Texture rich, flavorful and tender, homemade Seeded Multigrain Gluten Free Sourdough Bread is gluten free bread you’ll look forward to eating. Use your Gluten Free Sourdough Starter to make this whole grain gluten free bread and love bread again! This recipe is gluten free and vegetarian or vegan.
Going Gluten Free
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.
Although I’m eating gluten again, this bread remains one of my most beloved recipes on the blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family, friends and V&B makers have.
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! In summary, here’s how to make this GF sourdough bread (see recipe card for details):
- First, 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).
- Second, in a medium bowl, whisk the flours including oat, brown rice, millet, tapioca with psyllium husk powder and salt.
- Third, 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.
- Fourth, hand mix in the soaker.
- Fifth, transfer the gf sourdough to a prepared loaf pan, while patting and smoothing the top and rounding the edges of the dough.
- Next, cover with a damp tea towel and ferment for 12-14 hours at room temperature.
- Last, 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 gluten free sourdough 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 gf sourdough bread 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 (yes, vegan gluten free sourdough bread!), 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, Gluten Free Sourdough Waffles, or Gluten Free Sourdough Pizza!
- 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 and low starch content 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.
- Substitutions: I do not recommend subbing any other ingredient for psyllium husk powder. It soaks up the water, gives the bread it’s chew like gluten-full bread has and holds the dough together.
- 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 millet helps give loft to bread without adding more starch. Also, amaranth was a little too strong for my taste.
- I’ve not attempted subbing a different flour for oat flour.
- Use a scale. In baking, weighing ingredients is important for optimal outcome. I find that especially true in gluten free baking. I recommend investing in a good digital kitchen scale.
More Gluten Free Sourdough Recipes to Love
Makers Notes
So happy to read y’all are enjoying the bread in the comments below. Please note, I’ve not tried the following substitutions, but want to share what the community has offered. Here are a few community notes that may be helpful when making this recipe:
- Maya commented: “I used sorghum flour for the oats and half buckwheat, half white rice for the millet. It might not have risen as much as your photo, but it still turned out great.”
- Kate said: “It worked great – I substituted the same amount of arrowroot powder for the tapioca flour.”
- Sarah said: “Slice thick and when toasted you get the crusty edges and soft spongy center.”
- Jill said: “…substituted the brown rice, millet, and tapioca for an even exchange of the King Arthur cup for cup gluten free. This loaf came out SOOOOO GOOD!”
- Leah said: “…sorghum for the oat flour and teff for the millet. I got a nice rise and it came out SO good! The teff really gives it a wheaty flavor, almost like pumpernickel. Both times I left out the soaker and it didn’t seem to be a problem.”
Seeded Multigrain Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread Recipe
Servings:1 loaf
Calories:890kcal
*Advance Prep Required - you'll need a gluten free sourdough starter* I recommend using a digital scale for best outcome. See blog post and "makers notes" above this recipe to help answer any questions you may have. !!Update 5/20: Please note that I do not recommend substituting Psyllium Husk Powder for any other ingredient. **Also see note for Psyllium Husk Powder update.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 | Time to ferment can vary depending on how long your loaf takes to reach the appropriate size. For this loaf, fermentation is about 12-14 hours. Use the time as a guide, not as a determining factor.Baker's Schedule: Friday morning feed your starter. Mix the dough Friday night and ferment over night. Bake Saturday morning.
Ingredients
For the Soaker:
- 3 Tbs Whole Flax Seeds
- 3 Tbs Whole Rolled Oats gluten free
- 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 **See note on brands
- 3 1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt or reduce to preference *See note on salt adjustment
- 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 8.5L x 4.5W x 2.75H inch loaf pan (23cm X 13cm) 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.
- UPDATE 5/20: Some makers have commented that they "poured" the dough into the baking pan. Please note that the dough should be of a sticky thickish batter-like consistency where it is scraped into the pan and holds together. The dough should not be pourable. In order to achieve this batter-like consistency, Psyllium Husk Powder is essential. I do not recommend substituting this ingredient. *If still concerned about a pourable batter, hold a little bit of the water out instead of adding it all at once, then add more as needed. 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. The dough will feel like a thick batter. 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. It will stiffen a bit as it rests.
- 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 (remoisten as needed) 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 spray 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. In my chilly kitchen at 66F, the dough takes about 14 1/2 hours to rise overnight. There is no proof for this recipe. Go right into baking the loaf after bulk fermentation. 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, 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 this gluten free sourdough needs to be toasted before it's enjoyed... sometimes double toasted to bring out its best flavor and texture.
Notes
!! UPDATE 5/20 The only things I can conclude as to why some experience a "pourable" as opposed to a sticky thickish batter, is that 1. there's some ingredient substitution (maybe not using psyllium husk powder) and/or 2. It's possible different brands of flours/starches have varying absorption capacity and/or moisture content. Too, local humidity can also play a role in flour hydration (this has been my experience when baking with glutenous flours). *If concerned about a pourable batter, hold a bit of the water out, mix, then add more as needed.
*SALT Note 11/20: A few makers have written about the salt being a bit too much for their taste. Please feel free to reduce the salt to your preference. Without enough salt, however, the bread will taste flat, so maybe start with reducing the salt by 1/2 - 3/4 tsp.
*Psyllium Husk Powder 10/21: Since writing and testing this recipe, Bob's Red Mill has discontinued their Psyllium Husk Powder, which is the brand I've always used (3 tablespoons in this original recipe). However, I've transitioned to using Terrasoul Superfoods Psyllium Husk Powder and found in other recipes I need to reduce the PHP slightly because it's a much finer powder and otherwise it makes the dough too thick/gummy. I've found the finer the powder, the less is needed in the recipe. In this recipe if using a very fine PHP or Terrasoul, reduce the amount to 2 1/4 tablespoons.
Oat flour can be problematic for some coeliacs, so if making for a friend, please let them know or ask if they are able to consume gluten free oats/flour.
Sourdough discard? Save it, put it in a covered container in the refrigerator and then, make these GF Sourdough Pancakes, GF Sourdough Pizza or try my GF Sourdough Waffles!
Weighing Ingredients: 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 gf flours regularly, I recommend investing in a good digital kitchen scale.
I enthusiastically recommend an oven thermometer for best outcome.
Inspiration and my introduction to gluten free sourdough comes from Wholehearted Eats.
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Serving: 1loaf, | Calories: 890kcal | Carbohydrates: 134g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 8164mg | Potassium: 887mg | Fiber: 37g | Sugar: 37g | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 6mg
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!
Out of this world. Thank you. I used ground chia as I didn‘t have psyllium. I heated my fan oven to 220 C and turned down to 200 and baked for an hour. It holds together perfectly. I will be making this regularly
Hiii Jane! Thank you for your note, rating and sharing your tip! I’m curious about the crumb/chew with the chia?
I’m recently gluten free. I’m a long time bread baker, especially sourdough. I have a severe psyllium allergy . Using this isn’t an option- what could be substituted?
Hi Diane! Unfortunately, I don’t know of a substitute for psyllium husk powder in this recipe.
Hi Diane, I‘ve substituted with ground chia seeds in other gluten free bread recipes and it has worked fine for me.
I tried this bread last week and it was a really tasty loaf. Forgot and used psyllium husk instead of powder but fixed it with adding ground flax until it looked thicker. I also added the full amount of water so I guess it worked out. Definitely going to be a regular in my cooking. Thanks for your hard work!
Super happy to hear, Linda! Thank you coming back and sharing your tips with us ❤️ Thrilled you’re enjoying the bread!
wow this was so good and surprisingly easy to make!!! I am trying to eliminate rice in my diet so I substituted sorghum flour and it worked beautifully! my family has already eaten half the loaf since I baked it this morning! I also didn’t do the soaker because I didn’t want to buy all those seeds because I am cheap haha. this will be a staple recipe for us for sure!
Hi Katie! SO excited y’all are enjoying the bread. Thank you for sharing your sorghum flour tip! Sounds like it’s time for another loaf!
This is the best. I had to use pumpkin seeds in place of sunflower in the soaker. no biggie. I ate 3 pieces of this bread before i made myself stop. Also, after i cut it, i put all the pieces into the toast for a short time to help with the normal gluten free bread sticky. now i have perfect sourdough bread.
Just a heads up – ” 9″x5″ (23cm X 9cm) loaf pan” are two different sizes, not a straight metric conversion – 9″x5″ is x 19.5 x 10.7 cm, quite a different shape.
Hi Julie… oh goodness. I clarified the pan size, but I’m wondering why there’s not a straight metric conversion? Thank you for your note Julie!
Question. I’ve baked two loaves of your recipe every two weeks for over a year. I
wonder if I could use Psyllium Husks in place of the powder. I recently used the psylliuk husks in another sourdough GF bread recipe and the crumb was amazing.
Hi Jo! I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipe! Thank you for your note. I’ve not tried using psyllium husks in place of the powder in this recipe. I’d imagine you’d use more husks simply because powder is ground husks, but how much more, I’m not sure. If you experiment, please let us know how it goes!
Delicious. I already some teff starter, so I used it as a base and added the other flours to get it going. And because my timing was off, both the soaker and the bulk fermentation times were longer. It still came out well, although it never rose as shown. At some point I am going to sub some mesquite flour in.
So happy to read your note and adaptation with teff starter, Patricia! No doubt, fermentation time can vary depending on how active the starter is and ambiant temperature, but I’m so glad to read your note that you enjoyed the sourdough!
I already successfully make this bread and it was wonderful! I want to make two loaves this time and I am wondering if you can just simply double the recipe. Thanks.
Hiii Judy! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! SO happy to hear of your success :D Since this recipe rises after placing the dough in the pan(s), I wouldn’t hesitate doubling.
Hi, can I use the discard sour dough for the same recipe for the sour dough seeded bread? Could you email me back thanks
Hi Dianne! You’ll need to use a doubled in size, fluffy and active sourdough starter. I don’t recommend discard in this recipe.
I made this recipe last week and it turned out nicely. I omitted the “soaker”, used my own brown rice starter, substituted sorghum flour for the millet flour (didn’t have any millet on hand), and cut the salt to 1 tsp. I’m very pleased with the result. My husband said it’s like the thinly sliced pumpernickel found in the specialty bread sections. Thanks much for sharing this recipe!!
Hi Alexandra! Thank you for your note, sharing your tips and giving the sourdough a go. So happy to hear you and your husband are enjoying the bread – and yes to reminiscent of pumpernickel!
I have found proving the dough in the loaf tin placed inside the Dutch oven was successful. When heating the oven I placed the Dutch oven in the oven to warm just like with my normal sour dough. Then once the oven was hot enough to cook the loaf I placed the dough that was in the loaf tin inside the Dutch oven again to bake. I was very happy with the crispy crunch I achieved on the outside of the gluten free bread and it was a perfect shape.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, you have made my journey into gluten free baking interesting and successful so far.
Hi Sally! Hooray for an interesting and successful journey! Thank you for your note and sharing your tips. I love the idea of a crispy crunch crust – the steam captured inside the Dutch oven works it’s magic on GF Sourdough too!
Hi. Is it possible to substitute tapioca starch for corn starch? Thanks
Hi Irit! I’m sure there’s a way, but since I’ve not tried it, I’m hesitant to make a recommendation.
Could I use my normal starter for this bread? My starter isn’t gluten free. And will it work to bake in my oven with fan? Thanks much
Hi Esther! I don’t see why it wouldn’t work… and yes to the fan! If you give it a go, let us know how it goes!
Definite winner. My bread-loving, GF husband says, “best bread he’s had in 10 years.” Now I don’t have to feel guilty making non-GF sourdough. But I’ll happily eat this too. #savedmarriage
I made this and love the flavour, plus it’s quite soft and a lot less dense than other gf breads I have made. I did reduce the salt by 1/2 tsp following what others have said. I also substituted millet for quinoa as I didn’t have any quinoa. I used psyllium husks, not the powder, and the dough was a bit thin but it still rose wonderfully overnight. The cooking temperatures didn’t mean much to me as I have a fan oven with a maximum temperature of 230’C so I had to guestimate. I didn’t quite cook it long enough so the bottom was just a little undercooked, but I know for next time. Definitely my favourite gf bread so far!
Hi Penelope! SO happy to hear! Thank you for your note and sharing your tips. Yes to next time and a bit longer in the oven :D Can you tell us how much psyllium husk you used?
What is a soaker?
Hi Kris! A soaker is a term used to describe any seedy mixture soaked in water prior to adding it to the dough.
At first glance of my finished product, I did not think the bread would taste good – but boy was I wrong! It was delicious.
The outside looked burnt and was rock hard when I took it out of the oven. I have a very small oven, so I cooked this bread at 450 for 60 minutes. However, I now think the outside being hard is what makes it good sandwich bread (the inside was nice and moist).
I had some issues with rising (my house is quite cold) after 16 hours it hadn’t risen at all. I ended up putting it in the oven with the light turned on for a few more hours and it rose perfectly!
Hi Amanda! Thank you for your note and sharing your experience with the sourdough bread. I’m SO glad you put the dough in the turned off oven with the light on. What a difference it makes! Hooray for tasty GF Sourdough!
Really nice for gluten-free bread. I couldn’t get oat flour or psyllium husk powder, so I ground up rolled oats and psyllium husk in the blender and it seems to have worked just fine. Also, one tip if you already have starter for gluten bread: I added half a teaspoon to the rice and buckwheat flour when first making the starter and it took immediately, so if you don’t have to be Celiac-level gluten-free you can use that as a shortcut.
Hi Hanna! Thank you for coming back, leaving a note and sharing your tips! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the sourdough and that the subs worked!
Has anyone tried caraway seeds in this recipe? Thanks!
My first gluten free sourdough bread, finally. I didnt have millet in my kitchen but plenty of cassava flour which is quite common to bake gf bread/cakes/cookies where i live. With approx 10 hrs bulk fermentation it already doubled in size, then bake as directed. Very nice flavor. But curious how to get more open crumbs like in the picture. Thanks
Hooray! Finally, Sophie! I’m so happy to hear your results. Thank you for your tip on cassava flour. In order to open the crumb up a bit more, try slowing down the fermentation process. You can do that by popping the bread in the fridge for a few hours. Just be sure to cover it with two damp tea towels so it doesn’t dry out. I hope this helps!
I LOVE this recipe. It is literally the only gluten free bread I can make successfully that fits into my wide array of foods that must be avoided. I make it for a friend who has similar dietary limitations and it is such a joyous thing. All that said, I often have a problem with the bread rising well but collapsing as soon as I start to bake it. With both longer and shorter proof times I’ve never gotten a sturdy spring back when touching the loaf like is mentioned in the recipe. Any ideas what I may be doing wrong?
Hi Meri! Thank you for your note and review. SO happy to hear you and your friend are enjoying the sourdough! I’ve not encountered the bread collapsing as soon as you bake and I’ve not heard this before from the community. I’m baffled! If the bread was collapsing after a too long proof time, could see why. Usually a collapsed baked good would mean there’s not enough structure (egg or gluten) to hold it up. Maybe increase the psyllium husk powder slightly? I’m just not sure. I’m sorry I can’t be more help here. Please let us know if you find a solution.
Hi Traci,
I started my rising time too late in the day (2:30pm). Can I put the pan in the fridge overnight, complete the rise time the next morning and bake it then?
Thank you!
Hoping for great things!
Hi Isabelle! Yes! It should be just fine. Be sure to cover the bread with double moist tea towels else it’ll dry out. I hope this helps! Please keep us posted :D
Thank you for this recipe! My husband has celiac and this has become a staple at our house. It is one of only two recipes that I have taped up on the inside of a cupboard door. It has always worked perfectly, even when I’ve run out of a particular flour and had to substitute something else. (I always use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients in case this helps solve the pourable dough mystery.) I appreciate all the hard work you put into making this recipe that now lives on at our house, and is eaten here every single day!
Hi Hillary! Oh my gosh, thank you for your note and sharing your tips. I’m thrilled to hear you and your family are enjoying the sourdough!
I prepared the soaker but then tried for 3 days to get the starter to rise without any luck.. had to throw it away today as it developed a pink layer of mould on top :(
Will try again! But for now I’m wondering if you have any ideas of how to use up that soaker? Thanks!
Hi Alejs! I’m so sorry your starter didn’t rise. Had it risen before? Placing it in a turned off oven with the light on may help get it going. For the soaker, you can cook it like a porridge for breakfast! I hope this helps!
I am just eating my first toasted slice of this absolutely beautiful bread. but I have to confess that i sped the process by adding at the last minute half a tablespoon of yeast. I know, I am impatient. I also substituted, like someone else half and half buckwheat flour and sorghum flour for the oats. I am a celiac and do not tolerate oats very well. In all my years of making my own bread I never was able to make sourdough, until I found your recipe. I am eternally grateful.
Hi Silv! Oh my, I’m thrilled to hear this. Thank you for your note and sharing your tips! I totally understand adding the yeast… in fact, this is not totally uncommon in the sourdough world. It’s the best of both worlds: the flavor of sourdough, on a quicker timeline! In fact, I’m working on a GF SD Pizza recipe that includes yeast and sourdough… there are benefits. I’m so happy you’re enjoying the sourdough. Thank you again, Silv!
This bread has ruined me. I started with gluten free sourdough early in the pandemic because I was jealous of all my gluten-eating friends and their sourdough projects. This has become my go-to sourdough bake. It’s a long process and requires a lot of ingredients but yours is one of the easiest-to-follow recipes I’ve found, and the results are amazing. (Thanks for not requiring a stand mixer.) I can’t buy grocery store bread anymore. It’s just nowhere near as good. As for modifications: I regularly use white rice flour instead of brown and sub Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour for millet, and I always start with 2/3 the recommended water and add more later as needed. I’ve gone back and forth between chia and flax seeds and sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and it’s all been great. I also do the hot water quick soaker method and it works perfectly. My advice to others let the baked bread rest as long as you can before slicing into it for best structural results. I have a loaf that’s about to go in the oven and I’m going to try to wait until tomorrow morning to slice into it. Send me strength!
This bread was really good. Next time, I will definitely reduce salt to 2 tsp and rotate the loaf in the oven midway through since the back edge burned.
I didn’t make any ingredient substitutions and when I checked the loaf at 55 minutes, the temperature read 206F so I took it out, but it was still slightly wet inside after letting it cool completely for nearly 4-5 hours – do you have any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Tas! Thank you for your note and sharing your experience. Indeed, oven temperatures fluctuate and so this can vary outcomes sometimes in baked recipes. I’m curious if you utilize an external oven thermometer? For example, when I set my oven to 350F, I have to adjust it by about 15 degrees up for the oven to actually reach 350F. I use two external thermometers just to be sure. Tenting the bread with foil will help reduce the bread getting too dark. Also, this gluten free sourdough bread recipe benefits from curing or resting for 24 hours. This helps the interior dry out further. I hope this helps!
Thanks for your response! I do use an external oven thermometer and let the dough rise for about 14 hours. I’ll try for 24 hours next time! Thanks for the suggestions!!
I got rave reviews btw, and the end product was nice and soft, even after freezing and defrosting – thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for your note, Tas! Hooray for rave reviews! Be sure to keep an eye on the height of the dough above the rim of the pan at center for proofing. That rise is the determining factor for when the bread is ready to bake. Keep us posted!
Hi after looking over this recipe I see that the sodium is Sodium: 8164mg. First is there a reason why the sodium is so high or anything I could substitute? I have to have a low sodium diet. But I’m thrilled to see a multi grain gluten-free recipe.
Hi Kim! The nutrition label is for the entire loaf, so the number slices you cut will determine the sodium for each slice. You can reduce the salt as desired as it’s not essential, but the bread will taste flat. As for a substitute, I’ve not tried anything, but I’m thinking a salt free seasoning blend or may nutritional yeast could work. Please keep us posted if you give it a go!
oh my goodness! I was just about to look up how many slices you had because I quickly read the nutritional value and thought it was really high for the ingredients. How silly of me to not realize the numbers were for the entire loaf!! In that case, it’s terrific for every diet in our family. The loaf is terrific! But I also reduced the salt to one and a half teaspoons, tasted it, and thought it was a little salty so I added some honey, about a tablespoon. I followed the recipe exactly the first time and substituted millet flour for two cups of the flour. Both loaves were terrific and everyone loves it!!
Hi Jeannine! Thank you for your note and sharing your subs. SO happy to hear you and your family are enjoying the sourdough! No doubt the calorie count will depend how how thick or thin the bread is sliced… reason I left it at loaf :D
Very excited to try this! One question, is the maple syrup important for the rise? I much prefer breads with no sugars/sweetness. Could I safely leave it out? Thank you!
Hi Tanja! Although I’ve not tried it in this recipe, you can make it without, however the flavor profile will be different and it *may* not rise as much. The sugar does give wild yeast a boost. I hope this helps and you enjoy the soudough!
Hello again – I made my soaker 24hrs ago and due to circumstances haven’t been able to continue with the baking… Will the soaker be bad? Can i still use it?
barbara
Hi Barbara! I’m sure it’ll be fine. Let us know how it turns out!
Well it worked – although the taste test has yet to happen… ended up waiting to use the soaker for nearly two days because the starter was ‘struggling’… was in the oven with light on, and even after oven had been on. Two or three feedings and then it
finally it looked good. However even after 15hrs of fermentation (cool kitchen) the dough never really rose much above the side of the pan… It still looks good though, and feels strong. Thanks for your advice, as ever. )))
Hi Barbara! Hooray! Starters can be finicky, especially in colder conditions. So glad to hear the feedings helped despite a slow and looong fermentation (I had a loaf take over 16 hours on the kitchen counter last week). I hope you enjoy the taste test! Thank you for keeping us updated!
Best one I’ve ever made! And just for the record I never change a single thing in this recipe I have to say! I follow it Exactly. It’s the absolute best. Thank you.
Oh Barbara! Thank you for your note. That makes me SO happy to hear! Hooray!
Great recipe! Do you think this dough recipe is viable for making pizza (without adding the soaker, that is)? If not, do you have any recommendations for how to tweak your recipe to make pizza dough? Thanks!
Hi Ariel! Thank you for your note! I’m working on a GF SD Pizza recipe. In the mean time, if you’d like to play with a GF pizza recipe, you can take a look at my recipe here. I hope this helps!
So I tried this bread today… unfortunately, it didn’t rise at all in the bulk ferment stage. It did rise a teeny bit during baking. It definitely did not look as fluffy as your bread Tracy! Its dense but ok… after enjoying regular sourdough, I find the taste quite interesting… will try it again.
Hi Alexandra! I’m sorry your bread didn’t rise during the bulk. To help me troubleshoot, I need a bit more information. Were there any ingredient substitutions? What is the temperature of the surrounding environment (that the bread rose in?)? How long did it bulk ferment? Was your starter doubled in size, bubbly and active? Indeed, this doesn’t taste like regular sourdough bread – and it won’t simply because GF flours are different in flavor profile. Let me know if I can help.
Love this recipe! My gluten eating friend says it’s the best bread he’s ever had! I make a few small adjustments – sorghum instead of millet (easier for me to find, and I like the texture better), much less salt. And to stop the bread from slipping over the side of the pan when rising, I clip the top of the parchemin paper with a metal clip so the bread goes up, and not over the edge. I rise it in a covered tray with a bowl of water (I’ve always found that the wet tea towel just dries out. Remove the clip before baking!
Hi Sarah! Thank you for your note, giving the sourdough a go and sharing your tips with us! I can’t believe your gluten eating friend said it’s the best bread he’s ever had! That’s amazing!!
Can I use some other flours instead of rice?
Hi Zosia! I’ve not subbed other flours for the rice flour however, many makers have and reported success. Please see “Makers Notes” above the recipe card for their suggestions! I hope this helps and you enjoy the sourdough!
I wanted to thank you once again for this amazing recipe. I have altered it a ton with a great success: replaced oat and rice with tiger nut flour and buckwheat. It is truly a delicious bread for my family. Thank you!
Hi Amy! Thank you so much for your kind words and sharing your tips. It means so much to hear from people like you who are making, enjoying and using this recipe as a base for their own baking adventures! I’m thrilled to hear you and your family are enjoying the sourdough!
Hi, i just made this bread and I definitely had to add more flour. Because i thought why not add all the water right away.. i learned my lesson there.
But it also tastes really sour, quite salty and almost not edible… could it be to much salt because i added 3,5 tsp (16 gr) or do you have any idea what i did wrong?
I added more millet and sorghum flour (used some sorghum instead of tapioca).
Hi Hinke! Thank you for your note, but I’m sorry the flavor isn’t quite what you’re after. The sourness comes from the sourdough. Can you tell me how long you’re fermenting for and at what temperature? A longer fermentation creates a more sour bread. The salt addition is correct. I’ve had one other maker say it was a bit too salty for them too, so please feel free to adjust the salt down to taste. Tapioca helps soak up moisture much more so than sorghum and other gluten free flours, so that could be a reason the dough was so moist. Different flours have different absorption capacities. Were there any other substitutions? Did you use psyllium husk powder? I hope this helps!
Hi Traci, thank you for your quick response! I fermented it for 14-ish hours, at 19-21 degrees celcius. The texture was good, but the flavor is just too sour.
Time and temperature sound good! I’m not sure why it would be *too* sour. The only suggestion I have is to increase the frequency at which you feed your starter. This should make the bread taste more mild which should reduce the overall acidity of the dough (this from Cultures for Health). I’m sorry I’m unable to help further.
I have baked this recipe many times over the past 4 months. It was always gummy in the middle despite many experiments (cook time, rise time, temperatures, water, etc), until I replaced the Tapioca with more of the other flours. Maybe the tapioca is different in North America…? Always delicious too! Thx for the recipe.
Didn’t this recipe used to be different? Or have you had a different gluten free sourdough loaf in the past that you no longer share? I was referring back to your page to make this loaf I’ve been making occasionally for a year now and this isn’t the same one. I really loved the og recipe am I crazy hahaha
Hi Bella! This is the only gf sourdough loaf I’ve ever shared on my blog to date. No changes have been made.
Can I use xantham gum instead of psyllium powder?
I made this loaf and it was the best gluten free loaf ever! Thank you so much.
My husband is able to eat oats, but my daughter can’t. What would be a suitable alternative for the oat flour please?
Hi Anthea! Thank you for your note and sharing your thoughts. For substitutions, please see makers notes just above the recipe card and there’s more sub’s from makers in the comments below the post. While I’ve not tried these subs, it may be helpful when trying new GF flours in the sourdough. I hope this help!
Hi Traci
The bread turned great but tacky. Tastes perfect though. I followed the recipe exactly. While making the dough, the texture I thought was also perfect. It had a perfect rise as well. It rose 1.5 times. Didn’t change or substitute anything. Because it was tacky, I had to double toast it.
Any idea why it was so tacky? What can I do to make it not be tacky?
Hi Traci
Waiting for your response.
Hi Kavita… from the recipe card… “ You’ll notice the interior of the bread to be tacky. This is normal. I find this gluten free sourdough needs to be toasted before it’s enjoyed… sometimes double toasted to bring out its best flavor and texture. ” I wrote more about this too in the blog post… I hope this helps!
Hi Traci, When you click on the hyper link for the pan size it takes you to a different size pan. What depth are the pans you use as i can’t get the bread to rise higher than the side of 4″ deep pan, i am using a 9x4x4. I have made this bread several times now and want to get it better because its delicious Regards Michael
Hi Michael! Thank you for your note….. the hyper link is the correct size 9x5x2.75 (from on the recipe card). I just remeasured my pan (rim to rim all dimensions). The pan your using is deeper than mine and will still work, but the shape will be a bit different. I hope this helps!
Looking at this recipe it sounds amazing! I usually get organic sprouted grain bread from the store, but I have been thinking about trying to make my own. None of my local grocery stores carry all the items needs, and on Amazon I was looking at $120+. I’m a little scared to invest that much, because I am not much of a baker, and definitely even less so when it comes to bread. How difficult or forgiving would you say the recipe is? I was also wondering if you figured out an approximate cost per loaf on the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Eileen! Thank you for your note. Please feel free to read the comments regarding your first question. Sourdough isn’t always the easiest bread to start with if new to making your own bread. I do not have an approximate cost per loaf. I hope this helps!
I decided to have some fun with this recipe, I had some sourdough starter that I had frozen that I feed for a few days. The starter never became very active so I decided to use what I had knowing that I would have to add some yeast. I know taboo in sourdough making. I used 300 grams of a high moisture and 405 grams of water, then followed the recipe. I needed to use about 60 grams more of oat flour to get the consistency that I wanted. The loaf just went into the oven so we’ll see how it turns out in about 50 minutes, looking good so far
Hi Jay! Thank you for your note and sharing your tweaks! Looking forward to hearing back soon :D
Thank you so much for this recipe! It’s wonderful. I am vegan and can’t eat gluten, and it’s been years since I was able to eat a sandwich on such delicious bread. This is my go-to bread recipe now. Thank you!!
Hi Megan! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying bread again!
We liked this loaf and appreciate that it was easier to slice than the boule I usually bake. Have you ever done a second ferment if the refrigerator with this recipe. I’de like it to be a bit more sour.
Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Jo! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! Since this recipe only requires bulk fermentation (no proof), if you want to do that in the fridge, or partially in the fridge, you can do that. For how long, I’m not sure, but just keep an eye on the rise (above the rim at center) to determine bake time. If you put in the fridge, make sure to put two moist tea towels on top so it doesn’t dry out. Keep in touch!
Hi Traci,
I didn’t try the fridge, as I had planned, but the bread was more sour this time and equally tasty. Great recipe.
The first time I made the loaf, I put the pan my oven with the light on and the door ajar( so about 76degrees in there) and in six hours it was an inch and a half above the pan rim. Maybe the fast rise is why it wasn’t as sour, but still a winner.
I’ve never made this loaf with the soaked grains and seeds, must try today.
Thank you again.
Wondering if you’ve a recipe for GF sourdough Pizza?
jo
Hi Jo! Thank you for your note and letting us know how the sourdough turned out for you! I’ll be posting a GF sourdough pizza recipe this Fall!
This looks and sounds wonderful, but I have issues with rice. Would there be an appropriate sub for the brown rice in this recipe?
Hi Carol! While I’ve not tried it, a few makers have subbed an all purpose GF flour for it (in the comments) – also see maker’s notes above the recipe card. I hope this helps. Please keep in touch!
Absolutely best gluten free bread ever.Tried so many for year.
Finally. A bread I can actually eat and enjoy.
So happy to hear Natacha! Thank you for you note and giving the recipe a go!
Make it every few days. Can’t get enough
Where did you get the weights of the flours from? I dont think they are correct. I.e. 1 cup of millet flour is 120 g, not 150 g
Hi Katelyn… I weigh all of my ingredients in each recipe I post to this blog. This recipe, like all my recipes, are throughly tested and measured by weight before sharing here. They are accurate. The difference between what you’re weighing and what I’m weighing is most likely due to the fact that US standard measurements (cups) are not accurate – they vary from brand to brand. This is why bakers weigh their ingredients – so, please weigh your ingredients if making this recipe (as noted in the recipe).
Hi Traci – thanks for the response. I do weigh all my ingredients and if a recipe is in cups will convert it to grams. I reference the chart below for conversions which for some reason does not match yours. I.e. 1 cup of brown rice = 128 g vs 145g in recipe above. So I am just wondering why the difference.
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart
Hi Katelyn… there’s much written on this very subject! Even at the bottom of KA’s chart, there’s a disclosure. Food52 has a quick read on it, Cupcake Project has an in depth article, and Love and Olive Oil offers another angle. In baking, if a recipe offers weight, that’s what I use (and another reason why I weigh ingredients in grams for recipes on my blog). I hope this helps!
Great thanks! I”ll take a look through those articles.
I was told by my inlaws and partner this was not just the best gluten free bread they’d had, but the best bread they’d ever had (probably being kind, but they ate it quickly without me pushing it). Thank you!
I used Bob’s GF AP in place of the Millet & Brown Rice flours. I let the dough rise for ~16 hours in 80-90 degree weather, and I let the bread sit for ~8 hours after baking. The bread was not tacky at all. Strangely, it took forever to toast, but it really didn’t need it. Honestly, the bread went so fast, I’m hoping I can just remember how I made it the first time.
Either way – thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Ryan! OH my goodness, what a generous note and I’m thrilled to hear it went quickly! lol! I’m forever amazed at sourdough, sometimes the time it takes to rise depends so much on starter activity. It’s sometimes a mystery! Thank you for your notes and giving the recipe a go! SO happy to hear!
Have you tried the base (without the extra soaker seeds) and added raisins? Would love a gf raisin bread….
Hi Vanessa! I’ve not tried it, but it sounds so good. I imagine you could do it, adjusting the overall hydration slightly down. If you play with it, please keep us posted!
So I love this bread but what could I use instead of millet?
Hi Diana! 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. While I don’t think there’s a one to one sub and still achieve the same texture (and perhaps hydration), feel free to adjust to your needs/tastes. It may take a bit of trial and error, however.
Some people use whole grain corn meal
Thank you for your reply and the fantastic recipe.
I assumed you were in the US where tablespoons are 15ml and in Australia our tablespoons are 20ml, but thought I’d better check.
I’ve made the bread and its amazing!
Hi Traci
Just wondering if the tablespoon measurements are using 15ml or 20ml tablespoon?
Hi Kaz… oh gosh, I didn’t know there is a difference! I just measured two of my Tablespoons, and they both measured 15mL. Please let me know if you have any other Qs!
Hi Traci, we are working on the starter right now. I am hoping to have a less sour flavor, if possible. How sour is your bread normally? Can I use 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda when making the dough to tame the flavor and make it less sour? Or would that distroy the recipe?
Thanks a lot, Rita
Hi Rita! For this recipe, the sour flavor comes from the amount of time spent in fermentation and proof and I would say this loaf isn’t really sour. I personally wouldn’t use baking soda. Maybe a non sourdough recipe would be better suited? Give my yeasted multigrain Bread a go… it’s similar but without sourdough. https://vanillaandbean.com/multigrain-bread/ I hope this helps!
WOW!!!!!! This bread is the absolute BEST gluten free bread I have made and had! It’s crunchy and golden on the outside, and soft, light, and chewy on the inside. JUST what I want in a bread. I made some substitutions thought because I didn’t have everything. 1) I swapped the millet for sorghum flour. 2) arrowroot for tapioca starch. And 3) pumpkin seeds for sunflower seeds. I also used the starter from Fresh Is Real. Mine didn’t rise overnight at all which I thought was interesting, but nevertheless it rose in the oven nicely and I was extremely pleased with the outcome!😊 Thx for this recipe!
Hi Alana! Thank you for your note and sharing your tips! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the sourdough. Interesting that it didn’t rise, but hooray that it had good oven spring!
So looking forward to baking this bread in a couple of days. This afternoon will start day 6, and I have noticed a change in the starter since day 1. Have bubbles under the surface ready to break through. I would like to ask could you make bread rolls with this? Would proving time be the same or at least until they double in size?
Hi Elizabeth! I’ve not made rolls with this recipe, but I’ll put it on my list to test! Proofing time will be different since the mass of the dough would be smaller for rolls. Additionally, if you do give it a go, put the rolls in individual muffin tins so that they have some structure. Otherwise, they’ll probably go flat. Please let us know how it goes if you give it a go!
Thanks Traci. Well I’ve hit a hurdle. I had to postpone making the actual starter for a couple of days but I continued with the development and it was just right. So I refreshed my starter to get ready for bread making – it rose about half original size and has stopped there. I have it in the oven with the light on and noting has happened. After reading your notes I should do another refresh to start again? The terms confuddle me a bit so hope I’m using the right ones!
Hi Elizabeth! Yes, another refresh until it doubles in size and again until it behaves!
Hi Traci – the starter did exactly the same thing again. Was rising nicely, got to about half height of the original amount and then started collapsing. Can I use this to start my bread?
Hi Elizabeth.. are you feeding twice a day? You can give it a go at 1/2 height, but I’m not sure if your bread will rise fully. If you give it a go, please keep us posted!
Yes Traci I thought about doing that. Like you before GF I also made sourdough bread. Could you use the proofing basket (mine is oblong) and then bake in the Romertopf clay baker?
Hi Elizabeth… I’ve attempted this recipe in a Dutch oven, but unfortunately without the walls of a loaf pan to hold it up, it spreads out like a pancake. I’m not familar with a Romertopf clay baker. If you give it a go, please let us know how it goes!
Can I use this recipe to make rolls? Would it take just as long to ferment and how long would they bake for?
Thanks
Hi Rudi! I’ve not made rolls with this recipe, but I’ll put it on my list to test!
Came out PERFECTLY!!!
I’m so impressed by the bread recipes on this site, both regular and now gluten-free. Please keep them coming (perhaps some with inclusions like figs or berries or something?).
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Hayley! Thank you for your note, review and kind words! Yes to inclusions… I’m working on that (gf sourdough is not a quick process :/ ). Please keep in touch!
Awesome thanks so much
What if my starter is doubled and seems ready to work with but I’m not ready to bake? I have a refreshed starter that I fed this morning, but suddenly it seems really really ready and I want to mix the dough in the morning. I wonder if it will ruin it to wait? I guess we’ll see when I wake up but advice for future would be great.
Hi Laura! Put it in the fridge! That’ll slow the little yeast down. Hopefully it’ll hold its doubled in size state overnight.
This recipe is a revelation! I have made it many times ow and my family loves it, my BF loves it and best of all, my dear friend who recently was diagnosed with Celiac Disease really loved it! She was able to have toast again! I made a loaf for the first time yesterday for my mom and she just called me to exclaim about its delicious flavor and texture. This is going into permanent rotation. I’m beginning to get requests and may just start a little GF baking business based on this lovely wonder! Thank you so much for the inspiration! (P.S. I have added hemp seeds and sesame seeds to the seed mixture with great results!)
Hi Karen! SO happy to hear you and those you’ve shared it with are enjoying sourdough! Hooray! Thank you for your note and sharing your tip about the hemp seeds and sesame seeds. Yes to toast and tasty bread!
Just wanted to give you another little update on my experimentation with your wonderful recipe.
First, regarding those with “pourable” dough…it’s possible that they forgot to let the batter rest for 10 minutes (during which time it goes from batter to dough). Don’t ask me how I know!
Second, I found a very small tip in Jeffrey Larsen’s book “Gluten Free Baking at Home” – hope it’s okay to mention it here – I noticed that he included a tsp of baking soda with many of his bread recipes and so, I gave it a try with this, changing nothing else. Well it was WONDERFUL, gave a bit more structure and better texture when baked. Didn’t alter the flavor, of course, but it really made a much better, sturdier, but less dense loaf. I’d love to know what you think if you try it.
Hi Karen! Thank you for your note and sharing your tip from Jeffrey Larsen! I’ll give it a go next time I bake GF Sourdough. I’m intrigued! You know, I’ve not heard any further about “pourable” batter since I added the note in the recipe “do not substitute psyllium husk powder”. I suspect that was the culprit… it is an essential ingredient! Thank you again for sharing your experiment with us Karen!
Hi, I have made your loaf many times; it has become a staple in our house!
This time around, I will not be able to bake it after 12 hours of a bulk ferment (as it will be the middle of the night). It will be more like 20-24 hours of a bulk ferment. Do you think I can put my loaf in the refrigerator? If so, should I let it be out for a while to ferment at room temperature before placing in the refrigerator? Or do you think it should be in the refrigerator for the entire 20-24 hours? Alternatively, I can start it in the refrigerator and bring it out for a while in the morning before I bake it.
Any advice would be much appreciated :)
Thank you!
Hi Rebekah! So happy to hear. Thank you for your note. While I’ve not bulked this recipe in the fridge, I do many of my glutenous sourdough recipes, so I wouldn’t hesitate putting this one in the fridge. If you do, make sure you double tea towel it (and moist), so it doesn’t dry out. The goal is to have the dough rise as indicated in the recipe, how long that takes in the fridge (or fridge then at room temp) I just don’t know, since I’ve not tried it. You can bake it straight from fridge or from room temp, as long as the rise is at the right height. I’d love to hear your results, and I know it would help others!
Can this recipe be doubled to make a larger loaf?? I just made my first loaf today and it is delicious.
Hi Jenny! So happy to hear! I’m afraid the dough wouldn’t all fit in one loaf pan if doubled…
I’ve made 5 loaves of this bread so far (two for my household and three to give away) and it’s come out wonderful every time! The flavor and texture are just superb, especially considering it’s gluten-free. For one of the loaves I knew I wouldn’t have time to bake it after the 12 to 14 hours, so I put it in the fridge overnight and then took it out for 12 hours and the results were equally wonderful plus it grew a bit more! Thank you so much for this great recipe!
Hi Claudia! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the sourdough. Thank you for your notes regarding your retarding the dough in the fridge. I’ve not tried it with this recipe, but do it all the time for my glutenous sourdough. Hooray for tasty gluten free bread!
Made starter with 2T all purpose GF flour & 2 T brown rice flour. Next feeding subbed buckwheat flour for brown rice. It was like a peasant bread. Absolutely delicious. Great recipe & instructions/notes.
So happy to hear, Karen! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go. I like your description of peasant bread :D
Hi, I have a sensitivity to quinoa. Is there a suitable substitute in this recipe?
Hi Tracy! Use any of the soaker ingredients you like to replace the quinoa. I hope this helps!
This might be something you’ve thought of already, but I figured I’d share a thought about the batter being pourable for some. I had that happen to me as well, but I eventually realized that I was using whole psyllium husks instead of the powder, and the weight of 3 tbsp of either is quite a bit different. So I figured out a weighed amount of the whole psyllium that would equal the weight of the powder, and got a much better result. Alternatively, if all you have are the whole husks, you could grind it up in to a powder with a coffee grinder. I haven’t tried it myself, but in theory, it would probably work.
I love this recipe. I’ve made it a few times, and for a beginner like me, it’s been a great template to play around with different flours and hydration levels. Thanks so much!
Hi Tora! Thank you for your note, giving the recipe a go, and sharing your thoughts regarding the sourdough. Kendra (in an earlier comment below) echoed the same note regarding whole psyllium husks. Thank you for sharing! I’ll add a note on the recipe card ( – not whole psyllium husks). I didn’t even know there was such a thing until Kendra’s note – and now yours!
I’ve been making this bread for months now. I love it. I weigh all the ingredients and find that only two cups of water makes the batter the perfect consistency.
SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipe Gail! Thank you for your note!
I followed both the starter recipe and the bread recipe exactly and my first loaf came out great! I do think the water weight is off . The first time I made the bread I measured the 2 1/3 cups out not noticing that there was a weight given. On my second attempt I weighed the water instead and realized the batter was too thin. I think the weight of 2 1/3 cups is closer to 550g. This might be why some bakers have a dough that’s too wet…
This said the recipe is clear, concise and easy to follow, it is by far the best gluten free bread we’ve had and well worth the time to make the starter and gather all the various flours. Thank you!
Thank you for your note, Barb! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the sourdough. I’m not sure what measurement you’re referring to as the dough calls for 2 1/2 C + 2 Tbs (605g) water. I measure all my baking recipes in weight first, and then volume (this is not something I leave to an algorithm) and test both, although weighing is always more accurate. Sourdough is as much as an art as it is following a recipe, something that takes practice to know when and how adjustments need to be made and more importantly, not be made. Thank you for your kind words and sharing your thoughts!
Hi Traci – I just wanted to add a comment to stop obsessing about “pouring”! I take full responsibility for my imprecise word choice in my earlier comment. My dough does come out thick – definitely more a dough than a batter. But I’m interested in whether I might need to increase the amount of water. I hope you can stop worrying – my bread is coming out great – not just edible but addictive!
More specifics on the “pouring” vs. “scraping” – the dough I get from following ingredients and instructions to the letter is thick — but it isn’t sticky. It holds itself away from the walls of my Kitchenaid’s dough mixing bowl (to clarify, I mix it by hand, but I use the bowl that goes with my mixer.) I just scrape it away from the walls of the bowl, hold the bowl above my prepared pan, and sort of tip/roll the big ball of dough into the pan, then smooth as you instruct.
I am in northern Colorado, so everything around me is bone dry – the air, the flour, the seeds — even our water might be dryer than yours! This time around, I actually weighed the water (and then added a tablespoon). I store my flour in the freezer for the long term – so usually the flour I use has been out of the freezer a month or less. (I do bring it all up to room temp before mixing.
I think flour hydration might be one of those really tricky chemistry things, no matter where you are and whether you’re using wheat, other grains, nuts or bean flour.
Hi Susan! No worries…. there are several other makers who shared that their batter was pourable too, reason why I added clarification in the recipe. Indeed, humidity impacts flour hydration from kitchen to kitchen. Thank you for your note! SO happy to hear your enjoying the bread.
Hi Traci, I’m really looking forward to trying your recipe, I was wondering if you could recommend a flour substitute for the Rice Flour. The rest is good but I can’t have the rice.
Hi Bruce! Thank you for your note. Unfortunately, I’m unable to say for sure what could be used instead of rice flour, as I’ve not tested/made this recipe with a sub for rice flour. Feel free to browse the comments and/or makers notes above the recipe for what other people subbed. If you do exchange it for another flour, please let us know how it goes. I know it will help others!
I’ve made this recipe twice now, the first time with a substitution of quinoa flour for millet and the second time as is. The first time it was a bit too dense and wet. The second time, with the correct ingredients, it was less wet inside and less dense. It never rose to double it’s size but was close.
The ingredients were weighed and the dough was not too watery.
The loaf was topped with sesame seeds instead of oats because of the nutty flavor the seeds add.
With the recent “stay at home” orders, my new stove could not be installed. With a few extra measures taken, I baked this bread in my outdoor gas grill!
With a nice crumb and full of flavor, this hearty bread is perfect for toasting. In the future, I will make two loaves and slice the second and store it in the freezer.
Thanks for this recipe!
Hi Justine! Thank you for your note and sharing your experience with this bread. Way to go you baking on your outdoor grill! Amazing! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying delicious GF Sourdough!
Hi Traci!
I have spent a whole month waiting for my starter to be ready to use is this recipe – I think this had to do with the temperature of my kitchen. I finally got the starter to double and made my dough last night. It has been sitting for over 14 hours now with no rise… is there a certain point where I should just go ahead and bake? Or should I let it sit to see if it finally rises?
Thank you!!
Hi Ashlyn! Thank you for your note… I need a bit more information. What is the temperature of your kitchen? At this point, I would put the dough in a turned off oven with the light on (even better, put a loaf pan in there and pour some hot steamy water in it) and give it another hour or two to see if it will rise.
Thanks so much for your quick response! My kitchen is about 65 degrees now. I just placed the loaf in the turned off oven now and hoping I get some rise soon. Thanks again!
Hi Traci,
My loaf turned out very dense and wet. Do you think this could have been from over proofing the bread? The only ingredients I changed were some of what’s needed for the soak – did not have quinoa or sunflower seeds so I subbed for more oats and flax seeds. Any advice before I try again?
Thank you!
Hi Ashlyn. I’m sorry to hear the loaf turned out dense and wet… I need a bit more information before I can offer advice. Was your starter doubled in size? Did you weigh the ingredients? How long did the dough ferment for (the temp was 65f..)? I’m curious too about oven temperature… do you use an external oven thermometer? Did the dough rise to about 1.1/2″ (3.8cm) above the lip of the pan at the center? Having a bit more information may help me better determine what could have gone wrong.
Hey have you tried it without maple syrup or honey?
Hi Diana! I have not.
Hi there! Getting excited to bake a loaf – my starter is ready! My son cannot tolerate oats or oat flour anymore, is there another flour that makes for a best substitution? Can I use Xantham gum to replace the Psyllium in equal measure?
Hi Alice! Makers have shared substitution notes in the comments below (and I’ve shared their comments too in the blog post – although I have not tried these subs). I do not recommend substituting Psyllium Husk Powder. I hope this helps!
I wanted to leave a quick comment here sharing my experiences making this bread, since I’ve made four loaves and have learned a bit along the way. With the first two loaves, I didn’t have psyllium husk powder, only psyllium husks. After a failed attempt to grind the husks into a powder, I went with it and just used the husks. This gave me a somewhat pourable batter – not super thin like pancake batter, certainly thicker than a quick bread batter, but definitely not dough. It still worked, though, and I ended up with loaves that tasted great (they also rose a good amount, but didn’t get higher than the top of the pan, so I didn’t get that nice rounded look of a typical loaf of bread). After baking, I let the loaves sit out at room temp for 24 hours, as is directed in the recipe. After that, I sliced the loaves, put a small piece of parchment between slices, and froze. When I want to eat a slice, I pop it in the toaster for a bit and it is perfection.
I just made two more loaves last night, but finally was able to get my hands on psyllium husk POWDER! And this changed everything for me. I put all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and used a whisk to mix that up. I mixed up the wet ingredients, then added to the dry. In the past, I was able to use a whisk to mix the wet and dry ingredients together (then switched to a rubber spatula after adding in the soaker). This time, I had to switch to a rubber spatula pretty much immediately because it was like a proper dough immediately. I had read Traci’s update about using less water, so I used only 10 grams less water. After seeing how thick the dough was, I thought, oh gosh, it’s so thick because I didn’t add enough water, so I added in a bit more. Still very thick. I was confused for awhile, then while in bed and thinking about the bread (yes, these are the things I ponder in bed), I thought, IT’S THE PSYLLIUM HUSK POWDER!!!
My conclusions about this – psyllium husk powder sucks up water like crazy and it will lead to a more dough-like texture (no more batter over here!). I also weigh EVERYTHING, even water (if you don’t have a scale already, spend 20 bucks and pick one up – you will use it more than you could imagine). I had read about other people having troubles with their batter/dough being super liquid-y, so just figured that since I was still getting a great tasting loaf, I didn’t really care if I had batter instead of dough. With the psyllium husk powder loaves, however, I had a good looking dough that also rose above the top of the pan. :D
TLDR: 1 – Use psyllium husk powder and not psyllium husks, as the powder will soak up more water and give you dough, not batter. 2 – Weigh all of your ingredients!!!
Hii Kendra! Thank you for your note and sharing your experience making this recipe! Your insight is super helpful. YES to PHP… it makes all the difference!
Hi! I was really excited about baking GF sourdough bread, but unfortunately, this recipe didn’t work for me. I used the GF sourdough starter recipe that you provided and it seemed to be active enough to bake with (i.e., doubling in size). Like several other commenters, I found the dough to be thinner and I wasn’t able to shape it as was shown in the photos. I weighed out all of the ingredients in the recipe, left it to ferment for 14 hours, and it didn’t rise at all. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Katrina! Thank you for your note. I’m sorry to hear the recipe didn’t work for you. I’m curious about your starter… was it doubled in size when you mixed the dough? How did it smell? Did you make any substitutions of ingredients in the recipe?
Hello!! Was so excited about this recipe also used your gf starter recipe :). So my bread ended up rising a bunch in the oven and when I cut it I had a huge hole in the top like a cave in my bread. Could this be from my oven being too hot? The bread inside was super tacky and I think a little underdone. I toasted it a bit and it still tastes great! Was just wondering what could have gone wrong.
Hi Rebecca! Thank you for your note. What temperature was your oven (I’m not sure I know what “too hot” is). The caverning may be a result of over-proofing the bread, not uncommon, but simply could be a timing and practice issue. So happy to hear you enjoyed the bread otherwise!
Hi, this might be a dumb question, but what is a soaker? If I don’t have one, how else can soak the seeds? Can’t wait to bake this! Absolute beauty!
Hi Rash! A soaker is something you make in a bowl. It’s simply water, seeds and grains.. that’s it! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hello! I love this recipe and have made it so many times! It is truly flexible and I have switched out flours with great success: tigetnut flour, buckwheat, quinoa etc. With all the recipes though my dough always comes out more runny and moist than what is pictured. For example, I just pour the batter into the pan and it is never really a dough that needs to be formed. I am curious if you have noticed that? Wondering if I should experiment with less water?
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!!
Hi Amy… so happy to hear that you’ve flexed the recipe and you’re enjoying it! With regards to a wet batter… some makers have experienced this too. I have not, no matter how many times I make it, I get consistent results. I’m curious if you’re weighing your ingredients? The reason for batter variations is probably due to local humidity variations and with different flour brands having varying moisture content (this is common too in glutenous flours). Feel free to play with the amount of water used by decreasing it a bit, maybe by starting with 10g. I did find throughout my testing that gluten free flours have better rise with increased moisture. I hope this helps, and please do keep in touch!
Hi there, I want to bake this bread for a friend. I read a review here that someone substituted the listed flours for Measure for Measure flour by King Arthur. May I know what is the substited amount? Also, do I have to add oat flour GF and what amount? Since the Measure for Measure flour has a xanthan gum, do I need to add Psyllium Husk Powder. Thank you so much in advance for your reply.
Hi Cris! Thank you for your note. Since I’ve not made this bread with any other ingredients besides the ones listed in the recipe (outside of my recipe testing), I’m unable to share specifics on weights/amounts substituted by community makers. Feel free to post your question in the comments below with the corresponding substitution comment. Maybe we’ll hear back!
Hi Traci,
Appreciate and thank you for your. I made my sourdough starter, YAY.It’s now the 8th day and I’m excited to make the bread for tomorrow. I am still looking for the substitution for the flour to use King Arthur cup for cup measurement . I hope she replies.
I hope so too… if you experiment, please keep in touch! Hooray for a ready to bake starter! Sending high 5s!
Cris, I have made this wonderful bread many times using Measure for Measure flour in place of the rice, millet and tapioca flours. I did keep the oat flour and added xantham to it (M4M already has xantham gum).
Proportions:
375 g M4M flour [scant 3c]
130g oat flour [1-1/3c]
3/8 tsp xantham
(Another note: When I did not have psyllium powder I reduced the water to 425 g).
Thank you Traci for this recipe!! I make 2 loaves at a time every few weeks. 💗
Hi Cathy! Thank you for sharing your tips, subs and your kind words! So happy to hear you’ve created something new from the base recipe and you’re enjoying delicious sourdough!
Hi Traci,
I’ve been working on my starter for 3.5 weeks and it finally got to the point where it was almost doubling so I’ve bitten the bullet and made a loaf, which is now sitting under a wet tea towel waiting to be baked in the morning once it has risen. I was just reading through the comments below and realised that my mix was probably too wet – it poured into the pan easily – and I’m wondering whether that was because I measured rather than weighed the ingredients, or maybe because I didn’t knead the soaker in with my hands but rather mixed it in with a fork for a minute.
I’ve also realised that my oven only goes up to 220C so I might have a pretty wet loaf on my hands but I’m sure the flavour will be good and I can always toast it ;)
Will let you know how it goes tomorrow and would be grateful if you could let me know whether you think the lack of kneading might be part of my problem.
Thanks for your recipes and replying to so many of the comments! My family loved the sourdough pancakes which we made this morning with one of the many jars of discard sitting in the fridge!
Thanks,
Claire
Hi Claire! Thank you for your note and sharing your experience! SO happy to hear your starter is in good shape and y’all enjoyed the sourdough pancakes (I love that recipe!). Agreed about weighing ingredients… I include volume for convenience, but do recommend weighing ingredients when baking (especially gluten free). Kneading does help develop the dough… I do recommend kneading by hand. I hope you enjoy the bread. Please do keep in touch!
Hi again, I baked the loaf yesterday and things went more or less as I had thought, it did take a lot longer than the usual 55-60 minutes due to its wetness and as a result the sides and bottom were pretty caramelised (although still tasty) and the inside was a little sticky even after 2.5 hours when I eventually took it out (the middle never got above 120 celcius which I think was due to the wetness and my oven not going above 220. However my family have been enjoying it toasted (with the crusts cut off beforehand to avoid charring!) and I’m working on my next loaf, which I’m going to try making as a focaccia taking inspiration from one of the posters below. I think having a broader, thinner bread might work better given my oven situation, and I’ll certainly be sure to weigh every ingredient carefully before I add them this time, and give the dough a good knead (which should be easier if it’s not so wet!). In good news, my starter (which I have named Jacinda after the strong, productive and generous NZ prime minister) is now confidently doubling in size every time I feed her, so things are looking up! Will keep you posted on how the seeded focaccia goes… Am thinking I’ll brush it with olive oil and scatter rosemary and maldon sea salt before baking, what do you think?
Hi Claire! So happy to hear, despite the challenges, you and your family are enjoying the bread! Hooray! I think you have a great strategy with focaccia given your oven situation… I love that idea. YES to rosemary, olive oil and Maldon sea salt! Keep in touch! I’d love to see how it turns out for you!
Hi Traci, just wanted to check in and let you know 1) that the focaccia idea with olive oil and rosemary did work really well, and 2) after recently coming back to it site and noticing your note about the importance of the psyllium husk being powdered, I tried again using psyllium that I blended in my blender, and have now managed to make two really successful loaves in the pan as originally intended. It doesn’t seem to matter that the oven isn’t quite as hot as you suggest, I just turn mine up all the way and let it preheat for a good hot so everything is really hot inside. Thank you, we’re loving having sandwich/toast bread that tastes so good 😊
Is the honey for flavor or does it help the rise of the bread? I don’t eat much sweet things and ideally would not add honey to my bread!
Hi Aria! It’s for color, flavor and does support the yeast as well. I’ve not tried this recipe without it so I’m unable to say exactly how it would impact the bread with out it.
I stumbled upon your wonderful blog when I searched for a chewing gf pizza dough recipe. I have both ATK gf cook books so when I noticed that you adapted your recipe from that I was please. By the way the pizza dough is out of this world amazing it has replaced ATK’s! So thank you. I looked around and saw the sourdough bread and I let our a little squeeze, I have not had bread since December 2019 because I decided to go GF in January and decided to make my own instead of store bought. I have my starter going right now ( day 3) I am making my bread this weekend as written. My question is can I make this bread without the soaker? I really want to make a loaf for someone who has diverticulitis and she cannot have any nuts or seeds. Thank you so much for your receipes , I will be frequenting all the gf carbs!!!
Hi Elle! Thank you for your note and sharing your thoughts. So happy to hear you’re enjoying good pizza again! Hooray for homemade bread! I hope your starter is about ready by now. I have not tried this recipe without the soaker so, it may be a bit of an experiment if you give it a go. I hope this helps!
Hi Traci,
I have made tjis recipe several times and it is sooooo delicious! Instead of leaving out the soaker I only use the rolled oats as the soaker and my friend loved it!!! I of course pointed her straight to your lovely blog . I just wanted to drop a quick thank you. I’m actually making another loaf tomorrow. I now make this recipe varying the soaker, adding some other grains and it comes out delicious everytime! I am going to experiment by making sourdough hamburger buns next with tjis recipe. Thanks again Traci 🙃
Hi Elle! Thank you for your note and sharing your success! So happy to hear you and your friend are enjoying the sourdough. I love the idea of only using rolled oats instead of other inclusions! Can you share how much you used? Please keep in touch regarding the buns… I have a hard time getting this dough to hold its shape when attempting a free form loaf. Thank you again!
Hi Traci,
I used 6 tbsp of rollef oats as my soaker and I still sprinkled the top of course so so delicious! I’ll let you know about the buns.
Hi – i used to bake alot of bread but stopped about 8 years ago when i had to go gluten free. I tried at the time but the breads seem to turn into starch in my mouth while chewing.
Seeing this recipe was very inpsiring. I made it and i got an almost okay rise before the bake, no rise at all in the oven. Still the bread actually tastes great to me and my husband – as in we’ve eaten 2/3s of the loaf in less than 24 hours.
I bake in a long thin cloche so the sides are held up
the challenge is I live at 5600 feet. So i htink maybe i need to do a double rise rather than a single rise becaus ti rises faster.
I am trying a second bread where i left out once cup of flow that i will add to feed the culture for a second rise. I wasn’t sure if that was necessary.
Do you have any suggestions regarding the altitude?
Also, that seems like a huge amount of salt and i thought that salt lessons the rise. Is there a reason you are using so much salt.
I really want to get this right! thank you so much for any help you can give me.
Hi Guruka! Thank you for your note. Regarding high altitude baking, I have no experience. King Arthur Flour has an article on it however. Regarding salt, please feel free to adjust it to your taste. I made this bread many times before posting it here, and the amount in the recipe is what I found to balance the stronger flavors of gluten free flours. I hope this helps!
Thank you so much. My second round I did much better on the rise going back to some high altitude steps that worked with gluten bread.
I still missed the push in the oven but I got a reasonable rise before it went.
The bread is wonderful
I will fiddle with around with decreasing the salt. I’m probably older than you!
Thanks so much for the great recipe and for getting back to me!
I’m so inspired by your GF sourdough bread. May I have your advice if I can use sorghum flour to replace Millet, Teff flour to replace oat flour ? This is what make me delay my baking!
Hi Helen! Thank you for your note. Please see makers notes above the recipe card and comments on this blog post for substitutions makers have made. The only subs I’ve tried: buckwheat then amaranth flour for millet in this recipe but the bread wasn’t as tender and light. Amaranth was a little too strong for my taste. I hope this helps!
This came out beautifully despite my having to make two substitutions: Chia instead of flax seeds and molasses instead of honey or maple syrup (both were made just because they were what I had.) The crumb is the color of a nice dark beer, and you can taste the somewhat char-y molasses. But I am still SO happy with it! The dough did not stick to my Kitchenaid stand mixer’s bowl, which was the bowl that I put the sourdough starter in (also because it was the one clean large bowl I had left). Had zero trouble pouring the dough into my stoneware loaf pan. Ferment was done in my microwave to keep it a little warmer, with a pre-nuked rice pack around it. It rose nicely (though flat on the top). It did rise and mound nicely in the bake. It seems to be forgiving if you can’t quite get your oven up to 550 degrees. However, listen to what the author says on weighing the flour! It took me a cup and a third of millet flour to make 150 g!
Hi Susan! Thank you for you note, sharing your subs and experience! Yes to weighing ingredients – I’m amazed that several of my different brand measuring cups are not equivalent… ! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the bread!
Hello again. I’ve followed your instructions exactly, for the starter and the bread, and now I’m about to bake… The dough has been rising for 13 hrs, and is still barely ‘over’ the lip of the bread pan. It looks just like a regular size loaf. I think I’m going to bake it anyway ….. You say heat the over to 550, then reduce to 475. Can you tell me why it has to be so high? I’ve never even had my oven that hot…. just a little concerned…!
I will let you know how it all turns out for sure!
Hi Barbara! Remember, time is only a guide as this is the nature of sourdough. The high heat helps with oven spring and to evaporate as much water as possible. This is a very wet dough. I hope this helps!
Hi there, checked up on the heat level and understand about that now. The bread turned out amazing. The taste is totally unique, earthy (as you said), and bouncing with a hearty goodness. I wasn’t expecting it to be a meal on its own, but it is… deliciously so.
The only thing I did wrong was somehow managing to get an ‘air pocket’ between the bread itself and the crust -not huge, but there it is… Not the first couple of slices, but after that. What did I do wrong?
It hasn’t affected the taste or the consistency. The moistness in the centre was a little different so I’m glad you mentioned that. You notice it – and then its gone. Toasting it was utterly divine. Thank you.
I’ll definitely be doing this all over again.
Hi Barbara! hehe… “a meal on its own”… I hear you. SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the bread! The air pocket is the nature of sourdough… however, to minimize the risk of this happening again, simply press the dough firmly into the pan prior to baking. You may still get an air pocket, but it’s not unusual. Thank you for your note!
Thank you for the recipe! I followed it to make my delicious bread. I also added anise seeds. Also used chia seeds instead of psyllium husk and it worked perfectly. Thank you!
Hi Yana! Thank you so much for your note and tip about chia seeds! Hooray! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the bread!
Psyllium Husk Powder- I don’t have any and it will be at least a few days until I get it. Can I omit or substitute something for it? Thanks.
Hi Monica! I’ve not tested this recipe without the psyllium. It’s essential for holding things together and giving the bread it’s ‘chew’ sans gluten.
I had a hard time shaping the dough, had to add a few extra tablespoons of flour, loaf came out very dark on the sides and didn’t rise more than a 1/2 inch above the pan after 14 hours at 70 C. My oven is very old and doesn’t have a good thermocouple so I have no idea what the actual oven temp was! Gooing to turn it down more next time. I’m waiting for the bread to cool before I cut into it…SMALLS AMAZING!!! Thanks for sharing your recipie!!! (This is also my first ever attempt at making bread form sour dough starter).
Hi Mrl… even with a few issues, it sounds like you made a delicious loaf of gluten free sourdough! Way to go you! I hope you’re enjoying it!
Do you know how to adapt this recipe to a bread machine? It has a gluten-free setting? ~ Thanks!
Hi Lydia… unfortunately I do not. If you give it a try, please keep us posted!
Tried making this bread. I had a few issues… My dough going into the pan was quite batter like- it poured into the pan. It did rise nicely over 14h (our house is cold), especially when I put it on top of the warm oven (while baking something else). And my oven only goes to 500F, so that’s what I used to preheat, but found it needed extra baking time. At 55 minutes the internal temp was about 145F. In the end, I baked it about 75min, with foil for the last 20. Not sure if needing extra time was because of the wetness of the dough, the oven temp, both??
But! It looks amazing! Smells amazing! Soooo hard waiting for it to cool!
I had a few of the same issues actually. Found that the batter was much to wet. So just this morning I tried it again and only added about 1, 1/2 cups of water and it seems to look exactly like the pictures. I can’t wait to bake it tonight!
Hi Hannah! Thank you for your note! This is a very wet batter. As it rests, the flours become more hydrated. I found through my testing, GF sourdough rises better with more hydration. Did you bake the loaf with the “much too wet” batter? I hope you enjoy the sourdough!
HI Monica.. Despite the challenges, it sounds like your bread turned out?! The batter is wet, but it shouldn’t be pourable. Humidity can play a role in moisture content of flour, so next time, if you make it again, hold some of the water out and add as needed. Thank you for your note!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I’ve been making it into Focaccia bread by spreading a double batch out on a large cookie sheet, using parchment paper under it. The crumb and chew is exquisite! And love all of the whole grain flours in the recipe. wholesome and beautifully delicious.
Hi Sherri! Focaccia!? That’s amazing! Thank you for sharing your tips. SO happy to hear!
Hi Traci!
I am trying this as my first loaf ever! I have been working on my starter for toooo long! Anyway I wonder if you can leave the bread to rise for too long – like if at 12 hours it looks pretty good but maybe not quite there yet for height – should I worry about it falling if I leave it for too long too ferment? thank you!! this recipe looks awesome.
Hi Jessica! So happy to hear your starter finally came around and you’re making bread. As far as rising too long, yes, that can happen. What is the hight of the loaf? 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. Gently press the top with your finger. Does it spring back? If it meets those criteria, preheat your oven! If you’re worried about it falling, pop it in the refrigerator while your oven preheats – be sure to put a moist tea towel over the top while in the fridge. Just before baking, spritz it with water and sprinkle oats over the top. I hope this helps!
This looks like an awesome recipe thanks so much for charing! I am planning to make it soon, but am wondering does it actually call for 3 1/2 tsp salt? That seems like too much, I would assume around 1 tsp would be enough. Thank you!
Hi Lisa! That is the correct measurement. Feel free to adjust the salt to taste!
I thought the same thing, I used 3.5 t as it said in the recipe and to my taste it turned out way too salty. I would definitely cut back in the future, probably to about 1 tsp. This is to personal taste like Trace says and depends on how you plan to use the bread I guess, no need for salted butter on this one :)
If I don’t have psyllium husk powder would it work to just leave that out or sub one of the other flours? And also I have a 1:1 gluten free flour blend that contains tapioca starch, could I get away without the tapioca flour and just add some extra of my flour blend? This is my first time attempting gluten free bread and I’m super excited but so overwhelmed by all the different flours!
Hi Kaitlyn! The psyllium holds the bread together. Without it, the bread is going to fall apart. The purpose of several different flours is for flavor and texture. I wouldn’t sub 1:1 GF for the tapioca starch. I hope this helps!
I’ve been using ground chia seeds and its been working just fine. Fresh ground flax should work too.
Hi Hannah… thank you for your tip! How much ground chia are you using in place of the psyllium husk powder?
Soooo, is the dough mixture supposed to be dry when you pop it in the pan? My dough looks good really dry and crumbly. I weighed everything before combining but honestly, it looks more like shortbread cookies than bread dough. It’s “fermenting” now so I won’t have any results for a few hours but I don’t see how this dough is going to rise. Any ideas or help you can provide at this point. I’d like to try this again but I’d like to know what the dough consistency is supposed to be first. Thanks for your help. What ever this loaf turns out like, I think it’ll be tasty regardless of texture.
Hi ML… see step 2. “The dough will feel like a thick batter. ….. The dough will be very sticky” It should hold together as a mass, and not be crumbly. Keep us posted!
GF bakers please help! Tried this recipe twice, redoing my starter in case that was the issue. Starter looked perfect. Both times the crust turned out perfectly and the inside was like raw goo. Only substitution I made was Bobs 1:1 flour instead of millet. Temperature was 205 after baking. Any ideas to remedy?
How did your batter look???
Just want to say thank you for an awesome sourdough bread. I have made it twice now and it is the best gluten free bread! My husband and I love it. Thanks so much!!
That makes me so happy to hear Sherri! Thank you for your note and sending a smile! :D
Hi Traci,
I had been trying off and on for about 8 or 9 months to make a successful gluten free starter. I just wanted to let you know that I finally got my starter in shape to bake a loaf of gluten free sourdough bread. I followed this recipe and, wow, it is so delicious!!! I replaced the millet with teff flour and replaced the oat with sorghum four. I replaced buckwheat flakes for the oats in the soaker. I was diagnosed with celiac disease a couple of years ago and I have not had bread this good since my diagnosis. Thank you! I am already ready to make another loaf. Can you please explain how I get my starter that is stored in the refrigerator going and ready to bake another loaf?
Hi Rebekah! Thank you for your note and sharing your subs! I’m SO happy to hear you’re enjoying bread again. For your starter: after it’s stored in the refrigerator, you just feed it again. Sometimes I have to feed mine twice within a 12 hour period. I have a GF SD Starter Post with more info. I hope this helps!
Hello! I have been following your tips for my gluten free starter and am excited to try it in this loaf! I would just like to clarify if you’re feeding 100g of starter and using all of that or weighing out 100g after it’s fed and doubled? Thank you so much!
Hi Mariah… The 100g is from a previously fed, and doubled in size starter.
Thanks so much, Traci! Have made it a couple of times now and it’s really lovely!
SO happy to hear Mariah! Thank you for your note!
Hello! this bread looks great :) is it possible to bake it in any loaf pan? We have glass. How about a deep cast iron skillet? Thank you!
Can you help me? This bread is delicious, but soggy in the middle – any suggestions? We have an Aga and I fear it doesn’t get hot enough.
Hi Louise… I’m so sorry to hear the bread is soggy in the middle. I’m afraid I don’t know what an Aga is? Did you temp the bread before pulling it from the oven? Were there any ingredient substitutions? Do you have an external oven thermometer? I’m afraid I’d need more information…
Hi Traci
I followed the recipe pretty much to the letter. I think I did 100g oat flour and 50g sorgham.
An aga is a cast iron range cooker that is on all the time (https://www.agaliving.com/)
The last loaf, I cooked in a Dutch Oven in the Aga and it was slightly better – still soggy though.
I do have a stick thermometer – bread was 95 when I took it out – but no external oven thermometer.
We are going to try and cook the next loaf in a Dutch oven on the Kamado Joe bbq!
Louise
HI TRACY, I’M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS RECIPE AND AM ACTUALLY JUST WAITING FOR MY BREAD TO RISE A BIT MORE BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE OVEN. I’M WONDERING WHAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND IF MY OVEN ONLY GOES TO 500 DEGREES?
I WAS THINKING JUST TO KEEP MY EYE ON IT AND PLAN TO BAKE IT FOR A LITTLE LONGER?
THANKS!
H Moira! Thank you for your note… oh yes, the anticipation! Preheat your oven to 500, then turn it down as indicated in the recipe. It will be fine, but before you pull it from the oven, make sure the internal temperature is between 200F-205F. You may have to bake it a bit longer, but I’m not sure by how much.
Hi! I found your recipes today, and started my GF SD starter this AM! I have a question about the soaker: Can you suggest a substitution for the quinoa? I’ve gotten glutened by quinoa (yes, I know that it is supposed to be naturally GF and I’m sure that it was the quinoa that caused my reaction) and have stopped buying it. I have a variety of GF flours, nuts or seeds that I could substitute. I’m excited to try this! Thanks very much!
Hi Pam! Yes, feel free to sub the quinoa for nut/seed du jour (chopped small if needed)! The only thing I’d stay away from is chia seeds due to their gelling effect when soaked (but who knows, they may work!). I hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe!
Thanks for this great bread and starter recipe. This was my first time ever making sourdough starter and bread. The dough didn’t rise that much, but it still came out good- tastes great and my family loves it. I will be making this again and again. I subbed sorghum flour for the millet flour. Any tips for getting it to rise more would be welcome.
Hi Karen! Thank you for your note, rating and sharing your subs! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the bread! Millet is supportive in helping this bread rise. But, you may try allowing the bread to rise longer to achieve the appropriate height above the rim of the pan. If it’s not budging, stick it in the oven (turned off) with the light on. Place a damp tea towel over the top and keep an eye on it. This may speed things up a bit. Keep in mind that time = flavor! That’s what sourdough is all about! I hope this helps!
Hi, I was thinking of trying this but….is it really 890 calories per slice? Or is that per loaf? Most breads are 90-100 calories per slice.
Hi Rachel… the nutrition is per serving and the serving size is one loaf (at the top of the recipe card). Depending on how thick or thin you slice the bread will determine how many calories there are per slice. I hope this helps!
Traci, this might be the best gluten free vegan bread I have ever made in my entire life! Our daughter has a lot of stomach issues and she absolutely loved it. I loved combining the ingredients and used teff flour for one of the flours I did not have. I admit, I only let the loaf rise for 3 hours and also baked it at 450° for 45 minutes, leaving it to sit in the oven for 15 more minutes after that. The cooled loaf was absolutely delicious, flavourful and is definitely going to become a staple in our home. Thank you so much for sharing this incredible recipe!
SO happy to hear you and your daughter are enjoying the bread, Andrea! Thank you for your note, tip on teff and rating. To slow the bread down next time, you can stick it in your fridge, with a damp tea towel over the top. It’s the bulk ferment where the flavor develops (as good as it was even at 3 hours!)! Thank you for sending a smile :D !!
Just cooked my first 2 loaves. I did one loaf with the soaker and one loaf without the soaker. The loaf with the soaker seem to rise better. But not a huge difference. The texture is amazing. In my soaker I substituted hemp hemp hearts because I didn’t have sunflower seeds and I used quick cooking steel cut oats instead of whole rolled oats. I tinted my loaves with tin foil for the last half of baking time. My loaf with no soaked took about 60 min and my loaf with the soaker took 70 min. I cut into them after
2 1/2 Hours and they were perfect. All family members loved this recipe. The texture is beautiful (not gummy) I was able to slice it thin no problem. Thank you so much. I was worried about the initial high temp, but it worked great.
Hi Olivia! Thank you for your note, giving the recipe a go and sharing your tips! Noted on the soaker. SO happy to hear you and your family are enjoying the recipe!
Hi there! I mixed mine this morning around 10am. I had let the soaker soak overnight and didn’t realize the bread had to sit for such a long time. Has anyone tried baking it after 10 hours? Also, is the oven temp really that high? Thanks!
I only let the bread sit for 3 hours and my house was warm and the dough rose a few inches! I baked the loaf in my oven at 450° for 45 minutes, then turned off the oven and let it stay in for 15 more minutes and it was perfect… as good as in the photos.
Oh my Andrea! So glad you kept an eye on it! Your starter must be VERY happy. :D Thank you for sharing your tips and hooray for good bread!
I’ve made this bread twice now, and it is so delicious! I haven’t been able to get to the store and buy GF bread, so I figured I would try my hand at making it :) The first time the bread came out absolutely perfect, but the second had a batter-like consistency as I didn’t have any psyllium husk and had to sub for ground flax. But the bread still turned out great with the same taste and texture, just a different shape! Thank you so much for the recipe, I’ll be making it frequently from now on <3
Hi Chloe! Hooray! You did it! Thank you for your note. So happy to hear you were able to make the ground flax work for you and also letting us know how it worked out. How was the shape different?
Can this bread be made in a Dutch oven?
Hi, I wanna try this recipe but I don’t have whole flax seeds (I have flax flour), can I use chia instead or the flax flour? I also don’t have sunflower seeds can I use maybe some nut or just skip it? I really wanna get it right but it’s hard to get the ingredients I lack because where I live we are quarantined at the moment. Help!!!!
Hi Diana! I wouldn’t recommend chia because of how they gel up, but you could try flax flour (although I’ve not tried it). For the nuts, use small chopped walnuts if you have them. If you do skip the nuts, just make sure you replace them with more quinoa or oats. I hope this helps and you’re able to make the bread! Keep in touch.
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
This looks so good! I love the variation of grains in the bread! Does it toast well?
I love this recipe! Thank you!! I made a few substitutions and my bread didn’t rise and came out a little too doughy… But it still tastes good and I’ll try to make it better next time!
Hiii Nancy! Thank you for your note. SO happy to hear you’re making the recipe work for you and using it to jumpstart your own GF SD adventures! Keep us posted!
Hi I’ve been making this bread now since I
Commented a couple months ago, It absolutely delicious, I eat at least one piece a day and things have changed in my digestive system. I no longer need to take anything for regularity! I do have a question on the starter, do I add sweet rice and buckwheat flour to the starter at the time of making the bread or do I just remove it from refrigeration, warm It up and let it rise from the last feeding and then use it.??, I ask this because the rise I get doesn’t seem to double but is still very good.
Hi Carol! Thank you for your note and sharing your experience with the bread. SO happy to hear the good news(!!). For the starter, you’ll need to feed it, let it double, then mix your bread. I usually feed mine before I go to bed, then mix in the morning (or feed in the morning and mix in the afternoon). If the starter isn’t doubling, you can opt to feed it twice within a 12 hour period. This will strengthen the starter and help it achieve that doubling in size. I hope this helps. Please keep in touch!
I’m really interested in trying out this recipe! I was wondering if the maple syrup / honey is required or if the amount can be reduced. I wasn’t sure if it was added for taste or as a food source for the yeast/bacteria.
Hi Sneha! Thank you for your note. The maple/honey is to add to the bread’s flavor profile, and it also provides a boost to the yeast, by how much I’m not sure since I’ve not tried leaving it out specifically in this recipe.
Thank you for the amazingly detailed instructions on gluten-free starter and bread! My first attempt I used the America’s Test Kitchen all-purpose flour blend + sorghum for the oat flour. I made the mistake of not allowing the starter to fully double, and my bread came out very dense (though still tasty). For my second attempt, I spent 3 days feeding the starter until it was good and ready, and got a much better result. I used your flour suggestions this time with two substitutions: sorghum for the oat flour and teff for the millet. I got a nice rise and it came out SO good! The teff really gives it a wheaty flavor, almost like pumpernickel. Both times I left out the soaker and it didn’t seem to be a problem. Thanks again!
So happy to hear Leah! Thank you for your review, tips and subs! I’ll add them to the list. So happy you’re enjoying the recipe!
I am trying this recipe for a second time but it is soupy like batter. Followed all the measurements by weighing everything. What have I done wrong?
Hi Connie. I’m sorry your batter is soupy. The only other time I’ve heard of a soupy batter is from Elise (a commenter below) who said it was soupy before baking the bread. She wrote again after baking the bread and commented again “it really puffed up” in the oven. The only thing I can think may be a problem is scale calibration. Also, are you whisking the psyllium husk with the flours before adding it to the water/starter mixture?
Is it possible you are using whole psyllium husks instead of ground? That will make a difference in how the dough holds together I have learned.
Thank you for your note Jenny and sharing what you’ve learned!
Hi! Can I sub the whole flax seeds for ground flax seeds or chia seeds?
Hi Chloe! I’ve not tried ground flax, so I’m not sure it would work or not. If you give it a go, please keep us posted. I wouldn’t recommend chia seeds simply because they would change the texture of the bread.
I have baked a lot of gluten free sourdough breads and this one is excellent! The texture is perfection. You don’t even need to toast it like most other gf breads. Plus it’s loaded with nutrients from sunflower seeds, flax, and whole grains. I have celiac disease and really appreciate the notes from the other bakers on substitutions! Many of us celiacs have cross reactivities, allergies, and/or intolerances so this was wonderful to see. Make this recipe and double it. It is that good :) Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Thank you for coming back, leaving a note, and rating! I loved seeing your bread on Instagram <3 !SO happy to hear you're enjoying the bread and that the notes from bakers are helpful! I'll update this section as I receive more notes. Hooray for good bread!
Hi!
I made a loaf of this bread and we had it in the oven for 55 mins and noticed that when we pulled the thermometer out, the inside was still doughy. We put it in the oven for 10 more mins and then 5 mins after that since we were experiencing the same issue (thermometer reading 200 degrees consistently). We pulled the bread out of the oven for fear that it would burn and are hoping it is still cooking. Has anyone else found this issue? Note: the dough was risen perfectly in the pan this morning.
Thank you!
Hi Alanna… I always temp my bread, but I don’t recall if it comes out doughy in this recipe. 200F degrees is spot on! Remember too that while the bread cools, there’s a bit of what’s called overrun, meaning the bread is still baking even after it comes out of the oven. That’s one reason why the bread needs to cool completely before slicing into it. I hope this helps!
The 605g of water seems to be a typo. When I used that measurement I noticed it was really watery. Then I put 2cups and 2tbsp in a bowl and it was 505 grams. Will start over tomorrow. Not confident I will get anything to rise.
Hi Cris! The recipe calls for 2 1/2 C + 2 Tbs of water, not 2 C + 2 Tbs. I reweighed the water to make sure there’s no typo, and as indicated in the recipe, 2 1/2 C + 2 Tbs of water weighs 605g. As indicated in the blog and recipe, this bread recipe purposely has a high hydration because I found after much testing, the dough rose better with more water. I hope this clarifies and you enjoy the recipe!
Today will be my third time experimenting with your recipe. It’s the absolute best gf vegan bread I’ve had. Thank you! I’m going to reduce the water some as each time I’ve made this recipe my “dough” is much more of a thick batter and impossible to shape in a way. I just pour it into a loaf pan and let it rise For 10-12 hours. It comes out perfect at 60 minutes with and internal temp of 210 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s a bit tacky to the touch when I slice it the next day but I freeze the sliced loaf and take what I need and toast before using.
Hooray hooray! Thank you for your note and tips, Aimee! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the bread!
Baked my second loaf of this today, and it turned out well. I waited until it was barely warm, then gave in to temptation and cut a slice. I think it’s a little better than the first loaf, mainly because I used a little less liquid and baked it a little longer. It’s still a bit on the rubbery side, but is closer to a good bread texture and not gummy at all. The details:
This loaf started two days ago when I took my saved starter out of the refrigerator and refreshed it. It hadn’t been long since I’d used it last, and it came back strong, so I decided to use it without further refreshes. Yesterday late afternoon I did all the measuring and started soaking the seeds. I used a somewhat different seed mix, cutting back to 2 tablespoons of flax, using steel cut instead of rolled oats, cutting back to 1 tablespoon of (red) quinoa, chopping the sunflower seeds, and adding 2 tablespoons each of hemp hearts and sesame seeds; I used slightly more water to account for the additional seeds.
Then about 1 AM (I’m a night owl), I mixed the dough, using 190 grams of my starter, which works out to about 118 grams of water the way I mix my starter. I’m not sure of the water content of your starter, so I’m not sure who our hydration levels compare, but based on my first loaf (which was too moist), I cut back to 450 grams of water (about 568 grams including the water in the starter, plus that in the soaker). I cut back to about 2 tablespoons of honey since I don’t like bread to be noticeably sweet. I only had 50 grams of tapioca starch, so made up the starch with 30 grams of arrowroot starch. And I cut back to 3 teaspoons of salt. This produced a very thick batter which after resting a few minutes was more of a soft dough. I spooned this into my parchment-lined pan and, since it wasn’t sticky, smoothed it with the back of the spoon, then covered it and let it stand overnight to rise.
About 12 hours later it had risen nicely, so I started the oven and about 1:35 pm (oven up to 500F) applied the water and rolled oats and put the loaf in the oven. After 45 minutes, I covered the loaf (which had risen just a bit more) with foil and continued baking. I checked the internal temperature three times, taking the loaf out after a total baking time of an hour and 20 minutes at an internal temperature of 210F. It is a little dark, but not burned.
I really like this bread. I think the changes I made were not so extreme as to make it a different recipe, so I rated it.
SO happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for sharing your notes and adaptations. I’m happy to hear it’s easily adjustable!
This was very helpful. I followed your steps on covering up my bread with foil after 45 minutes of baking, and then baking it for another 35 minutes for a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes. I have the best results from that so far. I’ve made this bread over 25 times and I’m quite pleased by how the bread turned out to be. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for the recipe, Traci!
Hi Kevin! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! So happy to hear the adaptations are working for you!
I have been baking GF bread for 5 years, but just recently braved attempting sourdough. The details in this recipe are exceptional. I followed your instructions (but used instant GF oat instead of oat flour. I was lazy! And skipped parchment paper because I used a silicone pan). I was so worried that my dough would overflow the pan over night, but next time I will let it rise a bit longer. Thanks!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Ginna! Thank you for your note, kind words and rating!
I have just made your bread and it looks beautiful at least on the outside. But could you please tell me how have you calculated the hydration to 119%
Hi Vishal! Thank you for your note. To calculate hydration I used “bakers percent” calculation. To simplify, I calculated hydration based on the core recipe (since the starter is 100% hydration). To find hydration I divided the weight of water by the weight of the flour (total). It can get much more complex if using the starter and the soaker to calculate, and I estimate the hydration would be slightly higher – please let us know what you find if you give it a go!
I cooked it for 50 minutes and it burned so I recommend checking it at 40 minutes :)
Thank you for your note Lauren. Good to keep an eye on it since oven temperatures vary so much. I hope you enjoyed the bread!
Can I eliminate the seeds? Or use only oats (not as much as the total of all seeds) – and reduce water?
Hi Diane! You can leave them out or add 6Tbs of oats and quinoa mixture – although the texture of the bread will be different. I wouldn’t change the water, as this is what helps the bread rise. Please keep us posted!
After a month or so of searching for gluten-free sourdough bread, I decided on this recipe.
My concern is that, formthe starter, I could get brown rice flour to do anything even though I followed your instructions exactly. It just sits there. So I tried using buckwheat flour that I ground myself from groats. By morning, it had already doubled in size.
I will continue your instructions for the next 6 days but I’m wondering if it is necessary given how quickly it doubled.
I would be wonderful if you would comment for a fellow Washingtonian
Hi MaryAnne! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! So happy to hear buckwheat is working for you. Indeed, keep feeding your starter for at least a few more days. It will need to be strong enough to raise the sourdough. Remember, you’re building a strong microbiome and this takes a bit of time. Additionally, building your starter over time develops its flavor/character. Give it a bit more time. THANK you for your tip on grinding your own buckwheat flour. Are you using a mix of buckwheat and sweet rice flour for your starter?
I made the starter and then bread and it came out beautifully and tasty.
I was wondering if any body has tried using commercial yeast instead.
Hi Shosho! Thank you for your note. SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the sourdough! Thank you for coming back, rating the recipe and leaving a note :D . I’ve not heard form anyone that’s tried commercial yeast.
I have used bakers yeast when my starter got moldy. It works just fine. About the same amount of rise. This really is a wonderful recipe.
Such a good tip Ann! Thank you for your note. How much bakers yeast did you use?
Hi Ann,
How much yeast did you use, and how did the recipe change? I would love to know.
Thank you!
Has anyone tried baking this in a bread machine? I don’t have an oven and would love to try this recipe.
Hi Tamara! I’ve not received any notes regarding making this in a bread machine. If you give it a go, please let us know how it goes.
Hello, I made this loaf and substituted the brown rice, millet, and tapioca for an even exchange of the King Arthur cup for cup gluten free. This loaf came out SOOOOO GOOD! I almost wish that it didn’t so I wouldn’t want to eat the entire loaf! Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Hiii Jill! Thank you for your note and rating! That is AMAZING! Thank you for sharing your note on the KA cup for cup gf flour! Hooray! I’m thrilled to hear you’re enjoying good bread. Your note makes me so happy!
I made this last week in two smaller loaf pans using my brown rice starter, and subbing sorguhm flour for the millet. It came out quite nice, a little chewy with a tangy sourdough flavor. It took a long time to rise (its cold here, and the house reflects that) so after a night on the counter top, I put it in the oven with the light on for a couple of hours and that helped.
I’m not thrilled with the “gumminess” of it, but I toasted my little slices in a cast iron skillet with some grass-fed butter and that was delicious.
Hi Jeanne! Thank you for your note! Indeed, the temperature can really slow the rise of the dough as you observed. Turing on the oven light is a perfect way to get that dough moving! Exactly my reason for recommending toasting the bread, to help it dry out further. To make this recipe dryer, a lot more starch would be needed (from my experience) and it was my goal to make this loaf with mostly whole grains.
I’ve made this bread twice and it’s fantastic. However, my starter now has separated and doesn’t look like it did before. It is refrigerated. Should I try to feed it anyway or do I need to start from scratch?
Hi Barbara! Thank you for you note. I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying the bread! For your starter, how does it smell? Does it smell sweet and ripe or off? Is there a liquid layer? Is there any off coloring or moldy growth? Hooch is normal, a liquid layer which indicates a starter in need of feeding. If everything smells and looks okay with no off odors or colors, stir in or pour off the hooch and give it a feed once a day for several days in a row, to strengthen it, before you bake again. Remember, the starter is ready when it doubles in size. If there is any off odor or color, throw it out and start from scratch. I hope this helps! Please keep us posted!
Thank you. I will give it a shot.
Hi,
I am going to try this recipe and I have a quinoa allergy. Is there something you would recommend ad a substitution for the quinoa?
Thanks, Tiffany
Hi Tiffany! You can easily sub 3 Tbs of flax and/or sunflower seeds (or a mix of the two) for the quinoa. I hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe!
Hi, I’m celiac and very allergic to psyllium too. How can I substitute the 3 tbsp of Psyllium in this recipe?
Thanks, Elsa
Hi Elsa… thank you for your note. While I’ve not made/tested this recipe with a binder other than psyllium, I did a quick search and found that ground flax or chia seed (1 to 1 replacement) may work. If you do give it a go, it’ll be a bit of an experiment. Please let us know if it works for you! I hope this helps.
It looks amazing and I can wait to try, but I think I will need to do a couple of changes. I am having trouble finding millet flour so I’ll sustitute it with sorgum, and I am intolerant to flax seeds so I was thinking to either put a spoon more for each of the other three ingredients for the soaker or maybe substitiute it with sesame seeds. What would be your suggestion? Also, I might go for buckwheat oats, as I do not have regular oats at home at the moment. And one last question: would it be ok to spray the baking loaf pan instead of using baking paper?
Hi Simona! Your subs sound just fine. I think sesame seeds would be a nice addition, but you can sub more of any of the other three ingredients in the soaker if you like. I tested this recipe without parchment, using coconut oil instead to grease the pan. The result was a darker, crispy crust where the oil met the dough. So it will work, but the bread will not be as soft and it will be darker in color. I hope this helps Simona and that you enjoy the recipe!
Hi there, as a coeliac I cannot eat oats, as most coeliac’s can’t. You might want to include a disclaimer about this somewhere in your recipe incase someone makes it for a coeliac friend. What do you suggest as a substitute for oats?
Hi Lauren, thank you for your note! For the oat flour (in the same quantity – volume, not by weight), I’m thinking buckwheat could work just fine although the flavor will be a stronger. When I was testing this recipe, I used buckwheat in place of millet and it worked, but the flavor is very buckwheaty :D Not a bad thing, but something to be aware of. I’ve not tried subbing any flour for oat flour, so please let us know if you give it a go. It will be a bit of an experiment. I hope this helps!
Have you ever tried a light buckwheat flour? I know of two brands, Bouchard Family Farms and Haldeman Mills. (Bouchard is a little lighter.) They are as much different from the Bob’s Red Mill dark buckwheat flour as white wheat flour is from dark rye flour. Anthony’s is somewhere in the middle (works well for French-style buckwheat crepes).
I’ve not heard of light buckwheat flour, but will be on the lookout for it! Thank you for sharing those brands!
I am currently making my first gluten free sourdough starter and can’t wait to try to bake my first loaf of bread with it when it finishes! I have celiac disease and have not yet tried reintroducing quinoa or oats (some people with celiac disease have sensitivity or reactions to these grains too). Could you please tell me what I could substitute for quinoa and oats in this recipe and at what quantities? I look forward to hearing from you!
Hi Rebekah! I hope your sourdough starter is coming along. Thank you for your note. For the quinoa, you can leave it out or add any of the other soaker ingredients in its place. For the oat flour (in the same quantity – volume, not by weight), I’m thinking buckwheat will work just fine although the flavor will be a stronger. When I was testing this recipe, I used buckwheat in place of millet and it worked, but the flavor is very buckwheaty :D Not a bad thing, but something to be aware of. I’ve not tried subbing any flour for oat flour, so please let us know if you give it a go. It will be a bit of an experiment. I hope this helps!
Grind your own buckwheat flour from raw groats (in your blender) and you will have a much milder flour than the purchased flour. I believe that the commercial buckwheat flour may be from roasted groats, and so is much stronger. My buckwheat pancakes are a hit with everyone and they are very mild.
Thank you for your tip Jeanne!
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!
Hi Traci. I had the exact same issues as Michael Kagan described. I used the recipe exactly as is weighing all ingredients. I have a big hole under the top crust which I think might be due to very high oven temperature. I used a thermometer to check for doneness but it was nowhere near ready after 1 hour in the oven. So I ended up with a gummy/wet crumb and a big hole throughout. Next time I’ll bake it at lower temperature and see how it goes. I do like the taste of this bread. I bake GF sourdough breads weekly and I usually bake them at 375F for 1.5 hours. I hope it will solve the hole and gumminess. What do you think?
Hi there… oh no.. so sorry to hear about the gummyness and a hole, but happy to hear you like the taste of the bread. This gumminess issue could be due to over fermentation. Watch your dough carefully during the end of bulk and measure the rise (at the edge of the pan) as indicated in the recipe. I tested this recipe extensively, but didn’t bake it at a lower temperature. If you do give the lower bake temp. a go, please let us know how the bread turns out for you!
I also had this result! The caverning may be a result of over-proofing the bread, which is especially easy (and tragic) with gluten free loaves. What happens is when the bread is rising before the bake, huge holes develop inside that are so big, the crumb structure collapses once in the oven. Since there isn’t a gluten network, the bread can’t hold together to accommodate the air. This is my best guess. The sweet spot between underproofing and overproofing is quite small especially with gluten free things, so its best to just try, try again and make notes of all the small tweaks you make.
If you google “bread cavern overproofing” or “flying crust bread” you can read more about it!
Ohhh nooo! Thank you for your detailed notes and resources, Alejandra! I’ve not experienced this before in gf sourdough – but have with glutoneous sourdough. Please let us know if you give the sourdough a go again and any additional tips you can share from a successful loaf?!
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 plan to try arrowroot instead of tapioca – my mom cannot have tapioca because of her strong sensetivity to potato (it’s often derived from potatoes, strangely). I’ll report back. This bread is very intriguing. I’m only a few days into my starter, so it will be a few more days.
It worked great – I substituted the same amount of arrowroot powder for the tapioca flour. 👍
Hi Kate! Thank you for your note! How did you and your mom like the bread?
Traci It was delicious. She just asked me to make a second loaf, which I will bake in the morning. She doesn’t eat a ton of bread, so we cooled it, sliced and froze it with patty paper in between the slices and it lasted a few weeks for her! So glad you posted this. Thank you.
Hi Kate! Thank you for your note. Hooray for a second loaf! So happy to hear freezing is working for your mom! I freeze all the bread I make too.. it just works and keeps it fresh for longer!
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!
Thank you for this beautiful recipe! I just made my first loaf and used 3 tablespoons of whole husk psyllium, as I did not have powdered. It turned out amazingly well! Next time I will weigh it to make sure that I’m a bit closer to your calculations.
Btw, if you don’t allow the bread to cool for the full length of time, will it be gummier inside? I let mine cool for about an hour and could not wait any longer, as we were having it with our lunch. The outside was perfectly crisp, but it was a bit more difficult to slice through the inside. I would not say it was gummy, as it was fully cooked, but more floppy. I’m also curious if the curing process changes the flavor of the bread at all? Next time I’ll have to plan extra time for this.
Hi Karen… thank you for your note and sharing your tip about whole husk psyllium. Indeed, allowing the bread to cool completely improves its texture. I didn’t notice a flavor difference from curing it for a day, bit it does make a difference in improved texture. I hope this helps!
Thank you! :)
I had whole psyllium husk and ground it. When I weighed the ground husk it was about 6 Tablespoons for 36 grams. Should it matter if whole or ground is used if it’s being weighed?
Hi Pat… I’m afraid I have no experience with whole psyllium husk. I’m just not sure if the substitution would work because the difference in surface area of the ground psyllium husk vs powder may have different absorption properties. If you go ahead with it, please let us know if it works out!
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?!
I just made this for my family. My daughter has celiac disease, and I am allergic to bakers yeast, so gluten free sourdough is perfect for us!
I adjusted the recipe though because she can’t have oats, and I can’t have millet so I thought I’d share: I used sorghum flour for the oats and half buckwheat, half white rice for the millet. It might not have risen as much as your photo, but it still turned out great.
My daughter bit into it and said it’s the best bread she’s had since we found out that she had celiac disease 5 years ago. Thank you so much!
Hiii Maya! Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for sharing your adjustments and notes. I’ll add a few notes to the recipe for others. This is Super helpful! And I’m thrilled to hear your daughter is loving the bread. Hooray!! Thank you again, Maya!