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Home » Gluten-Free | Grain-Free Sourdough Starter

Gluten-Free | Grain-Free Sourdough Starter

by Adrienne 534 Comments Published July 30, 2013 Updated: Jan 04, 2021

This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.
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Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter
gluten-free sourdough in a mason jar with a cloth cover
gluten free sourdough starter in glass bowl with loaf of sourdough bread

If you love sourdough like I do, but you've gone on a gluten-free diet, I have some great news for you. Yes, you can make gluten-free sourdough from this Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter and there are no special ingredients to buy!

Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter in a Glass Bowl

 

I'm convinced that gluten is a big health concern for many, but I still love good bread. And while this flax bread is super tasty, there's just nothing like a good sourdough.

We LOVE the tangy flavor of sourdough and since there are so many people who can't tolerate gluten, I've been meaning to try my hand at making a gluten-free sourdough bread. I am now that much closer to my goal :)!}

In order to prepare myself for this post, I wanted to put myself into the shoes of someone who is gluten free.

When most people think "gluten-free," they think that bread is no longer an option--particularly breads like sourdough.

So in order to be able to empathize with them in their struggle to balance nutrition with their allergies or intolerance... I did some "research."

Basically I wanted to think about what it would be like to be gluten free.

And bread free.

So I ate bread.

Homemade bread.

Two pieces, actually.

With a lot of butter.

And I realized how much I would miss it if I weren't able to eat bread like this on a regular basis.

I'm not trying to rub it in anyone's face - quite the contrary! I know how fortunate my family is to be able to eat whatever we want without breaking out in hives or keeling over in digestive pain.

It saddens me to imagine what it would be like to:

- not be able to walk into my kitchen and slice off a piece of bread whenever I want
- request the waiter to remove the basket of bread instead of refilling it
- worry about being sick for days because someone accidentally contaminated a cooking spoon!

I think I can understand your pain.

That's why it truly brings me joy to share with you a way to have your cake--er, bread--and eat it too.

Gluten-free sourdough, baby. Oh yeah.

Imagine capturing wild yeast out of thin air and cultivating it over a period of several days so that without any help at all, it will magically make dough rise and become a beautiful (and relatively inexpensive--) gluten-free loaf of bread.

It really isn't as hard as it sounds!

But it is incredibly healthy! Quite possibly the healthiest bread you can make!

Benefits of Sourdough

There are many benefits to sourdough including:

Digestable

Sourdough is easier to digest than regular bread (preventing issues like indigestion, etc.)

Beneficial Bacteria

Sourdough contains the healthy gut bacteria lactobacillus (the same major player in yogurt and kefir)

Fewer Nutrient-Binding Qualities

Most of the phytic acid in sourdough is broken down, reducing the effects of nutrient-binders on other foods in your diet.

Lower Glycemic Load

Since sourdough takes longer to digest, it doesn't cause as much of a spike in blood sugar as traditional bread does.

Sourdough is a Prebiotic

Since sourdough functions as a prebiotic, it helps support healthy digestion.

Reduced Acrylamide

Souring the dough reduces the amount of the amino-acid asparagine that is a precursor of acrylamide formation, and acrylamide is a cancer-causing ingredient found in toasted grains, including bread crusts. So with sourdough, you can enjoy your bread crust with less acrylamide.

Please note that there are affiliate links in this post. If you click on them and make a purchase, I will make a commission.

Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread

Gluten-Free vs. Regular Sourdough

Making a gluten free sourdough starter isn't any different than making a regular sourdough starter.

- Both start with flour and water.
- Both take a few days and both get bubbly.
- The only real difference comes when you're ready to make sourdough bread and you have to pull out all the various types of gluten-free flours.

Gluten free sourdough starter can be made in as little as seven days using gluten-free flour, water and a medium-sized bowl. I personally have successfully made gluten free sourdough starter with brown rice flour, but I've read others have had success with white rice flour, teff flour, sorghum flour, or even a gluten-free all-purpose blend.

Typically, in the same way that using a blend of alternative sweeteners will work best when substituting for sugar, using a variety of flours will work best for your gluten-free sourdough.

Gluten-Free Sourdough Recipes

Following are a variety gluten-free sourdough bread recipes for you to experiment with. Because in all honesty, all sourdough breads - with or without gluten - are an experiment. A tasty experiment you can top with butter.

Keep in mind that every recipe will be different, calling for different types of flour and possibly using yeast. I've included several sources so that you can find something that suits you!

  • Gluten-Free Brown Rice Sourdough
  • Artisan Style Sourdough
  • Sourdough Bread Boule
  • Rustic Gluten-Free Sourdough
  • Bread Srsly's Sourdough
  • An excellent bread recipe, plus recipe adaptations in Sourdough A to Z by GNOWFGLINS
  • Bread Machine Sourdough - note that you can try to adapt regular recipes to bread machine, but here's one that is done for you.

Grain-Free & Paleo Options

Since this post was published, several readers have asked if you can make sourdough starters without grains. Well, the good news, is--YES YOU CAN!

To do this, you will need at least 1/3 of your flours to be a starch like tapioca, arrowroot, or maybe cassava flour. Starch is what feeds the yeast so that is the reason behind this requirement.

Grain-free Sourdough Recipes

Here is a grain-free sourdough recipe for you to try after you have your sourdough starter ready to go:

Grain-free Sourdough by It Takes Time

There are other grain-free sourdough recipes out there but most call for a nut base. I hope to have some additional recipes for you in the future.

Recipe Notes and Substitutions for Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

  • Ingredient Amounts: The amounts we give in the ingredient list are the amounts you will need if you only feed the starter twice a day, which is the least number of times you should feed it.  So if you feed it more often, you will of course need more flour and water.
  • Flour: Gluten-free flour blends (just like with alternative sweeteners like stevia) tend to work best when used in conjunction with others. So it's best not to try to make this sourdough starter or sourdough with only 1 GF flour. Personally, I recommend using a blend of flours. As you can read in this gluten-free baking tips post, using a blend of flours tends to make baked goods turn out better when using alternative flours.
  • Grain-Free: For a Paleo Sourdough Starter or AIP Sourdough Starter, just use organic cassava flour or organic tiger nut flour in place of the gluten-free grain flours.
  • THM: This recipe is an "E" for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.

Troubleshooting Your Starter

Here are a three of the most common things that you might notice while watching your starter and what they mean:

Too Much Starter 

If after a few days the starter begins to outgrow the bowl, pour some off to make a batch of sourdough pancakes. Leave at least 1/2 cup of starter in the bowl to continue feeding.

Liquid At the Top

Liquid may or may not collect at the surface of the starter. Either case is normal. (FYI: the liquid contains more lactobacillus and gives the bread its sourdough taste.)

No Bubbles - If you do not see bubbles at the top or at the sides of the starter, add a third feeding. Try to keep the feeding intervals equal. For example, 6am, 2pm and 10pm are all equally apart at 8 hours.

Boost Your Starter

One thing you can do is to add one to two tablespoons of water kefir, dairy kefir, kefir whey or kombucha in place of the water for just one feeding. Since you are adding more bacteria "goodies" to the mix, you are boosting fermentation action.

How to Make the Starter

Following are some images and some brief info about how to do this. Full instructions are below :).

Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter in a Glass Bowl

Step 1. Combine flour (whatever gluten-free flour or gluten-free flour blend you like) and water.

Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter in a Glass Bowl

Step 2. Feed the Starter

Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter in a Bowl

Step 3. The sponge

Gluten Free Sourdough Starter - Now you can have sourdough even if you're gluten free! It's pretty easy to do it and you can try with a whole variety of gluten free flours

Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

Love sourdough but you're gluten free? This Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter is so easy - you can have tasty sourdough bread ready right away.
5 from 5 votes
Print Rate
Course: Breads
Cuisine: AIP, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, THM, Vegan
Keyword: gluten free sourdough starter

Ingredients

  • 6 cups gluten-free or grain-free flour
  • 5 1/4 cups filtered water

Instructions

  • Combine 1/2 cup flour (whatever gluten-free flour or gluten-free flour blend you like) and a scant 1/2 cup filtered water in a medium to large bowl.
    Whisk until smooth and cover the gluten free sourdough starter with a plate, leaving approximately 1/2" gap for air to circulate.
    Set the bowl in a warm area where it will not be disturbed. A kitchen counter, pantry cabinet, or patio will all work.
  • Wait 12-24 hours.
  • At least twice a day for the next six days, at regular intervals, add 1/2 cup of flour and a scant 1/2 cup of filtered water to the existing starter.  Mix until smooth, and cover.
    This is called feeding the starter.
    Make sure to watch your starter carefully.
  • When your gluten-free sourdough starter is very bubbly and creates a dome on top 2-3 hours after each feeding (like the above picture), you are ready to make bread. This is often called the sponge.
  • Use your starter for making the sourdough bread of choice. See above this recipe card in the post for some great options!
Tried this recipe?Mention @wholenewmom or tag #wholenewmom!

Don't Feel Like Making Your Own Starter?

I know how it goes. It's exciting to think about doing everything yourself, but then you just might not get around to it.

If that's how you're feeling after reading this post, you can just buy this Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter and have it all done for you. Or, it would make a great back up to have in your pantry too!

Cultures for Health Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

(Adrienne here again. I think this is fabulous and a great jumping off point for tons of healthy creativity in the kitchen. I can't wait to work on Gluten-Free Sourdough for my family. It would be great topped with butter (if you can eat it) or Homemade Nut Butter. Mmmmmm.)

Meet Tiffany 250px

Tiffany is a frugal foodie, balancing the desire to feed her family healthy food while being a good steward of her finances. She realized it was possible to eat nourishing, traditional food on a budget if she made baby-sized changes in the kitchen. She continues to work hard at mastering real foods without going broke and shares her journey at Don’t Waste the Crumbs.

Top Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizdavenportcreative/6778890399/

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About Adrienne

Adrienne Urban is the Founder and Owner of Whole New Mom. She has a background in research, journalism, insurance, employee benefits, financial markets, frugal living, and nutrition. Seeking a better life for herself and her family, she uses research and consults with many physicians and other practitioners to find solutions to the variety of issues they have dealt with including life-threatening food allergies and thyroid and adrenal concerns. WholeNewMom.com is the result of her experiences and knowledge gained throughout the process. Posts are reviewed and verified by the Whole New Mom team.

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    Recipe Rating




     

  1. Vickie

    October 05, 2020 at 5:01 pm

    I have been working on my "starter" now and am well into day three, but I have no bubbles, no activity. The flour I decided to use was teff. My starter is quite watery and I was wondering what I should do? Add more flour?

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      October 05, 2020 at 9:33 pm

      Is there a layer of water? Or just watery overall?

      Reply
      • Vickie

        October 06, 2020 at 1:14 am

        It's just watery. I added 1/4 cup more teff about 8 hours ago and nothing.

        Reply
        • Adrienne

          October 08, 2020 at 8:38 pm

          I am going to have to do more work on this topic and update the post, but I'm researching for you - one person is saying it likely needs more food added. Apparently it's better to use the same weight of flour to water and not measure by volume---so I will have to update things. Try that and let me know how it goes!

          Reply
          • Vickie

            October 08, 2020 at 8:48 pm

            Hi Adrienne! I look forward to your updates. I tried what you suggested and it just turned into a real stinky mess. I’ll have to start from scratch.

            Reply
            • Adrienne

              October 08, 2020 at 9:15 pm

              Hi there. Oh no! So you added more flour and it's a mess now?

              Reply
          • Theresa Larsen

            November 17, 2020 at 10:24 am

            I actually added kambucha and got some Bible action going.

            Reply
            • Adrienne

              November 17, 2020 at 2:49 pm

              You mean bubble :)?

              Reply
  2. AudreyLover92

    July 10, 2020 at 4:34 am

    What grain free flour would you recommend? I can't eat any grains, and I've been craving sourdough for quite awhile. It would be a nice addition to my meals. It's been years.

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      July 11, 2020 at 10:49 am

      I haven't tried it yet but you could try any one - cassava is a popular one. Almond would be another--I would consider a blend like one of those with tapioca or arrowroot possibly. Hope it goes well!

      Reply
  3. Alex

    June 02, 2020 at 10:37 pm

    My cassava Flour only starter is rising but when I take the discard out or think it’s done the starter isn’t stretchy, should it be stretchy like dough?

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      June 14, 2020 at 1:15 am

      Sorry for not getting back to you sooner! I'm buried here. It really shouldn't be stretchy at all really w/o gluten in it. You really need binders and some starches to make it stick together more.

      Reply
  4. Kelly

    May 27, 2020 at 11:48 pm

    Once we have a starter, what’s a good bread recipe to use it in? Can you use any old recipe? Does it need to be specifically a gluten free recipe?

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      May 28, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      Hi there! There are some recipes linked to in the post. They are GF but no you don't need to be limited that way.

      Reply
  5. Lisa

    May 18, 2020 at 6:34 pm

    Hi!
    So I'm wondering, could you make the starter with *just* arrowroot or tapioca and water? Or would it need to be a blend that included them?
    Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      May 28, 2020 at 9:18 pm

      Hi there. I think you could do that-- it will be very light since those are very starchy. I would be interested to hear how it goes if you try it!

      Reply
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adrienne author of whole new mom blog

Welcome! I'm Adrienne, and I'm here to show you that Healthy Living Doesn't Have to Be Hard! Here, you'll find basically everything you need to make healthy living doable--healthy & easy flexible recipes, tips for clean beauty and a natural home, essential oils, beginner gardening tips, and more. Learn more about me here.

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