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! 

Sliced gluten free sourdough bread.

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 readers have.

Ripe gluten free sourdough starter in a jar.
Adding water to a gf sourdough starter in a mixing bowl.
Mixing the gluten free sourdough, water and flours with a fork.
Mixed gluten free sourdough.

At a Glance:How to Make 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! 

  • First, prepare the soaker by placing the flax, oats, quinoa, and sunflower seeds into a small bowl with temperature water. Allow to sit overnight.
  • 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 and active 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. 

A bowl of seeds and oats for the gluten free sourdough bread.
Hand mixing a bowl of gluten free sourdough with seeds and oats.
Mixed gluten free sourdough in a bowl.
Gluten free sourdough bread dough in a loaf pan lined with parchment.
Three images of the gluten free bread rising from start to finish.

    

Using 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. 

How Gluten Free Sourdough Bread Tastes

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.  

Storing and Toasting

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 loaf of gluten free, homemade sourdough bread.
A person slicing a loaf of gluten free sourdough bread.

 

Traci’s Tips

  • 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 tested 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 discovered through my testing, 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. 
Sliced gluten free sourdough bread.

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.”
A person slicing a loaf of gluten free sourdough bread.
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Seeded Multigrain Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread

4.85 stars (from 119 ratings)
By Traci York
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 15 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 1 loaf
*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.
!! 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 overnight. Bake Saturday morning. 
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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:

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.
    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. 

Video

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.
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

Serving: 1 loaf | Calories: 2810kcal | Carbohydrates: 518g | Protein: 69g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 27g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Sodium: 8238mg | Potassium: 2164mg | Fiber: 58g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 21IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 333mg | Iron: 21mg

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.

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Pinterest pin for gluten free sourdough bread.
Traci sprinkling flour over a disk of pastry.

Filed under:

Gluten Free Sourdough Featured Freezer Friendly Popular Dairy Free Egg Free Gluten Free Vegan Vegetarian

Recipe Key

DFDairy FreeEFEgg FreeGFGluten FreeVVeganVGVegetarian

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well hello!

I’m Traci. So glad you're here!

I cook vibrant vegetarian food, bake sourdough and create from scratch baked recipes, sharing them here since 2014. Inspired by the seasons, my southern roots and global flavors, let's cook something delicious together!

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4.85 from 119 votes (20 ratings without comment)

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501 Comments

  1. Rita Hoffman says:

    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

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      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!

      Reply
  2. Alana says:

    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!

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      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!

      Reply
  3. Elizabeth says:

    5 stars
    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?

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      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!

      Reply
      1. Elizabeth says:

        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!

        Reply
        1. Traci says:

          Hi Elizabeth! Yes, another refresh until it doubles in size and again until it behaves!

          Reply
          1. Elizabeth says:

            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?

          2. Traci says:

            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!

      2. Elizabeth says:

        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?

        Reply
        1. Traci says:

          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!

          Reply
  4. Rudi Dale says:

    Can I use this recipe to make rolls? Would it take just as long to ferment and how long would they bake for?
    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hi Rudi! I’ve not made rolls with this recipe, but I’ll put it on my list to test!

      Reply
  5. Hayley says:

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      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!

      Reply
  6. Liddie says:

    Awesome thanks so much

    Reply
  7. Laura says:

    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.

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hi Laura! Put it in the fridge! That’ll slow the little yeast down. Hopefully it’ll hold its doubled in size state overnight.

      Reply
  8. Keren says:

    5 stars
    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!)

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      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!

      Reply
      1. Keren says:

        5 stars
        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.

        Reply
        1. Traci says:

          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!

          Reply
  9. Rebekah says:

    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!

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      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!

      Reply
  10. Jenny says:

    Can this recipe be doubled to make a larger loaf?? I just made my first loaf today and it is delicious.

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hi Jenny! So happy to hear! I’m afraid the dough wouldn’t all fit in one loaf pan if doubled…

      Reply