Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

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My original post on how to make gluten free sourdough bread turned out to be so long, I felt it would be so much easier for everyone if I broke it down by writing up how to make the gluten free starter information separately.

I will cover all of the steps needed to make a gluten free sourdough starter with several different gluten free flours and blends so you can compare and dive in to make your own starter!

When I first interviewed Sadie at Bread Srsly, she was so generous to share an older version of her famous sourdough recipe with me to share with my readers. I have streamlined Sadie's original recipe and tested a few different gluten free flours and blends in order to make it easier for you to recreate this recipe.

If you want to try the original recipe, you could use 1/4 cup of millet flour or 1/4 cup of sorghum flour. (Check out Rachel's comment in my Gluten Free Sourdough post linked at the top of this page to see her comments how she uses the millet flour!)

Sourdough starter instructions:

• Day One: Mix together equal parts of a gluten free flour blend and water. I used 1/4 cup flour to 1/2 cup water ratio. (Stay away from pure starch sources such as tapioca and potato.) *NOTE: I highly recommend using filtered or bottled water. Chlorine and chemicals will kill the beneficial bacteria you are trying to grow.
• Leave it in a bowl at room temperature. Cover the bowl with a towel. (You can use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend , King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Blend., GF Jules Gluten Free Flour Blend), or individual flours like brown rice, millet, or sorghum.
• I used 1/4 cup King Arthur Measure for Measure and also GF Jules GF Blend for my test starters. My reader Dana used 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1.

Every 8-12 hours, (2-3 times a day) add a little more flour and water. Stick to a 1 part flour to 2 parts water ratio. I keep my starter in my kitchen bay window, but I make sure it is completely covered by a clean kitchen towel so no sunlight gets in.

After 3-5 days, your mixture should smell sour and have lots of bubbles. Congratulations! You are almost there.

This is what it looks like now! It is thick and creamy looking with lots of little bubbles. It still has the consistency of runny pancake batter.

Now to make the actual starter that you use to make the bread!! Once your mixture is bubbling, add some to your bread mix.

Do not use any yeast. Don't forget to check out my instructions for making the gluten free sourdough bread for the bread mix ingredients!

Let rise for at least 12 hours. (See above photo, the mass should almost double in size.)

Once the bread has risen, you have your starter! Put aside at least 1/4 cup as your new starter and see how to feed your starter instructions below.

Now go to my Gluten Free Sourdough Bread recipe to use this new starter to make a loaf of bread!

How to feed the starter?

If you love sourdough bread and want to continue making it regularly, your best bet is to keep a starter in the refrigerator. The starter will need to be fed in order for it to survive.

You will need to feed your starter in the refrigerator every 3 days in order to keep it going. I feed mine by adding 2 tablespoons of additional flour to 1/4 cup purified water. Stir it well so the flour is incorporated in.

When you want to bake bread, take the starter out of the refrigerator the night before. Feed it (2 tablespoons flour and 1/4 cup of purified water) and cover it completely with a clean kitchen towel. You don't want it exposed to the sunlight. Use for baking sourdough the next day then put the starter back into the refrigerator.

My daughter named our starter, Alfred. It is a tradition to name your sourdough starter. What will you name your starter?"

Can you switch flours mid-way?

I have been using the King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free blend for a couple of weeks now and I finally used up the bag. I haven't been able to get more so I decided to add brown rice flour to feed my starter.

The starter exploded and almost overflowed over the sides of my jar. It tripled in size. I will be using some discard to make pizza tonight with it. I think moving to the brown rice flour fermented so quickly because it didn't have the starch that the King Arthur mix has.

Is it necessary to discard some starter?

Many people discard some of their starter as they are adding flour and water 3x a day to grow the starter. I totally understand this as you will end up with a huge starter if you don't toss some. There are definite benefits to discarding some of the starter as it makes the bacteria stronger.

I did not discard when making my starters. It wasn't in Sadie's original instructions and I had great luck without discarding anything.

How do I know if it has gone bad?

If your sourdough starter has been exposed to bacteria, it can go bad. The easiest way to tell if your starter is still good is to open it and smell before each use.

If it smells like unbaked bread, then it is still good and can be baked. If you notice a foul odor, mold growing or pink or orange tint, then it has gone bad and should be discarded.

What is the liquid on top of my starter?

The liquid that forms on top of your sourdough starter is known as "hooch". When you see hooch in your starter that is an indicator that the sourdough needs to be fed. The development of hooch is perfectly normal and not a cause for concern.

Simply drain off the hooch before you feed the sourdough starter. You may notice the hooch smells like alcohol and this is normal as well.

Can I freeze the starter?

Yes, you can freeze the sourdough starter. If you decide to freeze the starter, you will not have to feed it. When you are ready to bake the bread, you will need to give the sourdough starter a week before the dough is active again. Once you remove it from the freezer, you will need to begin the feeding process.

Freezing the starter is an excellent idea if you just don’t have the time and effort to keep feeding it. I recommend freezing the sourdough starter if you are going on vacation or aren’t going to be home for some reason for several days.

Don't forget to check out the next step...making the sourdough bread!

Continue to Content

How to Make a Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

Yield: one starter

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Difficulty: easy

An easy tutorial to make your own homemade gluten free sourdough starter

Print

Materials

• 1/4 cup gluten free flour
• 1/2 cup purified or bottled water

Tools

• Small jar
• Spoon
• Clean dishtowel

Instructions

1. Add the flour and water to a jar and mix well.
2. Cover with a clean dish towel and leave it on the counter. I kept mine in my kitchen bay window so it was warmed by the sun.
3. 3x a day, add 2 tablespoons of flour and 1/4 cup water. You want the consistency to be like runny pancake batter so feel free to use more water if the starter needs it. Some gluten free flours need more liquid so go by the water feel of the starter.
4. By day 3-5 your starter mix should be bubbly and smell sour.
5. Add your starter to the bread mix:

2 cups gluten free flour blend (*see note)
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 c sourdough starter (see post for directions to make this)
water by feel

Mix well and set out to rise for 12-24 hours. Congratulations! This is your starter. See my gluten free sourdough bread recipe linked in this article for the bread recipe to use your starter with.

Notes

I have used sorghum and millet flours sucessfully. I also have used King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Blend, Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend, and GF Jules gluten free flour blends to make a sucessful starter.

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