Making a gluten free sourdough starter couldn’t be easier. Start with three simple ingredients, a little time and patience, and your starter is ready to make delicious homemade gluten free sourdough bread, pizza, pancakes, and waffles in about seven days!
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’m eating gluten again, but through the development of this gluten free starter, and consequently seeded gluten free sourdough bread and gluten free sourdough pizza crust, the Vanilla And Bean community has shown interest.
Gluten free sourdough starter is simple to make, but it took a bit of trial and error for me to get 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 GF sourdough bread starter result. After months of testing, I’m sharing with you my best gluten free sourdough starter.
If you want to learn how to make delicious and flavorful homemade gluten-free sourdough bread recipes, then a strong GF sourdough starter is where to begin.
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How to Make Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
step by step
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.
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), you’re ready for the next step: feed your starter!
Note: at about day three or four, your starter will begin to smell unpleasant, like sweaty socks. keep going… it will change for the better!
How to Feed Your Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
To keep your starter balanced and strong, you’ll need to refresh it, or feed it before using it in a recipe.
I feed 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 Feed Your 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.
- 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.
When is the Starter Ready?
Once your GF sourdough bread starter has doubled in size, is bubbly and has a sweet-sour aroma, it’s ready to use in this 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 to Maintain 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, if baking only once every one or two weeks, store your starter in the refrigerator. This will slow your starter down, yet keep it viable for regular feedings and baking weekly or biweekly.
What is That Layer of Liquid?
Sometimes while you’re building your starter and/or 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 that 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, about every eight hours, 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.
Freeze Your Starter to Preserve It!
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, unfed. When ready to use it again, thaw it out in the refrigerator and refresh it a few times within a window of 12-24 prior to baking with it. Be sure to allow it to double in size again.
Remember, your starter is ready when it doubles in size, is bubbly and has a pleasant sweet-sour aroma.
Traci’s Tips
- 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.
- 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).
Note: Through testing this recipe I found sweet white rice flour or Bob’s Red Mill AP 1-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour to be an essential component in developing a strong and consistent gluten free starter. Mixed with buckwheat or brown rice flour yields consistent results.
Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter (Beginner Friendly!)
Ingredients
- Buckwheat Flour, or Brown Rice Flour
- Sweet White Rice Flour, or Bob's Red Mill 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.Â
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. Â
How to Store Your Starter:
- Room Temperature: The starter can be stored at room temperature if you bake daily, which also means it will 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, you can use it for bread, and your discard for 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.
Video
Notes
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Hello! I’m a newbie at baking breads. I’ve made a few loaves and baguette-style breads but never something as complicated as sourdough. I live in the Philippines and unique flours are hard to come by. I currently have buckwheat flour, bread flour, and all-purpose flour. Would it be possible to substitute the sweet rice flour with any of the ones I currently have? And to add to that, when making the sourdough bread itself, can I use the starter with just regular bread flour?
Hi Marie! Thank you for your note. For substitutions, all the information regarding my testing and what others have used/subbed (just above the recipe) in this recipe is in the blog post. If using other flours and/or making substitutions, I’m unable to say what the outcome would be. But feel free to experiment, and let us know how it goes.
Hi Traci,
I have a few questions for you if you don’t mind.
I started the start and kept on going until I got to day 7 and i had the puffy mixture with water underneath. I followed the instructions for feeding the starter and put an elestic band around the jar. It rose about 1/2 – 3/4″ but did not double. The liquid was underneath again.
1. Would a cooler house during the day 68F and much cooler through the night 62-64 F affect this process?
2 I put a damp paper towel over top with the mason jar lid on top of it no ring. should I have put the lid on and then the ring on finger tight?
3. Could I have uses the starter anyways to make your seeded sourdough bread.
Thank you,
Jan
Hi Jan… Sometimes it takes longer than seven days for a starter to double – that is perfectly normal! … one commenter’s starter took up to a month get get strong enough to rise bread! If your starter didn’t double, refresh (feed) it again (you’re on the right track!). You can do this up to two times in a 12 hour period. Remember, you’re building strength and flavor here. 1. Cooler temps effect the process, yes, but eventually the starter will double in size regardless of temperature. Cooler temps simply slow it down. 2. A damp tea towel and/or a loose lid is fine. Ether way will work. 3. I’d give the starter a few more days to straighten before making bread, looking for it to double in size. But you can, at this point save the discard and make those pancakes if you like! :D I hope this helps! Please keep in touch, Jan!
Hi there, I am on day 7 of my starter. It looks great, bubbly and smells good. Going to watch it more closely to see if it is doubling in size.
I am starting to think of making my bread but unsure which recipe to use.
Do you have a simple gluten free sourdough bread recipe that I am not finding (other than the multigrain/seed)? Or can I just follow your normal glutenous sourdough recipe and sub my gluten free starter and 1//2 + 1/2 white rice and brown rice flour for the “bread flour mix”. Want to keep it simple for my first try at baking the bread. Thank you!
Hi Elliott! So happy to hear your starter is progressing. The GF sourdough bread I’ve linked to in this post is the only bread recipe I have on the site. I’ve been testing a few simpler loaves, but am having difficulty getting a flavor profile I’m happy with. Please use the notes from other makers in the post as a jumping off for your own experiments and keep in touch to let us know how it goes!
I’ve made this 4 times now and I’ve really good luck. Much better than any boughten GF bread. Once you have all the ingredients it’s easy and delicious. You have to plan ahead because it does take one day to mix it and sit overnight to bake next day. I bake a loaf and freeze half. And it does need to be toasted. Thanks for a life saver recipe!
Hi Bets! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go. SO happy to hear you’re enjoying it! Freezing half is so convenient and planning is a must!
Hello! If I use 1:1 GF flour do I still have to also mix with buckwheat flour? Thanks!
Hi Mara! I’m not sure as I’ve not tried it. If you give it a go, please keep us posted!
Hi Traci,
Thanks for your post. I have this gluten free flour that has tapioca starch, potato starch, coconut flour and arrowroot floor as well as brown rice and oat flowers. Do you think any of those ingredients might steer the culture in the wrong direction? Should I just stick to the recipe? Should I do a 50/50 mix of sweet rice and the GF mix I mentioned?
Thank you for your time.
Hi Julian! I’m not sure if it would work since I’ve not tried it. If you give it a go, please keep us posted.
Have you tried teff flour?
Hi Natascha! I tried teff flour early in my experimentation process and was not successful.
Hi do I have to use any special kind of water? I have seen other recipes that requires filtered water but I don’t have access to it only boiled water or bottled drinking water.
Hi Py! I use both tap water and filtered and haven’t experienced any difference. But this could depend on the quality of tap water used too. If you feel more comfortable using filtered/bottled vs tap, use that.
My starter is on day 7. I used brown rice and sweet white rice. The starter seems to rise a half inch or so by midday but is then flat the rest of the day into the morning. I also have a layer of water on top in the morning. Is that normal? I read somewhere that it should be drained off before feeding. Do you agree? Overall, it’s not nearly as bubbly as your pictures and video, but it does have a pleasant odor and is very tangy on the tongue.
Hi Kelli! You’re on the right track. The pleasant odor and tanginess tell me it’s getting close! The water on top is call hooch – it’s alcohol produced by the yeast and an indication that your starter needs to be fed. This is not unusual. Here’s what I’d do at this point. I’d stir in the hooch (you can also toss it out if you like – I’ve done both and it’s hasn’t changed anything significantly) go ahead and make your starter, and watch for a doubling in size. If it doesn’t double in size after the first feeding, give it another feed the following day. When it’s doubled in size, it’s time to bake! Please keep in touch. I hope this helps!
I have been doing sour dough already for a while now. But I just found out that I have a health condition that requires me to go gluten-free. This recipe looks like a great transition into that!
I do have a quick question, though. Is it possible for me to use a tablespoon or so of my gluten start and just feed it gluten free flours? It’s not the gluten that is perpetuated, right? It’s the yeast? I’m willing to make a new start. I just know that it will be a challenge because of the dry climate where I live, especially during this dry winter climate.
Hi Linday! Thank you for your note and making your way to Vanilla And Bean! If you’re looking for a purely gluten free sourdough bread, you’ll need to start with a gluten free sourdough starter. I hope this helps! Please keep in touch.