added to confectionery, sausages, pasta.
Soy bread is a good alternative to wheat flour bread. Adding soy flour to the dough increases the density of the bread, reducing its porosity. As a result, this bread made from soy flour does not go stale for a long time. Due to the fact that soy proteins and fiber retain a lot of water, there is an increase in bread baking. This reduces the cost of a bakery product.
In addition, the organoleptic characteristics of bakery products change: the color of the crumb becomes golden and a pleasant rich aroma appears. Due to the fact that soy flour bread has a low porosity, it is convenient to use it for making sandwiches.
It is difficult to buy soy bread in our stores. It is much easier to bake it at home: in a bread machine, oven or slow cooker. There are many recipes for soy bread. Flour, milk, and even butter can be used as the main ingredient from soybeans in bread. Below is a recipe for soy flour bread for the oven.
Soy flour bread in the oven
To prepare it, you need to take 100 g of soy flour, 300 g of premium wheat flour, a bag of dry yeast, 0,5 cups of water, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil (preferably refined). First, the starter is prepared: sugar and yeast are added to warm water at 38-40 ° C, left in a warm place for 15-20 minutes, after which salt and vegetable oil are added to the mixture. The dough is kneaded on this mixture, having previously combined soy and wheat flour. The container with the dough is covered with cling film and left to rise for 1,5-2 hours.
When the dough has doubled in volume, it is kneaded and transferred to a greased form and left for another 1 hour. Bake for 10 minutes at 220°C, then until done at 180°C. After baking, the bread must cool! To do this, it is taken out of the mold, covered with a cotton towel and allowed to stand for 3-4 hours.
Conclusions
Soy bread is a good substitute for baked goods made from cereal flour. This is especially true for people who are gluten intolerant.
The rich chemical composition of soy bread determines its beneficial properties. It improves digestion, fights atherosclerosis, normalizes hormonal levels in menopausal women, has an anti-anemic effect, improves immunity, and promotes weight loss. Isoflavones, found in soy fat in large quantities, reduce the likelihood of breast cancer in women.
But due to the high content of estrogen-like isoflavones in it, it is not recommended for men to consume such bakery products regularly, since there is a high risk of disruption of the functioning of their reproductive system.
It is also not recommended to eat soy bread for pregnant women and children, because its isoflavones can cause serious disorders in the development of the fetal nervous system and disrupt the puberty process of adolescents.
You can eat soy bread if you eat it in small quantities. It is difficult to buy it in our country. But there are many recipes for its preparation at home. The soy ingredient in these recipes can be soy flour, milk, or butter.