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!
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!
The 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.
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
- Another Basic Gluten-Free Sourdough Loaf
- Rustic Gluten-Free Sourdough
- Bread Srsly's Sourdough
- An excellent bread recipe, plus recipe adaptations in Sourdough A to Z by GNOWFGLINS
Grain-Free Sourdough & Paleo Sourdough 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.
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 Gluten-free Sourdough 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 Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
Following are some images and some brief info about how to do this. Full instructions are below :).
Step 1. Combine flour (whatever gluten-free flour or gluten-free flour blend you like) and water.
Step 2. Feed the Starter
Step 3. The sponge
Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter
Ingredients
- 6 cups 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.
Don't Feel Like Making Your Own Sourdough 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!
(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.)
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/
Oh my, I just started yesterday with my sourdough starter. Today I am about to feed it the second time and it is puffed and has small bubble on the side and bottom of the bowl. It does not have bubbles on the top serface yet. I am starting to get an odor. Do I need to wait the six days? Thanks, Toni
Hi there. I’m not the best sourdough person but what type of odor do you mean? Your house might be a bit too warm making it grow too fast?
Hi Adrienne, Perhaps, it does seem to slow a bit at night. I don’t have a good spot that is consistent for warmth except…I have my bowl sitting on top of the microwave, which puts the bowl a few inches away from some undercounted lighting. It smells a little better I would say today. Yesterday it had a bitter smell, today it’s more like milk going sour. I am thinking maybe I could bake bread sooner than the 6 days (next Tuesday 2/19). Maybe on the fourth day (Sunday 2/17). But not really sure, since it’s my first time. Thanks, Toni
Well milk going sour would make sense since you are making sourdough.
I use a gluten-free flour blend that is primarily white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour. What is your favorite sourdough bread recipe (easy) that I can begin with? I’ve made regular sourdough, but would like to make gluten-free bread. Thank you.
Hi there. I don’t have a favorite–actually the fact is that this was a post written by a guest writer and I have been reworking it but I have never made GF sourdough. I need to do it. We have been avoiding a lot of starches so it hasn’t been on the radar but I think we can handle it now and in the future so I can try. Might take me awhile to have a fave though! The comment just above yours (or close) recommended one.
Hi, I need some help please! How do I know when my starter is ready? It doesn’t have that dome shape on top, it’s rather flat. Smells ok though and it’s bubbly all through. It’s a week old today. I’ve made 3 batches that ended up in the bin already because the bread didn’t rise 🙁 so I want to make
Sure I get it right this time! I used 50-50% all purpose gf and brown rice flour. Please helppp
Thank you 🙂
Hi there – sounds like you are having issues–is the temperature of your kitchen warm enough?
Virag,
Check the ingredients in your GF all purpose flour. If it has xanthan gum, that may be why your starter is not cooperating. The xanthan inhibits the necessary biotic growth that a starter needs.
I had not heard that. I read in one place online not to use it but that is so interesting. Thank you!
Thank you too! I’ve only just seen this comment. I should check it more carefully next time. But!! I’ve just had a massive success and finally a loaf (2 actually, from 2 different recipes) turned out beautifully!! I’m so very happy ?
I’ve let it rest in the fridge for a couple of days then took it out for a feed and made the bread the next day. Noticed a little dome so I though I’d give it a go. Hurray!
Yay!!
What recipes worked well for you?
That’s fantastic, Virag! I’ve yet to get that far! LOL! Good luck to you on future loaves! I hope to get there one day soon.
🙂 good luck to you too Sigrid!
Adrienne- I’ve used one of your recipes above, this one: https://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2010/10/sourdough-bread-boule-gluten-free/
And the other one was a Hungarian recipe so can’t share it here sorry! But
This one is actually a huge loaf? my partner can’t have yeast and has lots of allergies so this is a huge success.
How great!!! I’m so happy to hear this!
Do you use ONLY brown rice flour in your starter? At one point in you article you say you use brown rice flour, but then later on you say using more than one gluten free flour is best. I am trying to make a gluten free sourdough starter for a friend and have tried before with the AP blend and it didn’t work.
Hi there – I just updated the post with additional information. The author of the post stated what she used, but I personally think that a blend will produce better results. What happened w/ your All Purpose Blend? Perhaps the troubleshooting tips will help?
It didn’t grow like the sourdough starter I make with regular flour and it went bad, it solidified and smelled rotten.
Could something else have been off?
Could have been, I will try it again.
Let me know and hope it goes well!
I think I messed up my starter somehow. It hasn’t seem to form a sponge and started to smell like glue instead of yogurt. My husband thinks it’s ok and wants me to make bread with it. My sense of smell could be off and I really don’t know what I’m doing, so you think I should try to make bread with it or just toss it and try again another time? Thanks!
mmm…glue doesn’t sound good to me. I wouldn’t personally use it. Is your smell typically off or is your husband’s?