Texture rich, flavorful and tender, homemade Seeded Multigrain Gluten Free Sourdough Bread is gluten free bread you’ll look forward to eating! gluten free + vegetarian or vegan
Going gluten free for a trial period in the summer of 2018 meant I had to give up my beloved homemade sourdough. After a few weeks of throwing internal fits, I finally decided to explore gluten free flours, and learn the nuances of gluten free baking. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I finally embraced the challenge.
After much research, creating a gluten free sourdough starter and baking many loaves of gluten free sourdough bread, testing, tweaking and taking notes along the way, I’m sharing my best loaf yet: Seeded Multigrain Gluten Free Sourdough Bread.
How to Make Multigrain Gluten Free Sourdough Bread:
This gluten free sourdough bread recipe is simple to make, but you’ll need a gluten free sourdough starter. My starter recipe takes six to seven days to develop, but once you create it and continue to refresh (feed) it, it’ll be on stand-by next time you’re ready to bake!
- Prepare the soaker by placing the flax, oats, quinoa, and sunflower seeds into a small bowl. Pour room temperature water over the top of the soaker. Allow to sit overnight (or see shortcut in recipe).
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flours including oat, brown rice, millet, tapioca with psyllium husk powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk your fed starter, water, and maple syrup or honey. Add the flour mixture to the starter/water mixture and mix with a fork.
- Hand mix in the soaker.
- Transfer the dough to a prepared loaf pan, while patting and smoothing the top and rounding the edges of the dough.
- Cover with a damp tea towel and ferment for 12-14 hours at room temperature.
- Bake the loaf for about an hour.
You’ll notice there is no proof for this recipe, meaning it only rises once (fermentation). Once the loaf is shaped and undergoes bulk fermentation, it’s ready to bake.
After baking, the loaf needs to cool completely, at least a few hours before you slice into it! Waiting until the following day is even better as it allows the bread time to cure.
Can I Use Other Gluten Free Flours in this Recipe?
You can certainly give it a go! I’ve tried subbing buckwheat and amaranth flour for millet in this recipe but the bread wasn’t as tender and light. I’ve found thorough trial and error that millet helps give loft to gluten free bread without adding more starch. Also, amaranth was a little too strong for my taste.
What Does this Gluten Free Sourdough Bread Taste Like?
In a word, earthy in such a good way! This gluten free sourdough is texture rich due to the seeds/grains, has a mild oaty flavor, and a chewy interior thanks in part to the binding power of psyllium husk powder, with a nice crisp crust (after toasting).
Because this bread is gluten free, egg and dairy free, mostly whole grain, free of fillers and large quantities of starches, you’ll notice the interior is moist/tacky to the touch. So, it needs to be toasted to bring out its best texture. Sometimes I’ll double toast for breakfast toast, aka, avocado with egg toast.
How Do I Store Gluten Free Sourdough Bread?
After the bread is completely cool, slice it with a serrated knife. The slices can be stored at room temperature in a closed container for up to three days or frozen for longer storage. For freezer storage, slices can go from freezer to toaster directly – this is also when I’ll double toast a slice.
A Few Recipe Notes:
- Sourdough discard? Save it, put it in a covered container in the refrigerator and then, make these Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes!
- Dutch oven? I’ve tried this recipe in a Dutch oven in an effort to make a boule. Without walls of a loaf pan to hold the dough together, it spread way too much and was flat. Stick to a loaf pan ( if not experimenting :D ) .
- Shaping and then transferring the dough to the pan is sticky business. I’ve included two ways in the recipe to get the hardest part of the recipe done: a. shaping prior to putting the dough into the pan or b. shaping the dough after putting it in the pan. I prefer method a. as it produces a better shaped loaf – but it’s harder to do. Note the photos show method b.
- With a 119% hydration, this dough is sticky. But I’ve found gluten free loaves with higher hydration have a better rise and produce a more tender crumb.
- One of the flours used in this recipe is oat flour. I DIY oat flour and have a tutorial on the blog if needed.
- Use a scale. In baking, weighing ingredients is important for optimal outcome. I find that especially true in gluten free baking. If you feel you’ll be baking with gluten free flours regularly, I recommend investing in a good digital kitchen scale. I use one like this and have had it for about five years. Its been reliable.
Seeded Multigrain Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
For the Soaker:
- 3 Tbs Whole Flax Seeds
- 3 Tbs Whole Rolled Oats
- 3 Tbs Red or Tricolor Quinoa rinsed under running water
- 3 Tbs Hulled Sunflower Seeds
- 1/3 C (80g) Water room temperature
For the Bread:
- 1/3 C + 2 Tbs (100g) Gluten Free Sourdough Starter previously fed, and doubled in size
- 2 1/2 C + 2 Tbs (605g) Water 80F (27C)
- 3 Tbs Maple Syrup or Honey
- 1 C (145g) Brown Rice Flour
- 1 C (150g) Millet Flour
- 1 1/4 C (130g) Oat Flour gluten free
- 1/2 C + 1 Tbs (80g) Tapioca Flour
- 3 Tbs Psyllium Husk Powder
- 3 1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 1-2 Tbs Whole Rolled Oats for sprinkling on top, gluten free
Instructions
For the Soaker:
- Prepare the soaker by placing the flax, oats, quinoa, and sunflower seeds into a small bowl. Pour room temperature water over the top of the soaker. Leave out at room temperature for about 6-8 hours. If you forget to do this, you can pour hot water (hot to touch) over the soaker before you start preparing the ingredients for the bread.
For the Dough:
- Line the inside of a 9"x5" (3.5cm X 2cm) loaf pan with criss crossing parchment with enough hangover on all sides to later help shape the dough and to be used as handles for removing the bread from the pan. If you have clips to clip the parchment to the sides, use them.
- Mix the Dough: In a large mixing bowl, add the starter, water and maple syrup (or honey). Whisk until the starter is incorporated. Set aside.In a medium mixing bowl whisk the brown rice flour, millet flour, oat flour, tapioca flour, psyllium husk powder and fine sea salt. Mix throughly so that when the psyllium husk powder hits the water, it wont clump.
To the water/starter mixture add the flour mixture. Use a fork to mix the flour into the water until the dough starts to stiffen, about one minute. Add the soaker and knead the dough with your hand, incorporating the soaker until the mixture is evenly distributed, about one minute. Use the fork to scrape any excess dough off your hands and fingers. The dough will be very sticky. Set the bowl aside for about 10 minutes to rest. - Shape and Pan the Dough: There are two ways to approach shaping. a. if you're in a hurry or b. if you have a bit more time and patience. Either will work but I find I get a better shape out of b. (note that a. was used in the images seen above). A. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan. Use a moist rubber spatula to gently shape the top nudging the edges of the loaf inward to produce a nice dome shape loaf bread is known for. This takes a little practice and finessing. Just do the best you can. Use the 'handles' of the parchment and pull opposite sides inwards towards the center of the dough, helping to round and shape the edges. Moisten your fingers or small spatula and smooth the top to rid any lumpy areas. B. A bench scraper for this method is needed. Moisten your work surface with a bit of water (I use a spry bottle and sprits it a few times). With moistened fingers, nudge the dough out of the bowl and onto the moist surface. The dough will be very sticky. Re-moisten your hands and pat the dough into a rough rectangle/log a little smaller than the size of the loaf pan using the bench scraper as needed to move the dough. Pat and smooth the edges as needed using wet hands (no flour here), rocking the dough back and fourth to help shape it, smoothing and rounding the top into a rectangular dome. This takes a little practice and finessing, just do the best you can. Using one swift move, scoop up the shaped dough with a bench scraper and transfer it to the loaf pan. Use the 'handles' of the parchment and pull opposite sides inwards towards the center of the dough, helping to round and shape the edges. Do this several times. Moisten your fingers or small spatula and smooth the top to rid any lumpy areas. Use a moist rubber spatula to gently shape the top nudging the edges of the loaf inward to produce a nice dome shape loaves of bread are known for.Now is a good time to refresh (feed) your starter and store it for next time.
- Bulk Ferment: Remove the clips from the pan if using. Cover the dough with a wet tea towel and allow the dough to ferment overnight at room temperature (it's okay if the wet tea towel touches the top of the loaf). Fermentation will take anywhere between 12-14 hours depending on how active your starter is and ambient temperature. The loaf is ready to bake when the dough increases to 1 1/2 times in size and has risen to about 1.1/2" (3.8cm) above the lip of the pan at the center. The dough will spring back when gently pressed on top.
- Bake the Loaf: Place a oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 550F (288C). Lightly spray or brush the top of the dough with water and sprinkle 1-2 Tbs of rolled oats over the top. Decrease the oven temperature to 475F (246C) and bake the loaf 55-60 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread is between 200F-205F. If the bread starts getting too dark on top, feel free to tent the bread with foil. The bread pictured here is untented. After 10 minutes out of the oven, transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Cool completely, at least for two-three hours, better if cured overnight, before slicing into it. You'll notice the bread is very hard, but will soften as it cools.
- How to Store and Enjoy!: After the bread is completely cool, slice it with a serrated knife. The slices can be stored at room temperature in a closed container for up to three days or frozen for longer storage. For freezer storage, slices can go from freezer to toaster directly.You'll notice the interior of the bread to be tacky. This is normal. I find homemade gluten free sourdough needs to be toasted before it's enjoyed... sometimes double toasted to bring out its best flavor and texture.
I have made this bread twice now. We just love it. Your instructions are detailed and clear. This time around I doubled the recipe so that I would have two loaves and not have to bake as often. My two loaves are cooling on the counter. Can’t wait to cut into them. Thanks for this great recipe. Definitely a keeper. Have you tried freezing an unbaked loaf?
Hi Pat! Thank you for your note and five star review! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipe. I’ve not tried freezing an unbaked loaf, but I’m thinking it could be frozen then thawed in the fridge then for it’s final rise, at room temperature. if you do give it a go, will you let us know how it goes? Thank you again!
This is a fabulous recipe. It works for me. Finally a gluten-free bread that tastes great. Plus it’s easy to make. Thank you very much for publishing it!
Hi Simone! Thank you for coming back and leaving a note. I’m SO happy to hear the recipe worked for you and you’re enjoying the bread! And easy FTW! Yessss!
Hi,
We tried both your sourdough starter and multigrain bread recipes gluten free. The starter is alive but is not doubling in height. The bread did rise but it caved or there’s a hole throughout the between the crust and the top. Any thoughts or recommendations? I can send you a picture of need be also. Thank you
Hi Michael! I’m sorry to hear the recipe didn’t work for you. If the starter isn’t doubling in height, then it’s not ready to use in a recipe. It needs to double in size for it to be strong enough to rise and support oven spring. Give it more time to double in size. If that doesn’t work, give it a few more refreshments/feeds before testing for doubling in size again. Did you use different flours then what the recipe called for? Did you use a scale to weigh the ingredients? How many hours are you waiting to see if the starter will double in size? How does the bread taste otherwise? It’s hard to tell what went wrong without more information. Please let me know!
I followed the recipe for the starter and I refreshed it last night and it’s been 12 hours but it hasn’t grown at all:( what would you recommend?
Hi Bella! In order to make a recommendation, I need a bit more information. How many days have you been feeding your starter? How does it smell? Are there any bubbles present?
I’ve been feeding it for seven days, it smells sour, and there are no bubbles.
Thank you Bella, give it a few more days to develop, feeding it once per day. The presence of a sour smell tells me something is happening, but it does need to be puffy before preparing it to use in a gf recipe. I hope this helps.
Thank you so much for this, I have been looking around for a gluten free sourdough and this is amazing! Even the kids like it which is great (and always a good test of my cooking!) thank you x
Hi Vanessa! Thank you so much for your note – it totally made my day! So happy you and the kiddos are enjoying it…. it really does make good PB&Js! Toasted of course! :D
This was my first atempt at GF bread. I have eaten some GF breads and have not been impressed. Other than I burnt the top, because I didn’t notice the part about tenting it, it is a great load of bread. It’s not crumbly and has great texture. I personally might decrease the satl a little, but the flavor is great! I think I’m going to use this as my basic bread recipe and try adding different mix ins like Rosemary, or sun-dried tomatoes etc.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Teresa! Thank you for your note and five star review! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the bread! It’s that sourdough that helps make it SO flavorful – and of course oat flour which I’m completely smitten with! Do try tenting next time – I think you’ll like the results!
Can I put the bread pan in my dutch oven and bake it that way? If so, what would be the baking times covered and uncovered. TIA Looks amazing!
HI Yafa! I’ve not tried that technique. If you give it a go, I’d bake for 20 minutes with lid on, then remove the loaf and pan from the DO and bake right on the rack. That way the bottom of the loaf has a chance to get baked. I hope this helps. Please let us know how it goes!
Hi there,
I’m looking forward to baking this bread. Just two questions, My son is Coeliac Could i substitute the three Tablespoons of oats for equivalent Quinoa flakes. And also could i substitute hemp seeds or sesame seeds for the flax seeds.
Hi Amanda! Your subs should be just fine. I’m thinking sesame seeds, tho, would be a good match for this bread. They’re so earthy! I hope you enjoy the process and the bread Amanda.
Has anyone tried substituting the tapioca flour with arrowroot flour?
Hi Mackenzie! I’ve not heard from anyone who has. The little reading I’ve done indicates it could be a good sub because it’s the psyllium that’s doing the binding here rather than the starch. And because their’s other flours involved, I think it could work, but I just can’t say without testing it. If you do give it a go, please let us know how it goes!
I messed this recipe up more ways than you’d believe. First I had to use a wheat starter because it’s all I had. Then I added about a cup of extra water. Oops. So then I had to add more flour, 1 cup of almond meal and 1/2 cup of sorghum to each bowl, because I split it in two. I couldn’t really knead it because it was still kind of soupy. Then I let it prove for an extra 12 hours because it was too hot to turn on the oven to 550, which is higher than my oven goes anyway (it’s a Viking! WTF?), so I did 500 instead. I don’t have a thermometer and I was putting the kid to bed, so my husband just guessed on when it was done. My pans were the wrong size, I didn’t use parchment paper and no cooking rack, just left them in the baking dishes for a few hours.
😂
I just tried a little slice. It’s so good.
Oh my gosh, Amanda! What a journey you had with this recipe! But that it came out to your liking makes me SO happy! I lol at your Viking! So happy to hear in the end, it worked out and that you’re enjoying it! Thank you for your note and 5 star review!
I’m excited to try this recipe. Have you tried but fermenting in the fridge? If so how long did you ferment in the fridge?
Hi Pat! Thank you for your note. While I’ve not tried fermenting in the fridge, I wouldn’t hesitate giving it a go. Since this recipe rises similar to glutonous bread (which I do ferment in the fridge sometimes), I’d give it 18-24 hours. Just be sure that you take it out of the fridge and let it warm up and get to appropriate rise before baking. Also, be sure to cover it well with damp tea towels (double up here) because we don’t want the top to dry out in the fridge. I hope this helps!
I made the bread and followed the recipe and proofed on the counter not in the fridge. It didn’t have much of a crumb and it was gummy. I cut into a good 6 hours after it came out of the oven. Apart from the gumminess, it tastes great.
I’d sen pics but I don’t know how.
Hi Pat! I’m sorry to hear the bread came out gummy. I’ve not heard of this from readers who’ve made this recipe so far. I’m curious about oven temperature, an essential part of proper baking. Do you have an external oven thermometer? That’s the only thing I can think of that may have gone wrong. I hope this helps.
Also, Pat, and I just came across this, that not all tapioca flours/starches are created the same. One commenter on another blog indicated that their results were gummy, but now they use Bob’s Red Mill and get consistent results. I use BRM and have consistent results every time. I’ve never tried any other brand.
I react badly to millet, has anyone found a good substitution?
Hi Mindy… I’ve not tried it but sweet white rice flour may be a good stand in for millet. Before using millet flour this gf sourdough bread recipe, I was using buckwheat in its place. The dough didn’t get as lofty as this loaf, and the flavor was more earthy, but it made a decent loaf of bread. If you give it a go, let us know how it goes!
Is there a substitute for ground psyllium?
Hi Joanne! The psyllium holds the bread together, so you could give an egg or two a try (although I’ve not tried it). If you give it a go, please let us know how it goes!
I baked it hearth style. Thanks
Hi again, just to add to my previous comment… I made the bread again today and this time tried a small pan of boiling water on the lower rack (I boiled around 1 cups of water and just pouring it into the pan already on the rack just after putting in the loaves to bake) and quickly closed the oven door. I found it helped my breads to rise a bit more and hold their “dome” shape and get brown on top. Everyone who has had this bread wants more…… FYI.
Hi Sarah! Thank you for your note! That steamy environment is fabulous for sourdough. What a great idea to apply it to gf sourdough too (omg – I’ve done this with regular sourdough)! So happy to hear it’s working for you and that the bread gets a bit more dome shape. Thank you for sharing your tip with us! And I love that you’re enjoying and sharing this bread!
Wow this is the best gluten-free sourdough bread recipe I have made yet and I have been trying different once for years. My last recipe had so many steps it was hard to do them all at the right time and also have a life/work!
So I made this with just the sunflower seeds ( I thought it would be the best for the people I am serving the bread to) and did boiling water over the seeds for 10 minutes. The rest of the loaf was exactly as written. I did find the first time I made it I had too much batter for the standard loaf pan I had so I sliced off what flowed over in the fermenting stage and baking that in a mini loaf pan and that came out perfect, not sticky at all when sliced ( hehe I had to cut into the mini loaf within 30 minutes), so that gave me the idea to make the recipe and put in two longer, narrower european style loaf pans that I have from France. The recipe was the perfect size for two of those loafs.. they are baking now. I put in only 1/2 teaspoon salt as we have to watch sodium and it tastes perfect. Was amazing toasted. Slice thick and when toasted you get the crusty edges and soft spongy center. I highly recommend.
Hi Sarah! Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for giving another GF SD recipe a go and coming back and leaving a note. Reading it makes me so happy! Your adaptations worked beautifully and I appreciate your sharing them with us! Isn’t the crust and interior so nice when toasted?
How essential are the seeds in this recipe? Would the sourdough base alone bake successfully? Thanks! (and I really love the pictures!)
Hi Karl! While I’ve not tried this recipe without the seeds, I’m sure it’ll be just fine without them. You could use more quinoa if you like. I hope this helps and you enjoy the process! Please let us know how it goes.
I answered my own question. Saw a link to the recipe further up. Thx. Can’t wait to try it.
Oh, good, you found it! Thank you Teri! I hope you enjoy the recipe and process!
I have to ask a strange question. Is the starter and soaker the same? If not, do you have a recipe for the starter? Thx
What an amazing recipe! I wish I’d let my loaf cure longer – but I was just too excited to cut into it. My starter was nice and active, but my preferment was stubborn. I went ahead and made the loaf anyway, and it really sprung up in the oven. The flavor is complex and earthy, quite sour but nicely tempered with the honey! Brilliant. My new go-to!
Thank you for coming back and leaving a note, Paula… And I totally get about wanting to cut into it – lol! The rise is sluggish for me too, but somehow the last few hours it really takes off. Ooohhh yes, the honey really balances the sour nicely. So happy you’re enjoying it!
Hi,
I followed all instructions and had a great starter, but there seemed to be too much liquid when making the dough — it’s more like a batter. Did you mean 2 1/2 cups or just 1/2 a cup of water??
Hi Elise! Thank you for your note. This dough is a high hydration dough (119%) as indicated in the notes which means it is very sticky and yes, that is a good description, like a thick batter. The water measurement is accurate. Please see Shannon’s post, linked below – to Instagram – for her positive review and picture. Did you bake the bread?
I just took it out of the oven and it really puffed up! I was worried I was screwing something up— I can’t wait to have a slice tomorrow. Thank you for your quick response!
Ahhhh yesss! The magic of a thriving starter! You had good oven spring and the starter (and all that water) did its job! So happy to hear, Elise. Thank you for coming back and leaving a note. I was worried too!
First to make it! Thank you for sharing Shannon!! https://www.instagram.com/p/BxTkwQLAOjF/
Thank YOU for an amazing recipe! I followed your directions to the “T” and everything turned out beautifully. The instructions were very clear and well detailed. My husband (who recently shifted to a “less gluten” diet) and I think it’s the best GF bread we’ve ever tasted… as do all our friends who tasted it! Now that I have the starter established, I will definitely be making it again and again. I have quite a large GF customer base for my cakes and desserts and I’m always asked about GF bread. I will certainly be sending them your way. I know how much work went into the development of this recipe and I, for one, appreciate it. Keep up the good work and happy baking!
Hi Shannon! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a note, giving the recipe a go and sharing it! I’m so happy to read that you and your hubs are enjoying the bread :D ! Hooray for an established starter too.. no doubt it’ll be much easier to whip up on the next round. Knowing you’re a baker, if you do any adaptations or modifications off this recipe, I’d love to hear about them! Thank you again, Shannon! :D
For health reasons we need to give up gluten, but my son is allergic to rice. Do you have any recommendations on what I can use as a substitute?
Hi Sandra! Thank you for your note. Because I am very new to gluten free baking, I’m hesitant to offer advise here, but I did reach out to a gf friend who is a blogger and gf baker. She offered that you could give corn flour a go. It’s a high protein flour like brown rice flour. My concern is the flavor profile of this bread will be off. So, I just can’t say if it will work or not. If you do experiment a bit, please let us know how it goes. I hope this helps.
Hi! Beautiful loaf!
Can you tell me how much are 3 tbsp psilium husks in grams? Thank you! I want to make this bread.
Also, powder, it means you grind the psilium husks?
Hi Codruta! 3 Tbsp of psyllium husk powder is 36g. I use preground psyllium husks (in powder form), so I’ve never worked with whole psyllium husks. I hope this helps!
I’m in absolute heaven with this beautiful loaf!
Thank you Laura!
I love homemade bread so much. This looks delicious!
Me too, Nichole! Thank you so much!
There is so much to say about this, I don’t know where to begin! So I’ll just say this – you are the bread master! D’you know what pours off the screen first for me? Love. This beautiful loaf is a result of patience, gentle care and undivided attention. If that’s not love, nothing is! Brava, my friend!
Thank you, Annie, for your kind words and sending a smile! Time and attention, indeed… but so glad to have this little loaf out into the world! xo
Wow Traci!!!! What a challenge! You are a master… I know how much you love bread and facing the gluten free perspective was not easy. You persevered and clearly won.
Congratulations my friend!
love
Hiii Hii! Rafaella ! Thank you my dear…. and here’s to good bread right? Gluten filled or gluten free – bread for all!
You are the master baker, Traci! These clear instructions and step by steps are so helpful. Such a gorgeous looking loaf of bread! Love all the seeds you have added – so good. Hope you’re having a great weekend.
Oh my gosh Geraldine! Thank you so much…. yeah, those seeds add so much to this loaf…. I’m going to start working on a boule next. Oh the journey!
Oh my! What a beautiful result Traci. I love seedy breads, I can taste this one. You’ve put so much effort and detail into this gf rendition, I’m delighted to have a quality recipe to refer clients and friends to.
Oh thank you Kelly! And thank you too for sharing. Aren’t seedy breads the best?!
It’s gorgeous, Traci! I know it took you a while to get this one perfected. But seems like it was well worth it. Bravo!
Yayy! Thank you Liz… it did… a long while! LOL!
What a GORGEOUS loaf Traci! I love all the steps and details you’ve included in your recipe! You’ve worked so hard at perfecting this loaf, and I’d say you’ve defintely done it! I want to grab a slice right through my screen! Well done my friend!
Thank you Mare… you know, it’s such an evolution, kinda like your yeasty breads. You just start easing into it and next thing you know, you’re doin’ it! Hooray for good bread, right?!