• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Sourdough
      • Gluten-Free Sourdough
      • Sourdough Discard
    • Seasonal Recipes
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Bread Recipes
      • Sweet Breads
      • Savory Breads
    • Condiment Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
      • Cocktails
      • Non Alcoholic
Vanilla And Bean

Vanilla And Bean

Sweet and Savory Vegetarian

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • About
    • Subscribe
    • A little bit about me…
    • Contact
    • Let’s Work Together
    • Blogs I’m Reading
    • Blogger Resources
You are here: Home / Recipes / Bread / Sourdough / Gluten Free Sourdough / How to Make a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

How to Make a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

By Traci · Jump to Recipe ·
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my affiliate policy.

Making a gluten free sourdough starter couldn’t be easier. Start with a few simple ingredients, a little time and patience, soon you’ll be making delicious homemade gluten free sourdough bread, pizza, pancakes, and waffles!  This recipe is vegetarian and vegan.

A jar of ripe gluten free sourdough starter.

Table of Contents

  • A Gluten Free Journey
  • How to Make a Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
  • How do I Know When My Gluten Free Starter is Ready
  • How Do I Maintain my Gluten Free Sourdough Starter?
  • What is That Layer of Liquid?
  • A Few Gluten Free Sourdough Starter Notes
  • Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

A Gluten Free Journey

I started my gluten free sourdough journey in the summer of 2018. At the time I had just recently become proficient at sourdough bread when my doctor declared she wanted me to give a gluten free trial a go. And so the journey began. 

I am eating gluten again, but through the development of this gluten free starter, and consequently gluten free multigrain sourdough bread recipe and gluten free sourdough pizza, the Vanilla And Bean community has shown interest. Also, I’ve created gluten free sourdough pancakes recipe and waffles with this sourdough starter, using whole grain flours, that taste over the top!

Gluten free sourdough starter is simple to make, but it took a bit of trial and error for me to get me to this point. While it’s similar to developing a glutenous sourdough starter, I found some gluten free flours to be more reliable than others in producing a consistent result. 

Adding water to rice and buckwheat flour in a mixing bowl.   Whisking gluten free flours in a bowl with water. Whisking a gluten free sourdough starter.   Covering the gluten free sourdough starter.

How to Make a Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

This simple recipe generally takes about 5-7 days to complete, but it could take longer. You’ll think about it more than the time it takes to make it: checking on it periodically, looking for bubbles, taking a whiff for a bit of that sweet and sour aroma we’re after. The key is patience and consistency (see recipe card below for details).

  • Day 1:  In a medium glass bowl or jar, whisk buckwheat or brown rice flour with sweet rice flour and water. Lid or cover with a damp tea towel and set aside at room temperature 24 hours.
  • Day 2: Take a portion of the previous days mix (discard the leftover), and in a clean jar or bowl whisk in previous days mix, water and buckwheat and sweet rice flour. Lid or cover with a damp tea towel and set aside at room temperature for 24 hours. 

at about day three – four, starter will begin to smell unpleasant, like sweaty socks. keep going… it will change for the better!

  • Day 3 through 6…or 7 (or beyond):  Repeat day two until the mixture becomes puffy, has a pleasant sweet-sour aroma and bubbles begin to form under the surface. How many days it takes to complete to get to this point depends on ambient temperature and available, naturally occurring yeast and bacteria. Six to seven days has been my experience. 
  • Note: Time mentioned here is a guide rather than a determining factor for when the starter is ready. Use the cues and your senses to determine when it’s ready. It may take longer than seven days.

It’s ready when it’s ready. 

  • Once the starter is puffy, has a sweet-sour aroma and bubbles are present under the surface (see pictures below), your initial starter is ripe or ready.
  • Last, to keep your starter healthy and strong, you’ll need to refresh it, or feed it before using it in a recipe.

Feeding the gluten free sourdough starter.   Whisking the fed gluten free sourdough starter. A bubbly sourdough starter.    Bubbly Gluten Free Sourdough Starter on day 7.

How to Refresh a Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

Refreshing a gluten free starter keeps it healthy and strong. I refresh mine at least every other week, once a week if I remember, when stored in the fridge, but always 8-12 hours before I’m ready to mix the sourdough. Also, I keep the starter in a glass jar with a rubber band around the starting level (after I refresh it) so I can track its progress as it develops.

To refresh your gluten free starter: 

  • First, in a clear jar you’ll add part of your sourdough starter (throw out or save the leftover to make gluten free sourdough pancakes or sourdough waffles using your discard). Then you’ll whisk in the water and add the flours. Mix well until the flours are hydrated.
  • Next, loosely lid and wrap a rubber band around the jar at the height of the starter. This will give you a visual indication of how much the starter has grown as it grows to double in size.
  • Last, allow the starter to develop at room temperature for about 8-12 hours. The time will vary due to ambient temperature.

How do I Know When My Gluten Free Starter is Ready

Once the starter has doubled in size, is bubbly and has a sweet-sour aroma, it’s ready to use in your gluten free sourdough bread recipe. After measuring out the portion needed for your recipe, refresh the starter, as indicated above and store in the fridge until your next feeding. 

The starter will not stay in this doubled in size state for long. At some point after doubling in size, it will begin to lose its strength and fall. The exact amount of time will vary from starter to starter but I’ve typically observed a few hours window, at room temperature, where the starter will remain doubled in size. On warm days, it’s shorter. But in the refrigerator, it’ll hold for quite a while. I’ve observed at least over eight hours! Once it starts falling back down after doubling in size, you’ll need to refresh (or feed) it and allow it to double in size again before using it in a sourdough bread recipe. 

If your starter is struggling to double in size, you’ll need to go through a few cycles of refreshment to build strength in the starter. You can even refresh twice within a 12 hour period if needed. Doing this builds flavor and will help later in the development of your gluten free sourdough bread. I do a series of refreshments after freezer storage or a long period of neglect in the refrigerator before using it in a recipe. 

How Do I Maintain my Gluten Free Sourdough Starter?

Think of your sourdough starter as a refrigerator pet that needs regular attention. There’s yeast and bacteria that make up the starter so it needs to be fed (refreshed) on a regular basis.  Your starter can be stored at room temperature if you’re baking daily.

However, I use mine about once every two weeks, so I store my starter in the refrigerator. I’ve gotten away with refreshing it only before and after I bake and this system of an every other week feeding/baking schedule works well for me. In a perfect world, it should be fed weekly. 

What is That Layer of Liquid?

After your starter is established, you may notice a layer of liquid that forms on the surface. This liquid is called hooch, a naturally occurring alcohol which indicates your starter is hungry, that it’s a little past time to feed your starter and is an indication of a weak (hungry) starter. Hooch should have a pleasant sweet-sour aroma. You can pour it off or stir it into your starter and carry on with refreshment. 

If you notice hooch after refreshing your starter, and you’ve missed the doubled in size bake window, you’ll need to feed your starter twice a day, which will remedy hooch and build strength in your starter. Putting your starter in a cooler area of the house should help too. This will slow down the fermentation process. 

If you’ll be away from baking for a while and need to store your starter longer than a few weeks, it can go in the freezer. When ready to use it again, thaw it out in the refrigerator and refresh it a few times prior to baking with it. 

Remember, your starter is ready when it doubles in size, is bubbly and has a pleasant sweet-sour aroma. 

An unripe gluten free sourdough starter.   Top view of a ripe gluten free sourdough starter. Overhead view of a ripe and bubbly sourdough starter.   A doubled in size, ripe sourdough starter in a jar.

A Few Gluten Free Sourdough Starter Notes

  • Time is a guide rather than a determining factor for when the starter is ready. Use the cues and your senses to determine when it’s ready. It may take longer than seven days. It’s ready when it’s ready.
  • For leftover sourdough starter (discard), you can keep it in a jar for use in other recipes, give some away or throw it out. It can be used in gluten free sourdough pancakes, sourdough waffles or my gluten free sourdough pizza crust recipe without having to double it in size… and it’s absolutely delicious! I keep a jar in my refrigerator and refill it as I discard the leftover starter at refreshment time. The discard can be frozen too. 
  • If you see any mold or a layer of pinkish/orange/white slimy color on the top of your starter, throw it out and make a new starter. This can be avoided simply keeping your starter happy and well fed, refreshing it weekly in the fridge or daily at room temperature. 
  • Through testing this recipe, I found sweet white rice flour or AP 1-1 gluten free baking flour to be an essential component in developing a strong and consistent gluten free sourdough starter. Mixed with another whole grain flour such as buckwheat or brown rice flour yields consistent results. These are the only two whole grain flours I’ve tried when making this starter. If you use something different, please let us know how it goes in the comments! 
  • Float Test: If you’re a glutenous sourdough baker and have used the float test in the past to observe when your sourdough starter is ready, the same idea doesn’t work for gluten free sourdough starter. So, you’ll need to go on observation alone. Remember: the starter doubles in size, smells of a sweet-sour aroma and has air pockets within the starter (or is bubbly). 

RELATED: Once your gluten free starter is going, check out my Seeded Multigrain Gluten Free Sourdough Bread. Use your discard in these GF Sourdough Pancakes, GF Sourdough Pizza Crust and in GF Sourdough Waffles!

UPDATE (2/20): If you’re on Instagram, I’ve recorded a day by day video so you can see how the starter progresses over time! Link to my profile on Instagram, then look for GF SD Start… in Highlights!

A ripe, doubled in size gluten free sourdough starter in a jar.
Print Recipe

Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

Author:Traci York | Vanilla And Bean
*The blog post above has more tips and information!*
Making a gluten free sourdough starter couldn't be easier. Start with a few simple ingredients, a little time and patience, soon you'll be making delicious homemade gluten free sourdough bread, pancakes, and waffles! This recipe is gluten free and vegan.
This process generally takes between 6-7 days to complete, with only minutes each day to prepare it. Be aware that it could take longer. This is the nature of sourdough.

Ingredients

  • Buckwheat Flour or Brown Rice Flour
  • Sweet White Rice Flour or AP 1-1 gluten free baking flour
  • Water room temperature **see note

Instructions

  • Day One: 
    In a medium glass bowl or jar, whisk together 2 T (20g) buckwheat or brown rice flour, 2 T (20g) sweet rice flour and 1/4 C (60g) of water. Cover with a damp tea towel and rest at room temperature for 24 hours. 
  • Day Two: 
    In a clean medium glass bowl or jar, whisk 2 T (40g) of mixture you made yesterday (throw out the leftovers), 2 T (20g) buckwheat or brown rice flour, 2 T (20g) sweet rice flour and 1/4 C (60g) of water. Cover with a damp towel or loose fitting lid and rest at room temperature for 24 hours.
  • Day Three Through Day Six or Seven (or beyond): 
    Repeat step two using the previous days starter until the mixture becomes puffy, has a pleasant sweet-sour aroma and bubbles begin or air pockets are visible under the surface. This process takes about six to seven days (as this has been my experience) - but it may take longer.
    Time is not a determining factor for when the starter is ready, it's simply a guide. It's ready when it's ready. Use the cues and your senses to determine when your starter is ready. This is the nature of sourdough.
    Before using your new starter in a recipe, you'll need to refresh (feed) it. 

How to Refresh your Gluten Free Sourdough Starter:

  • Once you have an established starter, you'll need to feed it.
    In a clean lidded jar, add 1/4C (60g) of sourdough starter (throw out or save the leftover 'discard'). To the starter, mix in 1/3 C (80g) room temperature water. Add 3 T (30g) buckwheat flour and 3 T (30g) sweet white rice flour to the water mixture. Mix well until the flours are hydrated.
    Wrap a rubber band around the jar at the height of the starter. This will give you a visual indication of how much the starter has grown. 
    Put a lid on the jar (it doesn't need to be loose - just regular) and allow the starter to develop at room temperature for about 8-12 hours* or until it doubles in size. The time will vary due to ambient temperature.
    If your starter is struggling to double, place it somewhere warm, like inside a turned off oven with a light on. You can also try feeding twice a day to nudge the starter along.
    Once the starter has doubled in size, is bubbly, and has a sweet-sour aroma, it's ready to use in your gluten free sourdough bread recipe.
    After measuring out the portion needed for your recipe, refresh the starter, as indicated above and store it until ready to use again.  

How to Store Your Starter:

  • Room Temperature: The starter can be stored at room temperature if you bake daily, which also means it will be need to be refreshed daily. Store it in a glass jar with a lid.
    Refrigerator: Ideally, you'll want to refresh your starter (feed it) each week if stored in the refrigerator. When preparing for mixing, and after pulling the starter from the fridge, you may need to refresh it twice within a 12 hour period to get it going again. This is not always the case, but sometimes the starter can be sluggish. Store it in a glass jar with a lid.
    Freezer: For longer storage, place your starter in the freezer. It will revive after it thaws in the refrigerator and goes through a few refreshments. Store it in a glass jar with a lid.

How to Store Your Discard if Saving:

  • Once you have an established starter, your sourdough discard can be used for bread, pancakes, waffles, pizza and other recipes to add that tangy sourdough flavor. Store it in the fridge, in a lidded glass jar, for up to two weeks. You may see a layer of hooch, and this is not unusual. You can pour it off or stir it in.
    If you see any white, orange or pink film or mold, toss it.
    You can also store your discard in the freezer for longer storage. Thaw it in the fridge before using in a recipe.

Notes

Sourdough discard? Save it, put it in a covered container in the refrigerator and then, make Gluten Free Sourdough Pizza Crust, Sourdough Waffles and Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes! 
*If you're in a hurry and have an established starter, you can increase the speed at which the starter doubles in size simply by heating the water to 80F before refreshing the starter. When I do this, my starter typically doubles in size in about four hours. 
**Filtered vs Tap Water: I've tried both and haven't experienced a noticeable difference in activity in my starter or bread. Chlorine and hard water can be a problem for your starter and bread development, however, and tap water quality varies widely. So, if in doubt, use filtered water.
Made It? Leave a comment below! The most helpful comment may include recipe rating, feedback, any modifications and/or helping other commenters. On Instagram? Take a snap of your make and share, tagging @VanillaAndBean #VanillaAndBean!
Pinterest Pin for how to make Gluten Free Sourdough Bread

You might also like:

A loaf of gluten free sourdough bread, sliced, on a bread board.

Seeded Multigrain Gluten Free Sourdough Bread

Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili in a bowl with a spoon in it ready to eat.

Pumpkin Chili

Easy Homemade Pasta Sauce from Scratch in a Mason jar.

Fresh Marinara Walnut Sauce

Close up image of a gluten free sourdough pizza sliced in wedges.

Gluten Free Sourdough Pizza Crust

Shares7.3kPinShareYummly

Join the Vanilla And Bean community to receive free sweet and savory vegetarian recipes, and get my Five Secrets to Vegetarian Cooking email series delivered to your inbox!

You will receive recipes and kitchen tips, along with information about our partners and offerings. For more details, review the Vanilla And Bean privacy policy.
Previous Post: « Easy Mexican Chipotle Salsa
Next Post: Seeded Multigrain Gluten Free Sourdough Bread »

Primary Sidebar

well hello!

I’m Traci and this is my blog. So Glad You Stopped By!

Here you’ll find full of flavor vegetarian comfort food with vegan and gluten free recipes too. I also share sourdough, sweets and naturally sweetened baked goods and desserts recipes because we all gotta have a little balance!

Learn More About Traci  or  The Blog.

Get on the List!

Join the Vanilla And Bean community to receive Sweet and Savory Vegetarian Recipes, and get my Five Secrets to Vegetarian Cooking email series delivered to your inbox!

Right this Way to Subscribe

Start Here!

Why vegetarian, what you’ll find on Vanilla And Bean and fan favorites all right here!

Right this Way to Start

Footer

Affiliate Info

Vanilla And Bean is monetized in part through the use of affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on a link and/or purchase an item after clicking on a link, Vanilla And Bean may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use through my affiliate links. To learn more please see my Affiliate Policy. Thank you for your support!

© Vanilla And Bean, LLC  – 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any content or images without express and written permission from this blog’s owner is prohibited. Licensing inquiries for publication, general distribution, and/or commercial use, please contact me on my contact page.

Copyright © 2023 · Vanilla and Bean · Website by Meyne

Menu

Home · Recipes · Contact · Privacy Policy
Terms of Use · Accessibility · California Privacy Notice

Copyright © 2023 · Vanilla and Bean On Genesis Framework · Log in

Get On The List!
Get On The List!
_____________________

Join the Vanilla And Bean community to receive sweet and savory vegetarian recipes, as well as my Five Secrets to Vegetarian Cooking email series delivered to your inbox.

You will receive recipes and kitchen tips, along with information about our partners and offerings. For more details, review our Privacy Policy.
  • Recipes
    ▼
    • Recipe Index
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Bread Recipes
      ▼
      • Sweet Breads
      • Savory Breads
    • Seasonal Recipes
      ▼
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Spring
      • Summer
    • Sourdough
      ▼
      • Sourdough Discard Recipes
      • Gluten Free Sourdough
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Condiment Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
      ▼
      • Cocktails
      • Non Alcoholic
    • Dessert Recipes
  • Sign Up For Weekly Newsletter!
  • Start Here
  • Home
  • Shop
  • About
    ▼
    • Contact
    • A little bit about me…
    • Let’s Work Together
    • Blogs I’m Reading
    • Blogger Resources
Vanilla And Bean and our partners use cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. By using the Site, you consent to the use of cookies. Learn More

COOKIE SETTINGS   ACCEPT
Cookie Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

CookieTypeDurationDescription
__cfduid14 weeksThe cookie is set by CloudFare. The cookie is used to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address d apply security settings on a per-client basis. It doesnot correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary011 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary011 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
OptanonConsent01 yearTracks users cookie consent preferences
viewed_cookie_policy011 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Advertisement
CookieTypeDurationDescription
IDE12 yearsUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE15 monthsThis cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.
Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieTypeDurationDescription
_ga02 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid01 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id16 monthsProvided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
GPS030 minutesThis cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

CookieTypeDurationDescription
_gat01 minuteThis cookies is installed by Google Universal Analytics to throttle the request rate to limit the colllection of data on high traffic sites.
YSC1This cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.
YTCpersistent10 minutesThis cookie is set by Youtube to manage the embed and viewing of videos