Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

This simple gluten free sourdough starter is made from two ingredients: a gluten free flour, such as sorghum flour, and filtered water. And of course, you do need some patience. Because it will take between 6-10 days for your starter to become active and usable.

I am not an expert when it comes to baking with a sourdough starter. But I love adding it straight from the fridge to my Gluten Free Pretzels, Bagels, Artisan Dinner Rolls, and Pretzel Buns. The added sourdough starter gives the bread a distinctive flavor and lighter crumb without tasting yeasty.

Working with a gluten free sourdough starter is a learning experience for me as well and therefore this post will be updated with more information as needed.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I highly recommend using fresh gluten-free flour to make a gluten-free sourdough starter. The fresher the flour the more active your starter will be. I have successfully used sorghum, buckwheat flour, brown rice flour, quinoa, and teff. I especially enjoy sorghum since it has a sweet afternote.

Flours I do not recommend using oat flour or amaranth flour as well as starches such as potato starch. I also don't recommend flours like coconut flour, almond flour or a commercial 1-1 flour blend such as Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1.

Please remember that different flours will absorb water differently. So depending on the flour you choose, you may need to add a few extra grams of water to your mixture for it to be the consistency of a thick paste.

Water: In many cities in the US tap water contains chloride. This will kill the natural yeast in your starter right away. This is why I recommend using filtered or bottled spring water.

Tools needed to make a Sourdough Starter

Gluten Free Sourdough starter doesn't play well with metal so make sure to use a clean, sterilized glass jar. To sterilize a mason jar at home you can place it in a pot with boiling water. In order to sterilize a jar make sure it is submerged with boiling water for 10 minutes.

Many people recommend using a wooden or plastic spoon to stir the flour-water mixture. Have I used a regular spoon from my drawer before? Yes. Have I had any issues with it? No. But to be honest, just to stay on the safe side, I do prefer using a wooden spoon, wooden chopsticks, or a tiny spatula.

To cover your mason you can either use a piece of clean cheesecloth secured with a rubber band or a mason jar lid. Therefore I use a mason jar lid which I just lay on top of the jar. Always make sure your sourdough starter has room to breathe and release gases.

Are all sourdough starters gluten-free?

If a sourdough starter was made with wheat-containing flour or all-purpose flour, it is NOT considered gluten free and not safe for celiacs or a wheat-free diet. There are rumors online that bread made with wild yeast contains less gluten and is safe for celiacs. This is NOT true.

How to make a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

As mentioned, making a gluten-free sourdough starter from scratch is not rocket science. But it does require some patience.

Make sure you have enough flour to cover at least 10 feedings of 25 grams each. Once you have a healthy, growing starter you can transform it into a different flavor profile with different flour.

Always make sure the rim of your mason jar is clean - you can wipe it off after feeding your starter with a CLEAN towel or a piece of papertowels.

Pro Tip: Always add flour first and then add the water. This makes it easier to mix!

Feedings happen in 8-12hr intervals. Trust me when I say it's okay if you are not on time with your feedings as long as you indeed feed your starter. (Remember Tamagotchis? Consider this sourdough starter your Tamagotchi now)

Start: to a clean, sanitized mason jar add 25 grams of gluten free flour and 25 grams of warm water (around 77F/25C - 84F/29C). Using a plastic spoon or spatula mix them together. Cover it with cheesecloth and a rubber pan or loosely cover it with the mason jar lid. Allow for it to sit at room temperature at the counter.

Feeding #1: Around 8-12hrs after starting the sourdough starter, add 25 grams of gluten-free flour and 25 grams of warm water. Mix it together, loosely cover it and allow for it to see at room temperature. If your mixture seems very stiff, add 5-10 extra grams of water to loosen up the mixture. It's okay for the starter to be too runny vs being too dry.

Feeding #2: 8-12 hours after the first feeding, it's time for the second meal. Depending on which flour you used, you may already see some bubbles and growth in your starter. Add 25 grams of flour and 25 grams of warm water, mix, cover, and place in a warm place.

Feeding #3: You should definitely see some small or even large bubbles and growth in your gluten free sourdough starter now. Repeat the feeding, mix, cover, and store at ambient temperature.

Feeding #4 - Feeding #8 up to 10 days: Every 8-12hrs keep feeding your sourdough starter. If it has become too big for its original jar, feel free to transfer it to a new jar. It is possible that during the fermentation process the starter will deflate but that's very normal. If after 7 days the starter has not grown or shown any activity I recommend starting over. There are several reasons why this happened.

After 8-10 feedings the gluten-free sourdough starter is ready to be used in recipes.

How to store a gluten free sourdough starter

Personally, I like to store my sourdough starter in the fridge. Make sure the jar is tightly closed so it does not pick up any other flavors from the fridge. When ready to use it in my recipes, there is no need to bring it to room temperature or feed it. Just add the amount needed straight from the fridge to the recipe.

How to refresh a sourdough starter

A well-taken care sourdough starter is a happy sourdough starter. I try to refresh my starter every 7-10 days. Whenever I do this, I weigh out 50 grams of sourdough starter, 50 grams of flour (same flour as used in the original starter), and 50 grams of warm water. Mix to combine and return to the fridge. Leftover sourdough starter can be discarded or used to make gluten-free pretzels or one of my other recipes.

FAQ about Gluten-Free Sourdough Starters