Is Homemade Bread Healthier? Yes — And It's Not Even Close
By Andris Lagsdin, Founder of Baking Steel | Updated: February 2026
It's not just the love that goes into homemade bread that makes it taste so good. Homemade bread is genuinely better for you, for your body, your gut, and honestly, your soul. That's not opinion. That's science.
I've been baking bread at home for over a decade, and once you understand what actually goes into store-bought bread versus what goes into a loaf you make yourself, you'll never look at a grocery store bread aisle the same way again.
What's Actually in Store-Bought Bread?
Flip over a loaf of store-bought bread and read the ingredients. Go ahead, I'll wait.
You'll find things like high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, soybean oil, dough conditioners, calcium propionate, mono and diglycerides, and a bunch of other things you can't pronounce. That's not bread. That's a chemistry experiment designed to sit on a shelf for two weeks without going stale.
Now here's what goes into homemade bread: flour, water, salt, yeast. That's it. Four ingredients. That's real bread.
You Control Every Ingredient
When you bake at home, you decide what goes in. Want organic flour? Use it. Want to skip the sugar entirely? Done. Want to add whole grains, seeds, or spelt for extra nutrition? Go for it.
There's no corporate food scientist optimizing for shelf life. There's no preservative keeping your bread "fresh" for three weeks. There's just you, real ingredients, and an oven.
We use organic bread flour from Central Milling in everything we bake, our 72-hour pizza dough, our overnight baguettes, all of it. When you start with quality flour, you can taste the difference in every bite.
No Hidden Sugars
This one surprised me when I first learned it. Many store-bought breads — even the ones marketed as "whole wheat" or "healthy", contain added sugars. Sometimes it's listed as high fructose corn syrup, sometimes as honey or molasses, sometimes as plain sugar. It's there to make the bread taste better and keep you buying it.
Homemade bread doesn't need any sugar at all. Flour, water, salt, yeast. The flavor comes from fermentation, not sweeteners. And when you give your dough time, 12, 24, even 72 hours the flavor develops naturally. No shortcuts needed.
Long Fermentation = Better Digestion
Here's something most people don't know: the longer your dough ferments, the easier it is to digest.
Slow fermentation breaks down gluten and phytic acid, which are two things that give people trouble with bread. A lot of people who think they're "sensitive to gluten" are actually sensitive to the fast-processed, additive-loaded bread from the grocery store. Give them a slice of properly fermented homemade bread and they're fine.
That's one of the reasons I'm obsessed with long fermentation times. Our 72-hour pizza dough recipe isn't just about flavor — it's about giving the dough time to do its thing. The result is a dough that stretches like yoga (we call it Yoga Dough for a reason) and a crust that's easier on your stomach.
🍞 Coming Soon — Baking Steel Dry Dough Packs: We're launching our own dough mix made with organic bread flour from Central Milling, featuring our famous 72-hour recipe. Just add water. It makes incredible pizza dough and fresh bread, so if you want to start baking healthier bread at home but don't know where to begin, this is your on-ramp. Stay tuned.
More Nutrients, Less Processing
When bread is commercially produced, the flour is typically refined, stripped of the bran and germ, which is where most of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals live. What's left is basically starch.
At home, you choose your flour. Whole grain flours retain everything — the fiber, the B vitamins, the iron, the magnesium. Even if you prefer white bread (no judgment), a homemade white loaf made with quality unbleached flour is still a cleaner, more nutritious option than anything off a shelf.
It Tastes Better. Period.
Store-bought bread sits in plastic for days or weeks. Homemade bread comes out of your oven and straight onto your counter. The crust crackles. The inside is soft and airy. The smell fills your entire house.
There is no comparison. Once you've had fresh bread from your own oven, the grocery store stuff just hits different — and not in a good way.
The Right Setup Makes All the Difference
You don't need a lot of equipment to bake great bread at home. But one thing that makes a massive difference is what you bake it on.
A Baking Steel conducts heat 20x faster than a ceramic pizza stone or a baking sheet. That means your bread gets an incredible crust, crispy, golden, with real structure — in a regular home oven. It's the closest thing to a professional deck oven you can get at home.
I invented the Baking Steel for pizza, but honestly, bread might be where it shines the brightest. A fresh baguette or a rustic loaf baked on steel is something special.
Shop the Baking Steel Original
Start Simple
You don't need to be a professional baker. You don't need fancy equipment. You just need flour, water, salt, yeast, and a little bit of time.
Start with our overnight baguette recipe — it's dead simple, the dough does most of the work while you sleep, and you'll have fresh bread by dinner. Or try our 72-hour pizza dough, which doubles as an incredible flatbread.
Once you start baking at home, you won't go back. Your body will thank you, your family will thank you, and your kitchen will smell incredible.
Now go make some bread.
Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Bread
Is homemade bread healthier than store-bought?
Yes. Homemade bread is healthier because you control every ingredient. Store-bought bread often contains preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and emulsifiers to extend shelf life. Homemade bread can be made with just flour, water, salt, and yeast — nothing else.
Is homemade bread better for you than store-bought?
Yes. Homemade bread is better for you because it contains no hidden sugars, no artificial preservatives, and no processed additives. You choose the flour, you control the fermentation, and you know exactly what you're eating. Long fermentation times also break down gluten and phytic acid, making the bread easier to digest.
Is homemade white bread healthy?
Homemade white bread is healthier than store-bought white bread because it skips the preservatives, dough conditioners, and added sugars. It's still not as nutrient-dense as whole grain bread, but a simple homemade white loaf with just flour, water, salt, and yeast is a much cleaner option than anything off a shelf.
What are the benefits of making your own bread?
The benefits include: complete control over ingredients (no preservatives or hidden sugars), better flavor and freshness, higher nutrient density when using whole grains, easier digestion through long fermentation, cost savings over artisan bakery bread, and the satisfaction of making something real with your hands.
How do I make healthy bread at home?
Start with quality flour (organic bread flour is ideal), water, salt, and yeast. Use a long fermentation — 12 to 72 hours — which develops flavor and makes the bread easier to digest. Bake on a Baking Steel for the best crust. You only need four ingredients and a little patience.
Is homemade bread better for digestion?
Yes, especially bread made with long fermentation times. Slow fermentation breaks down gluten and phytic acid, making the bread easier on your digestive system. Many people who struggle with store-bought bread find they tolerate homemade bread with no issues.
Does homemade bread have less sugar than store-bought?
Yes. Most store-bought breads contain added sugars — sometimes as high fructose corn syrup — to improve flavor and extend shelf life. Homemade bread doesn't need any sugar at all. A basic recipe is just flour, water, salt, and yeast.
What ingredients should I avoid in store-bought bread?
Watch out for high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, soybean oil, dough conditioners like azodicarbonamide, artificial preservatives like calcium propionate, and long ingredient lists in general. If you can't pronounce it, you probably don't want to eat it. Homemade bread avoids all of this.
About the Author
Andris Lagsdin is the founder of Baking Steel and co-author of Baking With Steel with Jesse Olson Moore. After years of experimenting with pizza stones and disappointing results, Andris engineered the Baking Steel — a ¼" thick steel plate that conducts heat 20x faster than ceramic. What started as a pizza tool has become the go-to surface for baking bread, baguettes, and everything in between.
