With our easy gluten free sourdough starter, this Gluten Free Sourdough Bread is so perfect, you'll want to make it every single day!
Gluten Free Sourdough Bread was originally posted on June 22, 2020 and has been updated with a modified recipe using a new sourdough starter, new pictures, and a new video.
Some of the items linked in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission.
My husband has to remind me to slow down and take a breath when I find a new method of gluten free baking. Or a new (to me) ingredient that makes things so much better. My brain starts going a thousand miles a minute because I want to make ALL THE BREADS!!!
I have to learn to stop and focus on one thing at a time. But it's so hard because even though I wanted to update this earlier, I put it on a back burner. Not because I didn't have it nailed down, I wanted to try different variants and see how they would affect the final outcome. And I'm so glad I was diligent because there are so many new things I've learned about sourdough that are worth sharing.
Anywho, I know I'm a little late in revising this sourdough recipe to use my new(ish) sourdough starter method, but that's just how I am. I do NOT want to hurry things along just to get them on the blog because it's the right time. It's very important to me to test and retest recipes to make sure they're as perfect as I can get them before sharing them with you. But I promise, this one is well.worth.the.wait!
What IS Sourdough Bread?
Sourdough bread is a bread made without any commercial yeast. Instead, the yeast is substituted with a wild yeast and bacteria combined with flour and water, also known as a sourdough starter. You'll find all the details needed to start and maintain a gluten free sourdough starter in this post here.
When I think of sourdough bread, I'm transported to a local restaurant (Baker's Crust) eating a sandwich on their freshly baked sourdough without a care in the world. Slightly tangy, chewy textured, and a nice crisp crust, their sourdough was so good I could have eaten it plain. After taking my first bite of my homemade gf sourdough, I shut my eyes for a minute just to savor the flavor and the chew. It's like I was back in Baker's Crust eating that same bread again. Then I opened my eyes and looked again at the bread I had just made.
I was in an alternate reality because it sure looked just like the bread from that local restaurant, not at ALL like a gluten free version. And the texture was so spot on with what I remember! Isn't it crazy how memories of food we used to eat can stick so vividly in our minds, especially because we can no longer have those things?!?!
I promise you're going to love this bread, and any other breads you decide to make sourdough. Once I made one loaf, I was addicted and couldn't seem to stop baking ALL THE SOURDOUGH!!
ingredients needed to make the best GF sourdough of your life
- Gluten free sourdough starter--you obviously will need a starter and my easy gluten free sourdough starter requires no daily feedings and no daily discard once it's established. What's more, it can hang out in the fridge until you're ready to feed and use it.
- Baking powder--you can leave it out and the bread will still be delicious. You just might not get quite as much oven spring. You can also use regular baking powder, but my preference is to use heat-activated baking powder (affiliate link) because you get maximum oven spring. More on that below.
- Psyllium husks--another optional ingredient, but it lends a better ability to shape the dough. Without it, you may have some trouble with stickiness.
helpful tools for getting started
- Digital kitchen scale -- this is the hill I will die on. The kitchen scale hill. Please, just do yourself a favor and buy a cheap kitchen scale and start using it. You will thank me profusely. The accuracy and ease is bar none.
- Stand mixer -- a great stand mixer is an investment, but it's one that will last a long, long time (mine is still kickin' after nearly 30 years!). A Danish dough whisk can be substituted with a little more elbow grease, but you'll get the best results with a stand mixer.
- Dutch oven -- until I tried it, I didn't know the advantage of using a Dutch oven. But once I tried it, I'll never go back. It holds in the steam for maximum oven spring. There are circumstances where a Dutch oven just won't do, though (think baguettes), in which case the second best option is a pizza steel, pizza stone, or overturned baking sheet set on your middle rack with a shallow heat-proof pan on the rack below this. Hot water is poured into the shallow pan, which creates steam for good oven spring.
- Bread lame -- it's not absolutely necessary, but a bread lame is a great tool for scoring your sourdough. I started scoring with a serrated knife, but I found I got better results with a lame.
- Banneton basket -- these little baskets are perfect for shaping and getting those beautiful lines on your finished bread (and they're fairly cheap), but another alternative is an high-temperature-oven-safe bowl, such as a Pyrex bowl, lined with a tea towel will also do.
Tips for Making Gluten Free Sourdough Bread
When first starting my venture into the gluten free sourdough world, I knew the best recipe to begin with was my gluten free artisan bread. It's easy enough to make and it already has a good crust and nice texture.
But the first thing I needed to do was research, research, research. I knew nothing about baking sourdough, gluten free or not! And once I understood a little more, I started experimenting. And here's a few things I've learned along the way:
- Gluten free sourdough bread isn't as involved as its gluten-filled counterpart. What I mean by this is there is a lot of stretching and folding the dough when making regular (gluten-filled) sourdough bread. That doesn't work for gluten free dough (there's not enough stretch). So the hands-on time is exactly the same as in any of my bread recipes (very minimal).
- Sourdough takes longer to rise. I usually let most of my dough bulk ferment for roughly 2 hours. When making sourdough, however, this may increase to 3-4 hours (or more). And still, it won't have as much bulk rise as its commercial yeast counterpart.
- Completely optional, but adding baking powder to the dough increases its oven spring. And specifically adding heat-activated baking powder (affiliate link) will allow the baking powder to lay dormant until the dough hits the hot temperature of the oven.
how to make sourdough
- If you haven't yet made your gluten free starter, go to my sourdough starter post and get that going. It takes at least 10 days (or longer, depending on the time of year/temperature). Feed your starter with 50 grams of whole grain flour and 50 grams of water. Stir and adjust with more water if necessary. Allow it to almost double in size (depending on the thickness, it may not completely double), which will take 8-10 hours on average.
- When your starter is ready, make the dough. Add all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium high for 5 minutes. Cover and proof for 3-4 hours, or until puffed. Refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to shape, knead dough on well-floured surface. Shape into boule or batard (or whatever shape your banneton basket is--if using). If not using a banneton, shape and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Cover and let rise until almost doubled in size.
- Halfway through proofing, place a Dutch oven in your oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- Carefully flip dough over onto a sheet of parchment and slash with a bread lame (affiliate link).
- Carefully lower shaped dough into hot Dutch oven with parchment and replace lid.
- Reduce heat to 450 degrees F and bake for 40 minutes with the lid on and 20 minutes with the lid off.
Rather Watch?
Timelines for Feeding Your Starter and Making Sourdough
There are a few different ways to make this bread that will fit into anyone's schedule. Pick the one that works best for you.
The Night Before Feeding
- Feed the starter directly from the fridge and replace the lid. Leave it on the counter all night long.
- In the morning, make your dough. Return the rest of the starter to the fridge until the next time you bake sourdough.
- Bulk ferment your dough for 3-4 hours, then refrigerate overnight.
- The next morning, shape dough, proof, and bake.
Morning Feeding
- Remove the starter from the fridge and allow it to warm up at room temperature before feeding it (a couple of hours).
- Feed your starter and allow it to nearly double in size, which can take up to 6-8 hours or more.
- In the evening, make your dough and return the rest of your starter to the fridge.
- Bulk ferment your dough for 3-4 hours, then refrigerate overnight.
- The next morning, shape dough, proof, and bake.
help! I fed my starter and now I have to leave
No worries. If you fed your starter and find that you unexpectedly have to go out, just put it in the fridge until you return. As long as the starter has been fed within 2 weeks, you can use it directly without needing to feed it again. However, if your starter has become too thin and inactive, this method will not work. That's why it's always best to err on the side of creating a thicker starter.
Why is Your Recipe in Grams and Not Cups?
When it comes to gluten free sourdough baking, or any baking for that matter, it is really essential to have the proper measurements for each ingredient. The only way to assure this is by weight and not volume. One person's cup measurement could be a little different than another person's. By weighing ingredients, every person will always get the same exact ingredient amounts, which makes for better baking overall and easier troubleshooting if something goes wrong.
To Use a Dutch Oven or NOT To Use a Dutch Oven
I had tried baking bread in a Dutch oven previously, but it never really got to the height it did when I used the hot water technique in a shallow pan (see my original gf artisan bread post). But for sourdough, I really wanted to try it.
I bought myself this (affiliate link) 5 quart fairly cheap Dutch oven and set out to bake a great loaf of gf sourdough. And it did NOT disappoint!!!!! I am completely sold on the Dutch oven method. I now use a larger 6-quart Dutch oven because I find it offers less chance to get burned. If you don't have a Dutch oven, don't fret. You can still bake wonderful gluten free sourdough using the shallow pan hot water technique.
To use this technique, simply place a baking steel or stone or even an overturned baking sheet on the middle rack of your oven and a heat-resistant shallow baking pan (I use an old broiler pan) on the rack below it. Preheat your oven with both items in the oven and when ready to bake, slide the shaped dough (on a sheet of parchment) onto the baking steel/stone/pan and pour one cup of hot water into the shallow pan underneath. Close the door, drop the temp to 450 as per recipe instructions, and continue baking for 60 minutes total.
gluten free sourdough frequently asked questions
Sourdough bread is NOT gluten free, unless you make it with a gluten free starter and gluten free flours. While traditional sourdough breaks down some of the gluten in the bread, making it easier to digest, it is not gluten free and not safe for celiacs or anyone with a serious gluten intolerance.
There could be a few reasons, the top two being you didn't allow it to cool completely before cutting into it or you didn't bake it long enough. Most gluten free breads do best with a longer bake time than regular (wheat-based) breads.
Stash it in the fridge, where it will sit comfortably in limbo while awaiting your return. Guess what? As long as your starter is nice and strong, it will actually stay ready for up to TWO WEEKS!!
Not at all. Just pull it out, feed it with 30-50 grams of whole grain flour and 40-60 grams of water and it will revive right up. I once left mine in the back of my fridge for over 3 months and it was still alive and well after feeding!
How to Turn Any of My Breads into Sourdough
This gluten free artisan sourdough bread is just the beginning to a whole new gluten free world. There are many other breads that can be made using a sourdough starter instead of yeast with simple steps:
- Use 60 grams of gluten free sourdough starter as a replacement for the yeast in the recipe.
- Reduce the flour in the recipe by 30 grams and the liquid also by 30 grams. However, if adding anything else to the dough, such as nuts, seeds, etc, do not reduce the water content at all. I like to pre-soak my nuts and seeds overnight so they don't soak up much of the water in the dough. But I still leave the liquid content the same as some water will inevitably be lost.
- Add more time to bulk fermentation, as well as proofing. Sourdough always takes longer to rise than instant yeast.
- For more of an open crumb, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of baking soda when kneading the dough before shaping (just make sure to knead it in well or your baked bread will have brown streaks in the interior). It's not conventional, but we can't always do the conventional thing when baking gluten free.
Can I Add Nuts or Seeds or Dried Fruit to My Sourdough?
Yes! Adding things like nuts, seeds, or dried fruit to bread is a great way to get extra nutrients and texture. I love a good seeded bread and sourdough is the ultimate seeded bread. See my Gluten Free Multigrain Seeded Bread recipe for ideas on how to do this (you will need to soak them prior to adding to the dough).
Hopefully your starter is bubbling away and you can now make your Perfect Gluten Free Sourdough Bread and be amazed that it's actually gluten free!
Best Ever Gluten Free Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 390 grams Kim's gluten free bread flour blend (another blend will not give the same results)
- 60 grams gluten free sourdough starter (mature and ripe)**
- 5 grams whole psyllium husks or 1½ teaspoon psyllium husk powder (not required, but it will help with the stretch of the dough)
- 6 grams (1 tsp) kosher salt
- 10 grams (2 tsp) heat-activated baking powder (optional, but improves the crumb structure) (regular baking powder can also be used with less open crumb structure)
- 390 ml water
- 26 grams olive oil
- 21 grams honey
- ¼-½ teaspoon baking soda, added during kneading and shaping, if desired (optional) (do not use this if already using baking powder in the dough) (see notes)***
Instructions
Feed the Starter
- When ready to feed your starter, remove it from the fridge and feed it with 30-50g of a whole grain flour of choice (see notes*) and 30-50g of water. Stir and cover tightly. Leave on the counter until nearly doubled in size.
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water, olive oil, honey, gf bread flour blend, psyllium husks, baking powder (if using), salt, and active starter. Knead using the dough hook for 5 minutes on medium high. Alternatively, the dough can be mixed in a large bowl using a Danish dough whisk or similar, but you will need to mix very vigorously to get the proper texture.
- Cover the dough and allow it to rise in a warm, draft-free area until puffed, but not doubled in size, about 3-4 hours (sourdough always takes longer to rise). Place the puffed dough in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, remove the dough from the fridge and turn it out onto a surface well-floured with extra gf bread flour blend. If using baking soda, add ¼-½ teaspoon to top of dough and begin kneading dough until smooth. (Don't be afraid to add enough flour to shape the dough into a smooth shape).
- Form into a round and turn over into a floured banneton basket or in a floured tea towel-lined bowl. Cover and allow it to rise until dough reaches the top of the banneton or bowl, anywhere from 2-6 hours (this time varies because of temperature differences, humidity, etc).
- Towards the end of the rising time, place a Dutch oven with lid (or baking steel or stone and shallow pan) into the oven and preheat it to 500° F for 30 minutes.
- When the dough has finished rising, carefully flip it out onto a sheet of parchment paper and slash (score) it with a lame or sharp serrated knife. Open the oven door, carefully place the loaf in the Dutch oven, parchment and all, and replace the lid. Alternatively, slide the loaf, parchment and all, onto a baking steel or stone and pour one cup of hot water into the shallow pan. Immediately close the oven door and drop the temperature to 450° F. Bake the bread for 40 minutes. If using a Dutch oven, remove the cover and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. If using a baking steel or stone, bake the bread for the full 60 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool before slicing.
Robert Law says
I made my first successful gluten free sourdough loaf today using your blend and recipe. It turned out very well. It tastes fine but the bread is purple! I'm trying to figure out what went wrong. The only things I did different was:
1. I used psyllium husk powder and regular baking powder (so I got the less open crumb structure. On the flour blend, I used yours, I didn't have whey protein isolate so I used When Protein powder. I also used natural honey from an Amish store.
SJ Murray says
Hi Kim
I’m new to the GF sourdough world and am so relieved and excited to have found you! Just a few questions regarding a few of the ingredients.
In my “normal” sourdough, it’s literally just starter, water, flour and salt.
I understand the psyllium husk helps with the stretch of the dough. What is the honey, baking powder and olive oil for and are they a necessity?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kindest regards
Sarah-Jane
Emily says
Hi Kim,
Just wanted to check whether we have to wait for the dough to double before baking? Mine does not seem to be rising much and wondering what I did wrong...
Barb says
Hi Kim! A big thank you for this recipe! I made the flour as instructed, but the only "superfine" I could find was red rice flour (more on that later). I also used teff in the latter part of the starter. And honestly, I flubbed in a major way - - I grabbed my ENO (a sub for baking soda) vs baking powder! But I pressed on - - and the dough survived! I did find the dough very sticky as others have, and kneaded in more flour... And my first loaf, despite the 2 tsp of ENO, turned out superb! The crumb is springy and perfect. The color of the bread is purplish due to the type of flour; as a result I'll try adding toasted walnuts and molasses vs honey next time, akin to a European brown bread! Again, a huge thank you!
Nancy LiVolsi says
Hi Kim,
I made your gf starter and your bread. The bread was so sticky that I had to add so much more flour and even then it stuck to my bannetons when I let them rise right before I put them in the oven. They came out great but not really a sourdough taste but they did taste good. I just have concerns about the stickiness. I did make 4 breads at one time.
Kim says
Hmmm. Maybe it was quadrupling the recipe that caused that, I don't know for sure. May I ask if you used my bread flour blend and if you specifically used a superfine or ultrafine white rice flour? That makes all the difference in the world.
Debbie K says
Hi, Kim,
2 weeks ago I decided I would have a go at making gf sourdough bread. I googled it and found your recipe for starter. With much trepidation I took the plunge, using some teff flour that I have had for years but never found a recipe I really wanted to use it in. The starter was bubbling by day 4.
2 days ago I was thinking it was ready to use, so I fed it and made the dough up yesterday. I followed your recipe (Eureka! I had every single ingredient on hand!) and instructions to the letter, but must admit that I felt fairly pessimistic having experienced numerous gluten free disasters over the last 20 years.
To my great delight my loaf turned out perfectly. Looked, smelled, and tasted delicious. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Kim says
YAY!!!!!!!!! I love, love, love hearing great success stories like yours! It's not as hard as everyone thinks, is it? Thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out for you 🥰🥰🥰
Johnnie Rider says
Hello- I have made 4 loaves of bread using your recipe. The Bread itself isn’t gummy after I bake it, however I can’t knead it because it’s so so sticky. It sticks to bowl and my fingers. What do I need to adjust or what am I doing wrong. The only item I haven’t used is the Psyllium.
Kim says
Are you using my flour blend? Are there substitutions within the flour blend (are you using SUPERFINE or ULTRAFINE white rice flour--very important)? Since you didn't use the psyllium, it will be stickier naturally, but did you remember to reduce the amount of water in the recipe to compensate?
Tracy Cordonnier, Ohio says
Hey Kim,
I need some help! First of all, while I have friends that make sourdough, they do not make GF at this time. So I decided I would try! I have never made sourdough before! The closest I got was the cinnamon friendship bread that goes around periodically. Feed it for a few days, pour off some to share with a friend than make bread. That does not take any talent! So, back to my GF sourdough attempts: I have made 2 loaves and while it's getting there, it still needs some work. Alot of work!
My husband is allergic (inflammation not anaphylaxis) to white rice but can have brown rice. I found out just after making a batch of your GF flour mix, Ugghhh. So I hopped on Amazon and purchased Anthony's finely ground Brown Rice flour. I searched for superfine but nothing came up (however since then I found one and it's in my cart right now...) Before I purchase I want to see if that is the problem, or maybe there is more than one....
The first loaf turned out inedible. Besides changing up the flour, I did not add the optional psyllium husk (forgot to order) but everything else was the same. Later I realized my starter was too thin, enough that I poured it into the mix! When it didn't turn out, I looked more closely at the video and saw you spooned yours in! I thought, there is my problem....
Take 2: Starter was in the fridge for a little over 14 days. Lots of hootch on top and a nice fermenting smell. I fed it with 50g brown rice flour (what I started it with) and it was the perfect consistency. I sealed it and let it sit out until double (actually about 2/3's). Stopped early because my schedule was off and I needed to make the dough in order to go to bed at a decent hour. Mixed it up, this time with the psyllium husk and spooning in the starter, to a good consistency, maybe a bit sticky but I was afraid to add flour at that time because I did the previous time and it didn't turn out. I let it sit for about 2 hours (maybe a little puffy) then popped it in the fridge (bedtime).
About 7 hours later, not much bigger, maybe a little spring? Kneaded and folded like you described adding more flour slowly but freely to eliminate the stickiness and formed a soft ball (added the heat activated baking soda as instructed too). Into the batten and let sit in a slightly warmer environment (I was baking some casseroles initially). After it sat for 8 hours; I was a little disappointed it wasn't at the top of the batten. However, I put it in the preheated cast iron (this time at 425 for 35 min, uncovered for 15 min. since last time it was very BROWN and hard). I also added 2 ice cubes under my parchment. When I took the lid off it looked great. I should have called it done but I was worried it wouldn't be finished in the center, so I went an additional 15 uncovered.
While it is slightly over brown and it did crack on the side, it is much better than the first loaf. The outside is too hard but the inside is moist but very dense. No air pockets. The taste is fine but no sourdough taste at all.
So what is my problem(s)?
I feel like I'm talking to the "GF Sourdough Bread Doctor" and asking you to diagnose!
Bad Starter?
Flour issue?
Didn't wait long enough to rise?
Other issues?
And what do you prescribe in this case?
Make a New Starter.
Buy and try the superfine flour, that's the problem...
Have more patience, plan better, wait and proof it longer (how long is too long?)
Other suggestions?
I have pictures of the 2nd loaf but I can't paste them here. I know you said to add your questions about recipes issues here but I think I will send the pictures to your email so you can see for yourself...
Thanks for any advice you can provide. My husband has been on such a limited diet lately and would really like some bread! He said, it's not bad, nothing I would really reach for, but thanks for trying! I want to try again so he can really enjoy some great GF sourdough bread everyone is raving about!
Thanks again,
Tracy C.
Kim says
Hi, Tracy. Okay, honestly I think it's a little of several things:
Anthony's brown rice is not fine enough, so when you get the superfine rice flour, that should fix that problem.
You cut your starter off before it was ready.
When you mixed up the dough, only letting it rise for 2 hours before putting it in the fridge was another mistake. I leave mine out on the counter (at room temperature) overnight to proof. It's not going to proof in the fridge. Read through the post and you should see several tips about giving sourdough enough time to proof.
So, basically, everything you said you should do (except making a new starter as I don't think it's your starter) is what you need to do to correct the problem. If you can, watch my video for gluten free sourdough sandwich bread as I go into great detail in that video about working with gluten free sourdough. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNmQlYBcxIs&t=520s. Another suggestion would be to use my multigrain bread flour blend as opposed to this blend as it's specifically written to use superfine BROWN rice flour.
Sarah Carroll says
Thanks Kim! Just made my first successful loaf! I make alot of normal sourdough but wanted to try gluten free for friends & family. Perfect rise, great crust, open crumb and tastes so close to real bread, I was shocked! (I had tried this recipe once before using pea protein instead of whey and it was not very nice and not very risen.) The whey really makes a huge difference, don't substitute it if you don't have to! I followed the instructions to a T and it turned out awesome. Only thing I did different was cooked for much less time (43 mins with lid on) at 240° Celcius. I turned it down to 230° after about 20mins.
Jen Novak says
Hi Kim!
I’ve made this recipe 3 times and all three times the bread turns out beautifully but doesn’t have any sourdough flavor to it at all. I follow all your steps exactly with the starter and the bread and still do sourdough flavor. Do you have any idea of what I could be doing wrong? Or any suggestions?
Thank you!
Jen Novak
Kim says
There's nothing wrong per se, just a few tweaks that could work. Feed it less often (if you're using it quite often, that will make it less sour), leave the hooch in the jar and stir it in, stir the starter frequently, use a different whole grain (like buckwheat or teff), and make your starter stiffer by adding less water to flour (maybe 1.5 flour to 1 water).
Judi says
Kim,you are a magician. I have never made bread. It has been a 3 week journey starting with the gluten free sourdough starter, mixing the bread flour, finishing with the gluten free sourdough loaf. Amazing! Delicious (no body says that about gluten free). Your detailed instructions and video, which I followed exactly gave me the perfect loaf. Thank you. I can only imagine how much work it has been to perfect the recipe.
Kim says
Awe, that's so wonderful! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it 🥰
Allisha says
I'm not sure why, but I had to keep adding more and more flour to get this recipe from being liquid. I followed everything to the GRAM! Not sure how my bread will turn out but I'm really bummed.
Kim says
Did you use my flour blend? Did you use superfine white rice flour? Was your sourdough starter really watery or loose?
Allisha says
I did use your flour blend, to the T. I used brown rice flour extra fine. the sourdough starter was more like pancake mix. I had to double the flour! We couldn't eat the bread. Also, for your cinnamon rolls... the yeast measurement in grams to tablespoons doesn't seem correct. I measured the tablespoon amount in grams and it was less than half what was on your recipe card that I printed. Not sure if I should have used the grams or tbsp. It seemed exorbitant amount of yeast if measured by grams. So far, I'm having a great success on everything else. We are so happy. thank you!! If you could just help me with the above two issues I would be very grateful.
Kim says
So you're saying you used extra fine brown rice flour in the flour blend or in the starter? That would affect the flour blend for sure (versus using white rice flour).
Otherwise, if you're using the fine brown rice flour in your starter, that should be okay, but you may need to add more flour to water, such as 1.5:1, or until you get a thicker starter.
I answered your other question on the cinnamon rolls post 🙂
Aspen B says
The above blog notes state:
Bulk ferment your dough for 3-4 hours, then refrigerate overnight.
Why do you refrigerate the dough over night and not just bake right away.
Denese says
Hi Anita, I’m Australian, we use double baking powder here too, it’s the same thing.
Double baking powder activates when mixed with wet ingredients & then activates again when heated….so, it’s the same thing. Hope this helps!
Denese.
Jennifer B says
Why do refrigerate the dough after proofing?
Kim says
Because it's very hard to shape if it's not cold.
Brittany says
Question for the first step, on feeding the sourdough. I followed your starter recipe. Went through day 10 then it has been in the fridge for 4 days and I am not ready to bake. I fed it as instructed and tightly cover to leave on counter until it doubles, how long should that take? And then I can start mixing as instructed for the bread. Thank you!
Kim says
It really depends on your ambient temperature. If your house is really cold, it will take longer, but generally for me it usually takes anywhere from 5 to 7 hours (unless it's summer and is an unnaturally warm day, in which case it will take only 3-4 hours).
Anita Waters says
Hi KIm,
I'm hoping to make your sour dough bread, I live in the UK and can't find anywhere that's stocks heat-activated baking powder.Is double baking powder the same thing.
Greg says
Can you find a baking powder that simply says Monocalcium Phosphate on the label? That is the “heat activated” that she is talking about. It is the fast acting acid in baking powder.
Greg says
Disregard my previous comment on baking powder. I misread the ingredients.
Jennifer B says
Kim Notes in her above blog about Baking Powder.
"Completely optional, but adding baking powder to the dough increases its oven spring. And specifically adding heat-activated baking powder (affiliate link) will allow the baking powder to lay dormant until the dough hits the hot temperature of the oven."
She also notes in her ingredient list, "regular baking powder can also be used with less open crumbs structure. "
Amber says
I have the same issue as some others- the dough is way too sticky and the consistency of spreadable icing or batter, even after almost doubling the flour. I used your flour recipe and followed your exact ingredients and instructions. My sourdough is not runny and 100% hydration, so thsts not the problem. Could it be the protein powder maybe? I used a different brand than your link.
I guess Im either going to pour the "batter" into a bread pan and bake it anyway, or make pancakes out of it. I dont want to waste so many expensive ingredients!
Kim says
I'm so sorry you're having a hard time with this recipe. I can try to troubleshoot with you. If you said you used my flour blend recipe, may I ask if you specifically used a superfine or ultrafine white rice flour? I consistently always use the exact same ingredients in my flour blend every time I make it and always get the same great results, so when I talk to many others who have the same problem you're having, 9 times out of 10 it's because they didn't use a superfine or ultrafine white rice flour. I would just like to rule that out with you prior to continuing to troubleshoot.
Kim says
It's not the same exact thing but, yes, you can use it.
Frankie says
I have two questions:
In the photo of the ingredients it shows xanthan gum and then it’s not mentioned in the recipe. Am I supposed to add it in and if so, how much and when?
In the directions it says to add the baking soda along with the rest of the ingredients and then mix. It also says to add the baking soda in when you go to kneed the bread. Do I add it both times and if not, when should I put it in?
Thank you
Kim says
I'm sorry, that was incorrect. I have since replaced the photo without the xanthan gum in it.
Deanne says
I'm making this GF Sourdough for a couple friends who are struggling with gluten, and both of them are wishing for a more sour taste... Does this come with older starter or should I add more starter per loaf or does a different 'flour' when feeding the starter make it more tangy? I've been using buckwheat...
Kim says
You can ferment the dough longer (leave it in the fridge for a few more days), don't pour off the hooch (I always stir mine in and use it), make your starter stiffer (adding a little less water during feedings), and don't feed it often. My starter has been going for at least a year and it's always kept in the fridge, sometimes for a month before I use it again, and it is very sour.
Loretta Nipper says
I have made the sourdough several times going right by the recipe. My dough is always too wet and almost burns before it is baked. Any ideas what I am doing wrong. I made the cinnamon rolls no problems.
Kim says
What is the consistency of your sourdough starter?
Amanda says
Am I able to bake this in a loaf pan instead?
Kim says
I have a recipe specifically made for loaf pans here: https://www.letthemeatgfcake.com/gluten-free-sourdough-sandwich-bread/
Shannon says
Kim,
Can I put the dough, both times (before placing in the fridge overnight and when in the bowl or Banneton) in an oven with a proofing setting ?
I don’t have “warm” place. My house is an open concept and it’s always 70 degrees. Is that enough warmth ?
Thank you
Shannon
Kim says
Yes, you definitely could!
Claire says
Hi Kim! I live in Denver. What would you change to make this bread at altitude?
Lindy GiacopuzziRotz says
What solutions are there for overly wet dough? Had to use too much extra bread flour (your mix) to be able to shape it and it definitely doesn’t have that pillowy feel anymore - will most likely be too dense now. Mixed at 9am, it rose 1.5x after 4/5 hours, so starter was mature - then put in fridge overnight and the next morning it was way too sticky/soupy and no matter how much extra flour I liberally added, the dough just seemed too hydrated. Will still bake it to see what the outcome is, but very bummed. I purchased all the same ingredients you have linked to make the bread flour, including the ultra fine white rice flour you use, so I know that isn’t the problem. I also made sure the measurements were correct. (I actually made your cinnamon rolls a few days ago with the same flour, so I know it’s not the flour because those came out beautifully). Should I use less water in the next batch? Maybe my environment is different enough to make this different (in California with a kitchen temp of high 60s/low 70s). Any advice you have would be much appreciated - really want this to work!!
Kim says
Hmmm, that's unusual. Does your starter happen to be very liquidy? That's the only thing I could think of that would cause the dough to be extra sticky.
I live along the coast of Virginia and my kitchen temp is about the same, so I don't think that would cause any problems. Maybe somehow something was measured incorrectly? I know I've done it before, especially if I'm interrupted.
Lindy says
Thanks Kim. In watching your starter video, my starter does appear slightly (very slightly) more watery (even though I’ve been feeding it with the recommended measurements). I am going to try a little less water in the next round depending on the consistency of the starter: I ended up baking the prior loaf up and it was a little dense, but honestly not as bad as I had assumed (and just so others know, this is most likely differences on my end and nothing wrong with this recipe). I was still able to salvage it, but I greatly appreciate your attention to detail and expertise and know you can understand wanting to have a gluten free loaf that doesn’t need to be toasted to be edible 😉 love your website and channel and your willingness to share your knowledge, truly. You’re making a huge difference in my and my twin sister’s lives in that we are now able to eat things we haven’t been able to in a very long time.
Cindy says
Hi Kim
If I make this dough in the morning at 8, proof for 3-4 hrs (now noon), how many hours should it go in the refrigerator to proof? I’m worried about over proofing if I then leave it in overnight and bake the next morning. Seems like I should bake at 9pm. Appreciate your thoughts!
Kim says
If it's in the fridge, it won't overproof.
Lance says
I mispoke, forgot I only used rice flour as per recipe, i was only thinking of substituting with buckwheat flour (confirmed by checking stocks of both - old guy memory issues!). I think the issue with it being too wet as dough is the rice flour outside USA doesnt seem to be offered in a superfine and is too gritty and resustant to moisture. The loaf has just come put of the oven looking great (it jumped) and internal temp correct. Wish i could share a pic! It's likely very dense due to needing all of the gf bread mix to be workable (sigh) but should be edible, my coeliac son will let me know this afternoon when he tries it!. Brilliant work coming up with the recipe Kim! If we can't get superfine rice flour, any thoughts? I did find one listing, takes 2 weeks to get to Australia from USA and quite expensive, but maybe no choice?
Lance says
Found a source locally for superfine rice (closed until late January though)
https://wheatfreeworld.com.au/product/australian-superfine-white-rice-flour/
$42.50aud (plus freight) for 5kg
Solved!
Kim says
Someone else just recently asked me the same thing and the only thing I could think of to tell her was to possibly reduce the liquid content by about 1/4 cup (60g) to account for the grittier rice flour. It might work, but that's a big "IF" since I haven't tried it myself. I do, however, get this question a lot from people who live outside of the states, so I really do hope this method might work for y'all.
Kimberly says
Hi Kim I have made several loaves following your recipe exactly and they have turned out beautifully, family loves it and they are not gf! My question is can we substitute coconut cream powder in place of whey isolate and if so, what would you recommend for the measurement? Thank you for all you do, you have changed my life so much for the better!
Kim says
Awe, thank you so much for your kind words! I'm not sure if coconut cream powder would work as there isn't much, if any, protein in it. I have several other alternatives listed in the flour blend post that work. The only time I would recommend subbing coconut cream powder is in the all purpose flour blend, substituting the dry milk powder.
amy says
I am in the US and i get my superfine rice flour at an Asian grocery/market. I would assume those exist near you and would be worth a try as it is a mainstay in many types of Asian cooking.
Lance says
Accidentally bought whey powder concentrate instead of isolate, having amassed the rest of the ingredients. Go for it anyway?
Cheers
Lance
Kim says
Yes, I would go for it!
Conversion Funnel says
Hi friends! Don't forget that you are a masterpiece. Cherish your flaws and value your uniqueness.
Kylie says
Hi Kim,
I haven’t made the recipe yet (on day of 5 of my starter), but wanted to point out that throughout the page it says baking powder and then in the recipe it says baking soda. I’m assuming I should use baking powder?
Thanks!
Kylie
Kim says
It actually says baking powder as well in the recipe and you'll notice that I state for the baking soda, do not use if you're using baking powder. So if you choose not to use the baking powder when you're making the dough, you can add baking SODA when kneading the dough for an extra lift. I hope I clarified that for you.
Deanne says
My Sourdough loaf turned out awesome! Only complaint is doesn't taste 'sour' at all! What is your suggestion to bringing that out more? Starter is 4-5 weeks old
Kim says
It will get more sour as it matures more, but you can speed things up a little by stirring it between feedings (which will oxygenate it and cause the bacteria to flourish). Don't pour off the hooch as this will help keep it extra sour. You can also add 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of citric acid (amazon sells it) to the dough as you're mixing it.
Amanda says
Hi! I’ve tried this recipe several times and it always comes out of the oven beautiful and then ends up falling during the cooling process. Do you have any advice?
Kim says
One of two things: it's either over proofed or under baked.
Tamara says
Is it possible to use white sugar instead of honey?
Kim says
Yes, you can!
Laurie says
Hello, I am going to attempt to make gf at some point very soon but trying to do all my research first. If I was to use a bread machine, at what point during this process would I incorporate it? Have you ever made your bread using a machine?
Kim says
I haven't, I'm sorry. I don't own one so I don't know how they work.
Shannon Denbow says
I am hoping you can help.
I have been using your recipe for the sourdough starter but it has never bubbled or acted like sour dough when I used to make the Gluten version. I don’t know if I did something wrong but I don’t think so. Help! I’d like to make in the next day or two but not sure if advised or not??
Thanks
Shannon
Kim says
It won't behave exactly like regular sourdough. You will see bubbles and growth in your starter, but it will never be stretchy and exactly like gluten-filled sourdough starter. Gluten free baking is a whole new world and you almost have to retrain your brain for all the things you might know about baking in the gluten-filled world. You won't get large holes in your finished bread either (at least not yet--I might figure out a way to get that in the future, but I haven't quite gotten there). But your bread will be soft and have that wonderful sourdough flavor.
Lance says
If you aren't seeing the bubbles or at least the rise, your starter isn't active- follow Kim's advice in her post about making the starter, which covers this. Never use inactive starter, is my advice. If you want a quick hack, add the contents of a probiotic capsule and a tsp of baker's yeast to the starter, both are gf and you still create a scoby and it will be active very quickly. Keep feeding as per Kim's instructions and wild yeasts and bacteria will be incorporated into your scoby.
Phoebe Blossom says
Hi Kim,
I made this bread for the first time today - it turned out really nice and looks great. The taste is slightly too tangy though and I wonder what I did wrong... can you help?
Thank you!
Phoebe
Christian says
So I made this for first time last night, after leaving in fridge over night I turned it out to knead and it’s too wet to work with. Not sure what I’ve done wrong. I’m thinking maybe my rice flour is as absorbent as yours - I’ve had to chuck this batch and will start again next week - what’s your remedy for dough that’s too wet? Presume add more rice flour but wanted to check for the next time. A very deflated baker 😭
Kim says
What rice flour are you using? If it's not superfine or ultrafine, you are right in that it won't absorb as much of the liquid in the recipe.
Christian Raihani says
Thanks for coming back to me! So in the UK getting superfine or Ultrafine seems impossible! I have looked… so I am just using white rice flour (from a place I have always used called Shipton Mill). I did notice bobs red mill has a gf 1:1 baking blend that is available here and is quite close to your blend (minus the whey protein) so was considering either trying a batch with that - or when I try my next one using your recipe and just add an extra 50g of brown rice flour into the mix.
Lance says
I have just made my first dough using Kim's gf flour recipe for the flour (except whey protein isolate for which i had to substitute whey protein concentrate, and my gf flour is a combination of buckwheat and rice flour). My dough (like yours) was so wet I had to use all of the 310grams left over from the gf flour in the shaping process, using silicone utensils to get under the wet mass (which had doubled in height and was a light, aerated, wet blob). I'm now up to a short prove (in ambient 26deg C) to check if its still viable then overnight in the fridge for final prove, so will know tomorrow. It's still wetter than gluten sourdough so I'm a tad apprehensive! Also the texture felt weirdly grainy and (probably from the olive oil) oily. Next dough i will definitely reduce water content ! Fingers crossed for this loaf!
Kim says
It's because you substituted something within the flour blend (buckwheat flour). You can't expect the dough or bread to come out the same when you make such drastic substitutions. Most likely if your dough is grainy it's from the type of rice flour you used. It must be superfine or ultrafine, not just any stone ground rice flour like Bob's Red Mill. If you follow the instructions properly, you will not have such problems.
Kim says
You really didn't do anything wrong. That's just how sourdough is. But if you want to tame the tanginess, you can make sure to pour off any of the hooch that forms on the top of your starter. Here's a post that might help, too: https://www.pantrymama.com/how-to-make-sourdough-less-sour-a-guide-to-making-your-sourdough-less-tangy/
Ecol says
This has turned out really well- thank you! It’s still a little dense, so I need to tweak something, or perhaps it’s the young starter. Either way, it’s delicious in this current state. Best gf bread I’ve had
Lance E Stewart says
My first loaf and it turned out extremely well, great crumb and crust - great recipe!
I can confirm that you can substitute whey powder concentrate in place of isolate 😀
Sara says
I just made this and I’m not sure where I went wrong. It turned out super gummy and hardly had any rise. There was also a thick, hard white layer on the top after baking.
Kim says
Oh no! I'm not sure what happened either. Without being there to see your results, it's hard to guess. Did you use my flour blend? Did you use superfine or ultrafine white rice flour within the blend? How thick or loose was your sourdough starter? All of these things can affect the results.
LaRanda Marshall says
Thank you for the detailed recipe! This is my first go at sourdough starter/bread and my loaf is rising as I type this. Hoping to enjoy some bread soon! My question is this - do you have any nutritional information for a slice? My husband is celiac and diabetic and knowing the carbs would be so super helpful! Thanks.
Kim says
I'm sorry, I don't. The cost to add that feature onto the website is just more than I can afford at this time. But there are several nutritional calculators all over the internet that you should be able to plug the information into and get a carb amount.
Maybe in the future I can add that feature.
Megan says
Can’t wait to try this! Two questions-
How do you recommend storing the bread to keep it fresh?
And, how can this be converted into sourdough baguettes?
Kim says
After a few days, I cut slices, freeze them in one layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and then place those in a ziploc bag or food saver bag and remove as much air as possible. Freezing them individually like this means they won't stick together so you can remove as many slices as you'd like.
I haven't tried baguettes with this recipe yet, so I can't give you any specifics on that yet.
Julia says
I started by following the sourdough starter recipe, then on day 14 began the process of making the bread. I made my starter with millet flour that is not super processed, and that worked really well. This recipe is so good, and the bread comes out amazing, my non gf boyfriend absolutely devoured it.
Kim says
That's awesome, Julia!!!
Addi says
I just made this recipe and it turned out great. My wife and I are both gluten-free and I’ve tried making gluten-free sourdough bread just from basics of flour water, salt and starter, but the texture was always super chewy. I tried this recipe and used Kim’s flower the only thing I substituted was, tapioca flour- and I used arrowroot flour instead because I didn’t have the tapioca. Inside The bread its super fluffy and airy. I did cook it for the full 60 minutes (40 min covered 20 off) because I have a Dutch oven. The crust came out thicker and harder than I wanted so I’m gonna take the suggestion from a different comment to just do 10 minutes with the lid off. Also, it took about 6-8 hours for my bread to rise once it was in the banneton. It’s probably just cause it’s not super humid or anything here and we had the AC on. This is literally the best one I’ve made. thank you Kim!
Kim says
Yay!! So glad you liked it!
Laurie says
I love this bread and I am working on baking my second loaf. In your photo of ingredients you show Xanthan gum but do not list it in the ingredients or recipe. Should this be added to the dough?
Kim says
No, I'm so sorry about that! That was a mistake and I'll see if I can fix it now. Thank you for catching that 🥰
Kenny says
The inner crumb of this bread is amazing. I didn't know gluten free bread could be soft and springy. Once the starter is active, the flavor is great using your sourdough starter instructions as well.
That said, my crust always comes out pretty thick, and I have to add quite a bit of flour at the kneading stage (1+ cups) or I just end up with a bunch of dough all over my hands (it's very wet/gluey).
Tamara says
I also end up using a lot of flour to knead, probably about a cup. It would be helpful if the recipe said, "plus _____ for kneading", so a person doesn't end up without enough at the end. I've found that one batch of Kim's bread flour recipe yields about two loaves of this bread.
Kim says
Thanks for the tip!
Kim says
What type of rice flour are you using in the flour blend? This is usually the culprit for sticky dough. If it's very grainy and not superfine or ultrafine (Bob's Red Mill is an example), it won't soak up as much of the liquid in the dough, causing the stickiness. That could also be leading to a very thick crust. However, you can shield the crust further by placing your loaf pan on a baking sheet and then tenting it with foil halfway through the baking time.
Ecol says
Hi,
we live in the UK and I can’t find the Kim’s flour brand you recommend. Any chance you have other brands you recommend, or some information on what’s in the Kim’s one so I can try and find a comparable one?
Thank you!
Kim says
Kim's bread flour blend is my own recipe, which is actually linked within this recipe. Just tap on where it says Kim's bread flour blend and it'll take you straight to the recipe for how to make my blend.
Ecol says
Thank you, and sorry I missed that!
Stocking up now to try the sourdough starter and eventually bread over the Xmas break.
Tamara says
So, so good! I have made three batches of this bread over the last few weeks. After it came out extra crispy the first time, I only baked my loaf for 10 minutes after removing the lid. It comes out perfectly now. I am trying to figure out how to not get too much crispiness on the bottom, I will try misting my loaf next time. Thank you, thank you for all the research and work you have put into gluten-free baking! Your website is such an awesome resource!
Kim says
Try putting a baking sheet on the rack underneath it. That might help with deflecting some of the heat.
Tamara says
Thanks! Another question.. I have been playing around with designs and I was wondering if you have any suggestions on getting a smoother ball of dough when I shape it to raise? When I flip it to score, there are always small cracks in the dough.
Kim says
Have you watched my video? It can be difficult to get a smoother top, but not impossible. I just make sure to really knead the dough so it can be as smooth a top as possible. BUT, I will say that many others' recipes for sourdough that allow beautiful scoring aren't as soft on the inside, so that's the tradeoff.
Tamara says
So, so good!!
Kim says
Thanks so much, Tamara!!
Megan G says
This is the most incredible gluten free bread I’ve ever had. I’ve made it twice (3 loaves worth) and it’s worked perfectly every time.
I made a dairy free version for a friend and someone in the comments mentioned collagen protein in place of whey protein isolate for the bread flour blend (perhaps in the bread flour blend comment section). Anyways I used an equal amount of vital proteins grass fed collagen and can confirm it works no issue.
Another trick is I boil my water in the kettle and then pour it in a mug and place the mug in the microwave with the proving bread dough. My house isn’t that warm and that helps it to rise quite nicely.
Kim says
Thanks for the great tips, Megan! So glad you're enjoying the bread 🙂
Jana says
Hello from Switzerland! This is by far the best gluten-free sourdough bread I have ever had! Even my non-coeliac boyfriend enjoys it a lot! Thank you very much!
I do have one question though, what is the purpose of honey in this bread? I am from Europe and traditional sourdough breads don’t include this around here. Is it possible to leave it out? I know I could just try but I don’t want to waste ingredients.
Kim says
Hi there! The honey just gives the starter a little more of a boost, which I feel is sometimes necessary when baking with gluten free sourdough starter. You can leave it out, but you may not get quite the oven spring you would want.
Donna Roos says
Hi Kim, is double acting baking powder the same as heat activated baking powder? I've tried to research this on line & can't find a real answer!
Thanks!
Kim says
The heat-activated baking powder is a little different because it only starts working when it hits the heat, instead of working when it's combined with the liquid in the recipe first. Either will work. I just found that the heat-activated one basically saves up all its energy for when it hits the oven, creating a better lift.
mar says
this is the best gf bread i’ve ever baked!!! i’ll admit, it took forever and there was a lot of anxiously checking my dough to see if it had risen before finally accepting it had to rise over night, and then it sat in the fridge for 24 hours before i had time to knead and bake it, but so worth it!! it’s not as sour as i would hope but i imagine that will increase with the age of the starter. the crust is a bit thick especially at the bottom so my next attempt i am going to try preheating my dutch oven to 475 instead of 500 but otherwise, what a great recipe, i’m so glad i discovered it!!! (i also don’t know if it affected things but the last time i baked a loaf in the dutch oven like this the parchment paper stuck to the bottom of the loaf and i had to cut the whole bottom off, so this time i greased the parchment paper and thankfully no sticking!!!)
Kim says
So glad you liked it!!! A tip for getting a less thick crust is to put a sheet pan on the rack underneath the Dutch oven. This will help deflect some of the heat.
Anita says
Question: I see that you say the results will vary using other flour blends. Have you tried it with your Multigrain flour blend and how did the results vary using it?
Kim says
I have and it's WONDERFUL!!!! It's actually on my list of things to make a post and video of, just haven't gotten around to it.
Lisa says
Can I make this in a pullman pan and place that onto the stone? I want a softer crust.
Kim says
You could try it, but I also have a sourdough sandwich loaf bread made in a pullman pan that would probably work better for what you want.
Laura says
If you have a convection oven then use it when you bake. It works really well to keep the bottom from over browning
Cathy says
I am apparently needing some help with this recipe. The first time I followed the instructions to the gram and my dough was quite gluey at the knead stage. I ended up adding a lot of flour blend to be able to knead and handle it. It came out very tasty but flat and dense. I made it 3 more times with less water each time and the texture improved but it was still not handlable during kneading, sticking to my floured hands and scraper. It looked nothing like your video! This last time I added 350 grams of water. I live in Hawaii and it is warm and humid here so I think this might be contributing to this problem. I am determined to get it right but thought I’d better check with you for guidance. So far, my loaves are great for toast but too flat for a sandwich.
Kim says
Hi, Cathy! What type of rice flour did you use for the blend? I find that often people who don't use a superfine or ultrafine rice flour end up in this same situation (very sticky dough). That's because a more gritty rice flour is unable to soak up the liquids as well as a superfine one. FYI, I also live in a very humid and warm climate (not as warm as Hawaii, but Virginia Beach, right at the coast so it's humid almost nonstop).
Cathy says
Kim, thanks for getting back to me! That may (I hope) be my problem. I used the brown rice flour that I used originally to make my starter. It is Anthony’s organic brown rice flour, says finely ground. I will make a new flour blend using my white rice flour superfine and see if that changes things. I’m so happy that there may be an answer to my gluey dough because everything else was great and I invested quite a bit in ingredients and equipment..it’s worth it though for a good sourdough bread. Thanks for your time and effort to help with this great recipe!
Laurel says
I absolutely love the texture of this bread! I’ve tried several gf bread recipes and I can never get much of a rise and they tend to be a bit on the gluey side. This is the first time I actually got the rise I’ve been looking for! I do need to work on getting a more sour flavor, but I’m so happy I found this recipe!
Christen says
Has anyone tried going directly from the 3 to 4 hour initial proof to shaping the loaf and putting it in a banneton and then putting it in the refrigerator? Rather than the 3 to 4 hour proof, into the fridge overnight, then shape the next morning and allow rise for up to six hours in a banneton and then baking?
Tina says
I was actually wondering the same thing. In her video she doesn’t say that she is putting the dough in the fridge over night. Seems like that step is skipped all together. If I am wrong and missed it….someone please tell me.
Kim says
Actually, yes I do state that I put it in the fridge overnight. I just watched the video to make sure. I'd appreciate if you didn't give a 1 star comment for something that you actually were wrong about. It really makes the star ratings on my recipes drop substantially on Google.
Kim says
Replying to Christen, you could try it but the reason for the fridge step is to make the dough easier to work with. The cold dough is so much easier to shape. You could attempt to put it in the freezer for an hour or so and see how that works.
I was not responding to you in the comment above about the 1 star rating. Unfortunately, someone else replied within your comment and there's no way for me to tag that person.
Sarah says
Hi Kim,
Have you ever tried putting it back in the fridge after its proved in the banneton?
I'm in the middle of making this recipe now. I normally make wheat sourdough and I'm used to cold ferment being the last step which gives it a nice oven spring too.
Looking forward to the result!
Kim says
I haven't, but I'm sure it would work just fine 🙂
Nancy says
Tried this recipe for the first time, following it mostly to the letter (except mixing it with a food processor, as I don't have a stand mixer).
Changes: When I made the flour blend, I used brown rice flour as I didnt have any white. And I used guar gum instead of xanthan. My result looked great, like a real artisan style loaf. The taste is good. But it's very heavy and dry. I felt that the baking time was too long (60 minutes as directed) and it seems over-baked. I checked the temperature at least 10 minutes prior to the end and it was 205, which was likely done at that point. Was that why it is dry, or due to the brown rice flour?
Kim says
I have never used guar gum, but subbing the brown rice flour AND the guar gum is most likely your problem. Overbaking wouldn't make it heavy. Heaviness can be due to a number of different reasons, such as overproofing or underproofing, improper ingredients (such as in your case), improper measuring or not using a scale to measure accurately, etc.
Anna says
I have everything except a stand mixer. Is there another way like a good ol stir and hand kneading that will work? I've been making gluten-free sourdough successfully doing this with a different recipe and, I use my Corelle Visions glass pot with lid to bake in. It works very well. Thanks for your recipes.
Nancy Brown says
I don't have a stand mixer either and just used my food processor.
Kim says
That works too, Nancy 🙂
Kim says
Hi, Anna! You can certainly try it and I don't see why it wouldn't work if you put enough muscle into it. If you happen to have a Danish dough whisk, they definitely help when mixing dough by hand. But either way, as long as the ingredients get very well mixed together, it should be fine 🙂
Chelsey says
Please don’t switch forms of measurement ESPECIALLY for the water in the middle of a recipe!!!!! Ughhh! 🤦♀️
Kim says
I don't know what you're talking about. Can you please elaborate?
Anna says
maybe referring to this:
390 ml water
26 grams olive oil
1 mL equals 1 g when measuring pure water.
Kim says
I'm sorry, Chelsey! I didn't realize I did that, but either way the water is the same in grams as it is in milliliters. I will change it, though, to reflect grams.
Thomas W Eaton says
Okay! I watched your video, "Gluten Free Sourdough bread 2.0 in which you demonstrate how to make a sourdough starter that appears to only take 24 hours to proof. It looks like just what I need so tried to find the recipe on your website but all I could find was a starter recipe that takes several days to proof. I'd like to try that but I just don't have time right now. How can I get the new recipe?
Kim says
I'm sorry. I think you got a little confused by the video. The bread itself (not the starter) only takes 24 hours to proof, but in order to make any sourdough bread, you first need to create a sourdough starter, which can take anywhere from 7 days to 14 days, depending on the air temperature and a few other factors. Once you have a sourdough starter established, you will then feed it (as I show at the beginning of the video) and use it to make whatever bread you're making.
Nicole says
Hi there, I'm planning to use this recipe for my first ever sourdough attempt. Should the honey be melted?
Kim says
I'm not sure where you are, but where I am most honey is runny and doesn't require melting. If yours is thick, then you could melt it.
Cindy says
This is delicious as all of your recipes are! Thank you for all the research and work you do for your recipes! Do you it would be possible to double this recipe?
Kim says
Awe, thank you so much!
I honestly haven't tried it, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work!
Tamara says
I doubled the recipe with no problem!
Brooke says
Loved the recipe and fun to make! My bread turned out very dense/heavy with no air even though I followed the recipe and instructions closely.
I made one batch of your bread flour and used 390g in the initial dough. Then when kneading and shaping the dough before rising, I ended up adding the remaining bread flour mix in order to get a cohesive dough that was not sticky. Was this too much flour? I also didn't get much of a rise. Any tips?
Kim says
I'm so sorry it took me so long to respond. My dad passed away and I got behind on answering comments and questions.
Sometimes if your gf sourdough starter is too thin, it will cause the dough for the bread to be sticky. Something I have to ask is did you use my flour blend? Or did you substitute anything within my flour blend? If you don't use a superfine or ultrafine rice flour, your dough will be sticky.
Lori Wolfe says
I made it and it is great! Entire family loved it! But is it 6 grams of salt? I used 12g and it was still great. Also, for the dough, is it 60 total grams of starter after feeding the starter? or is it 60 grams plus the feed of 30-50g gf flour and water? Thank you!
Marco says
Hi Lim, I tried your sourdough bread and while it tastes great, one issue I found is that the inside of the bread remains very doughy, even after cooking it for 70 minutes. Do you have any suggestions on why that might be the case?
Thak you for your help
Annette Moss says
I have made your sd 2 times and still ends up with hole inside. I kneaded til a smooth boule and added generous amount of flour. My starter is 4 months old and was very bubbly. I also made your flour exactly blend exactly to the gms specified. Could you troubleshoot and see what other variables may be causing this issue please?
Kim says
How large is the hole? It might just be your shaping technique, but without being there with you it's hard to troubleshoot.
Amanda Palumbo says
A hole is usually too much water in my experience. Lose 5ml and see what happens next time.
Kim says
It might have been under proofed or over proofed.
Stephanie says
Delicious! Even with the 12 grams of salt. It didn't rise much which many of you stated it was the salt amount error but thankfully it turned out and is delicious! There is no mention of how to store (not much left, lol). Would like to know if it should be left out or refrigerated. I know gluten free is different. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Kim says
So glad you liked it! I never store my breads in the fridge. It tends to dry them out. I leave them at room temperature and either place them in a plastic bag or wrap them in plastic wrap or foil, but for longer storage it is ideal to slice them and freeze individual slices.
Rebecca Klein says
I replaced the water with whey and used cup for cup flour. It was amazing how well this bread tasted! It was super sticky when hot from the oven, but 20 minutes cooling later it was the perfect texture! The only problem was we ate it too fast! I wish I could post a picture!
Kim says
I'm going to try that next time I make ricotta cheese and have tons of leftover whey! Thanks for the great idea 🙂
Becky says
PLEASE READ
I have had many wonderful bakes from you. I think your genius! However, the print out recipe has a typo. Your video shows and says 6 grams salt, but the print out says 12 grams. The bread will not rise if you add 12 grams. You deserve all reviews to be 5 star, I fear all the fails are because of this error. I have tried to reply to some issues.
Kim says
Thank you so much, Becky, for your diligence about this and getting this info to me! I really truly appreciate it and I will correct it on the written recipe now 😍
KARL D. DUVALL says
Question- xanthan gum is shown in the picture but I can't find mention of it anywhere else. How much xanthan gum?
Kim says
I'm so sorry, Karl. That was a mistake in the picture. Please use the recipe ingredients and don't go by the picture. I will see about replacing that picture (if I can figure out how to do that, haha!)
Alessandro says
Well Kim, I am happy to report that despite our incredulity, your recipe worked and the resulting bread was not only fluffy and beautiful, but also pretty damn good! And I am a bit of a spoiled person when it comes to bread - I bake my own wheat sourdough and enjoy every aspect of it. However my wife doesn't digest gluten all that well and for that reason she has been eating GF bread for quite some years now. She also makes her own but never tried the sourdough way or shaped, free-standing loaves. So we decided to try and apart a few substitutions (used albumin instead of whey isolate and forgot about the baking powder in the kneading stage) the bread came out very nice. So thank you very much for sharing the result of your efforts with us all!
A tip for those who don't have access to a banneton: we used one of those ice cream boxes, slightly greased in sunflower oil and dusted with whole rice flour. The box is inexpensive, comes with a lid, and the rounded corners on the bottom give the loaf a nice shape. Also, if you don't have a dutch oven or a Le Creuset casserole, you can use any heavy steel pot with a lid (see that it has no plastic or wood parts) or oven safe glassware the likes of Pyrex (provided it has a lid). The bonus of glassware is that you get to see the oven spring in real time, which is so nice).
Kim says
So glad to hear your wife liked it!!
Joy says
I absolutely love this bread, however I would like a more sour taste. Is there a way to create a stronger sour flavor? Maybe a preferment?
Kim says
Check out this post: https://www.pantrymama.com/how-to-make-sourdough-more-sour-a-guide-to-getting-more-tang-in-your-bread/
Mia says
Tastes good. Mine is never rising properly 😭
Do you think adding some conventional yeast to the mixture (as well at the full 60g sourdough starter) would help? 🤔
Becky says
I have had the same problem after 2 very successful bakes. I then realized that the printable recipe has an error. In the video, she says 6 grams salt but in the written out one she put 12 grams salt. Too much salt will kill the rise. Since correcting my print out, I have had successful bakes once again. Hope this helps.
Kim says
You could try, but please understand that sourdough always takes longer to rise. I just made a loaf of sourdough the other day and, even though it's summer, because we keep our house at 72 degrees F, it took overnight on the counter to rise. So patience is key here. But you are definitely welcome to adding regular yeast if you'd like.
ash says
hi there, the first step says to “ Feed the Starter… with 30-50g of a whole grain flour of choice”. wouldn’t that make this not gluten free? how can i substitute the whole grain flour for a gluten free one without messing up the starter? thanks!
Kim says
There are many whole grain flours that are gluten free. See the list within the post itself.
Pam says
Hi Kim. I’m going to try this recipe today. Do I drop the oven to 450 F for either baking option or just the baking stone directions? I plan to use a Dutch oven
Kim says
Yes, drop to 450 for either.
Misty says
Thank you for the great recipe. My first attempt was a total flop (literally). However, I learned from my mistakes: 1) not using your bread flour blend, 2) dropping proofed bread on the floor before baking (contributing to the flop). However, my second attempt turned out fantastic! My family couldn’t believe that this was a gf recipe.
I was wondering what the maximum time dough could be left in the refrigerator? I mixed up 2 batches of dough, intending to have fresh bread for a couple of days.
Kim says
It should last for a while, actually. I've had mine in the fridge for up to 5 days with no problems, but I bet it could go all the way to 10 days.
Debby says
Hi Kim,
I’d like to make your sourdough bread for my neighbors who have two daughters with Celiac disease. Even though my house is air conditioned, the overnight temperature is around 75 degrees. Can I refrigerate it overnight and get it out in the morning to ferment?
Thank,
Debby
Kim says
Yep!
Doug says
Can I include the psyllium husks and heat activated baking powder in a 5x pre made batch of Kim's flour mix to have on hand?
Kim says
Because I don't always include them in all of my recipes (as I don't think they're required or compatible with all of them), I don't recommend it, but that's up to you. You would need to figure out how much per mix.
Maureen says
Bread quite sticky inside after baked...any thoughts? I used bobs red mill 1 to 1 flour
Laura says
Hi! Thanks so much for your recipe! If we want a lighter brown crust, how would you adjust the temperature and baking time? Thank you!
Craig says
Hi Kim
Thank you for your efforts with both the written and video versions; not to mention the hours of experimenting you’ve put in.
My first effort turned out amazing, but when doing my 2nd I noticed 2 things that I have questions on:
You have xanthan gum in your picture of ingredients needed but don’t include it in the recipe?
2nd Q is you at 390g of water in your video but 390ml in the written recipe?
Could you please clarify both of those?
Many thanks
Craig
Ashley says
1ml of water weighs 1g so those measurements are the same! As for the xanthan gum, I also followed the written recipe and I don't think it needs extra xanthan, but I'm sure Kim can clarify.
Kim says
I'm sorry, the picture was before I decided to leave it out as it wasn't needed. I will see what I can do to fix that.
As far as the 390 grams of water, that is identical to 390 milliliters of water.
Sourdough lover1969 says
I have tried every store bought GF bread I could find and found them all very uninspiring.
So I thought I would attempt making my my own but honestly was skeptical that it would turn out like the beautiful recipe photo.
I followed EVERY instruction to a T and used every ingredient exactly, including the suggested ones like heat activated baking powder.
I am overjoyed to report my bread turned out AMAZINGLY. Such a gorgeous looking bread with tons of oven spring. I was literally clapping my hands.
This recipe is fantastic. If u follow the instructions properly and use Kim’s blend you will be very happy!!
Kim says
Thank you so much, Sourdough Lover1969 🥰🥰🥰
fiona says
just wondering what the amounts for the ingredients are please? and if there is actualy a list of ingredients whcih i can print off and read in my kitchen please? thanks you
Kim says
Yes, all you need to do is scroll down to the bottom and you'll find the recipe (or even quicker, you can tap the "jump to recipe" button at the top and it will take you directly there.
Rendee says
I have been baking regular sourdough but wanted to make some for my gf friends. This is a wonderful recipe; the bread turns out beautifully! Thanks Kim!
Kim says
That's awesome! Thank you so much!!!
Kendra says
Do you have the ingredients in cups ?
Kim says
No, I'm sorry I don't. Please read through the post and you'll understand why I don't use volume measurements for any of my breads.
Mrswwe says
Would love to say it's a good recipe, but I can't. It was just a pile of sand. No rise happened. Didn't cook well, was just a mess from start to finish. I'm sorry.
Matt Keys says
When you make a recipe so many others have had success with, and you end up with 'a pile of sand'. You should think critically about how things went so differently for you than the others who have used the recipe. My first instinct certainly wouldn't be to go and leave a 1 star review.
Sourdough lover 1969 says
I don’t think it is the recipe. I followed this and have the most beautiful bread I have ever baked so something must have gone awry with your technique or ingredients.
Becky says
The printable version says 12 grams salt and the video says 6 grams. Too much salt will kill a rise. Use 6 grams, not 12.
Becky says
The printable recipe has a mistake. The video says 6 grams salt but printable recipe has 12 grams salt. Too much salt will kill a rise. Every time I made the bread while watching the video, it came out amazing, but then the next 3 times that I followed the print out, it was a brick. I finally realized the mistake. If you followed the printout, I would hope you would try this again with only 6 grams of salt, because it does make an amazing loaf of bread.
Denise FitzGerald says
What is the weight of your starter when feeding 50 g brown rice flour and 50 grams water?
Kim says
Well, the new amount would be 100 grams (50+50), but that's not taking into account what's already in the jar. You always want a little bit of the mature starter in the jar to start with.
Sonya says
I love your recipe and have been using it for the past few months! My only question now is how to revive baked bread I’ve left out too long in load form on my counter wrapped in a thick kitchen towel. Thanks!
Kim says
I'm not sure what you mean by too long so if it's several days, you probably won't be able to revive it. If it's just a few hours or a day, you can revive it (believe it or not), by running the entire loaf under water and placing it in a hot (400 F) oven for 5-7 minutes! It sounds strange, but it usually works to revive a whole loaf of bread!!
Dona McKinley says
This truly is the very best gluten free sourdough bread, I’ve only just started making my own (gf) sourdough bread and 8 days after starting this journey, my very first loaf (from scratch) is absolutely perfection! Tastes how I remember bread used to taste, thank you Kim!
Kim says
Awe, that's awesome!!! So glad you liked it.
Celia says
Hi Kim,
For Night Before Feeding where you “Feed the starter directly from the fridge and replace the lid. Leave it on the counter all night long”, is this supposed to be the 60g of fridge starter that is included in the sourdough ingredient list? And should it be fed with the 30-50g of flour of choice and 30-50g of water, stirred, covered tightly and left on the counter until nearly doubled in size (overnight)?
Thanks,
Celia
Kim says
The 60g is what you will use in the recipe from the starter jar. So, in other words, remove the jar from the fridge and feed it with the 30-50g of flour and water, let it rise, and from that jar, you will measure out 60g of the starter to make this loaf of bread.
Hope this makes sense!
Nicole says
Hi,
What altitude did you bake this bread recipe at? I'm at 4327 feet in elevation. I've tried making this recipe twice and each time the dough is too wet after the rise and overnight in the refrigerator. I end up adding about 1 cup of your flour blend. The result is the bread is dense. Any suggestions? Thank you for doing the hard work of developing this recipe.
Kim says
I'm at sea level so I'm not sure about baking high altitude. However, check out the notes section of my gf artisan bread recipe because a reader so was kind as to give her high altitude baking tips for that bread, which should also work for this one! Hope this helps!!
Mother Joy says
I just made it for the first time. The bread is moist. The crust is nice and crunchy, however it doesn’t have a strong sourdough flavor to it. Is there something I did wrong?
Christi Hartley says
Kim,
I am brand new at baking sour dough so decided that I should just begin with GF. Your explanation and videos are perfect. I am following your recipes almost exactly. I test the bread with a thermometer before taking it out of the oven and don’t need to bake quite as long , even though my oven temp is correct. My celiac daughter is so happy to have homemade bread and the rest of the family is enjoying the experiments. Thanks for testing this and sharing with us.
Cllyn says
Tried this. Firstly in the mixer the dough looks different to a normal bread dough. It looks more like a cross between ice cream and mashed potato. It also didn't rise as well as I had hoped and subsequently ended up with a very dense loaf. My first proving was maybe a little short and the second was longer (8hrs) It weighs a ton. Maybe my starter isn't mature enough or my mix isn't quite right?
Kim says
Right from the mixer, gluten free dough will never look the same as normal bread dough. I would reverse that and allow the bulk ferment (first proving) to go longer. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting the timing right when it comes to gluten free bread. You have to kind of forget everything you might know about regular bread baking.
Alana Ry says
Hi Kim!
Quick question…. But before I ask THANK YOU ☺️
I love your site, channel and all your thorough instructions!
Every time I make something, I wish I could give you a hug 🤗!
Okay, I’m just getting started on making my own bread!
Started with regular, now moving on to sourdough!
Do I need to use a banneton?… is there an alternative to a banneton?
Thanks and 😍
Kim says
Awe, thank you so much 🤗🤗🤗 A banneton is not absolutely necessary. You can also use a bowl that's been lined with a tea towel or cloth.
Melissa M Thornton says
Thanks for the recipe! My starter is growing now, bubbly at only 2 days. But it was next to sauerkraut so I am not surprised. I make a TON of sourdough bread for my family and I occasionally teach classes.
There is a local allergen free vegan restaurant that wants me to teach a class to make Gluten Free Sourdough, your recipe is the first one I found (I have tried one a while ago but it was terrible). My issue is the whey protein. Have you ever tried Beef Gelatin? The cost and the fact that its dairy is the issue. I see you offer substitutes but have you tried any out and were successful? And just in case you were curious I did the math on this bread and its about $5-$6 food cost per loaf! Ouch! Still trying it though!
Connie says
I tried again. The starter was the best it has ever been but loaf is not doubling in size. I put it in small bathroom with space heater yo warm the room. It has b e en 13 hours.it rose a little but definitely not double. Should I bake it as is or can I punch it down and do something else to get it to rise more?
Lauren says
Hi Kim!
This recipe has given me pretty good results. I am following your recipe exact except for using hemp protein instead of whey. I first started using brown rice flour instead of white rice; and then I switched over to white rice as stated in your recipe. I used a brown rice starter. They both worked great, but the white rice bread is dark and brown almost exact color of the bread when using brown rice. I am trying to achieve a light white bread similar to your bread. Do you have any ideas of what I may be doing wrong?
Thank you
Kim says
I'm guessing it's the hemp protein. It's been known to cause color changes.
barbara H Fraley says
I know not to use metal when feeding my starter. My question is - when putting my sourdough recipe together, can I use my stand mixers stainless bowl and dough hook or will that kill the dough?
Kim says
I actually use metal with no problems (read through the post about that). You can definitely use the stainless steel mixing bowls as well.
Connie says
How do you know if dough is puffed? My house and kitchen tend to be on cold side. I put dough in glass bread pan on heated matt for about 5 hours.
I'm not good at kneading and my hands get sore, and dough not smooth like video.. is there an alternative for kneading?
Connie says
I made this recipe a week ago for my daughter who has Crohns Disease. I baked it on a Tuesday evening. She ate the last of it on Friday morning, begging for more. She said it was perfect. There is hope..lolC
Kim says
Oh, YAY!!!! I'm so happy that your daughter enjoyed it (AND that she said it was perfect!). What did you end up doing about the kneading?
Connie says
I used dough hook on kitchen aid. I'm making another loaf and recently bought Reliaheat mat. It has been 6 hours on kitchen counter and nothing happening. How long should it take to double in size?
Kim says
Depending on the room temperature, it can sometimes take upwards of 8-10 hours to proof. Don't rush it. Sourdough always takes longer to proof than regular dough, and so does gluten free.
Robin says
The recipe on your video says 6 g salt when it looks like it's 12 listed here ( when I did the 6 it wasn't salted enough). Just wanted to let you know if you didn't...you probably do though. Thank you, btw, you're amazing!!
Kim says
Thank you so much, Robin! Yes, it's supposed to be 12g. I apologize for that error in the video. Unfortunately, I can't change anything in the video once it's live, but if there's ever a question, always go by the written recipe here on the blog 🥰
Connie says
I just received the Reliant Raisenne. I at stage 2 in making dough. I have dough in a glass bowl on matt for 3-4 hours befo Is this correct?
Dilyana says
Made my sourdough starter using your recipe, but using chickpea flour. Then tested the bread once with some generic breadmix and did not turn well - on the next day was almost impossible to slice.
Today I made it with your bread mix and turned out perfectly! Thanks to much for the great recipe!
Kim says
That's awesome!!
Nancy Schmidt says
Hello! I’m waiting for my starter to ripen, and looking at proofing bowls. However, I’m not sure what size I need to buy. Should I buy 6”? 8”, 9”, 10”?…there seem to be a lot of options and I can’t find an answer in your recipe.
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe, as I’ve yet to find a good gluten-free sourdough bread.
Thanks!
Kim says
The oval one I use is 10 inches, but the round one I use is 8, so they can vary.
Nancy Schmidt says
Thank you so much!! I’ll be trying this recipe in a few days and I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Tom says
Hi Kim,
My girlfriend is gluten sensitive and found your recipe (and youtube video). We are excited to give it a try!
Can you make a variant for usage with King Arthur's Measure for Measure? I think this means we shouldn't have to add xanthan gum?
Let me know!
Kim says
I'm sorry. I only use my own flour blends, especially for any of my bread recipes, because none of the flour blends on the market gave me the results that I get when using my own blend.
Sarah says
Hi! I have a question (please please help if you have time), but first would like to say how amazing this bread tastes! My aunt gave me some gf started because I’d let mine die looong ago. I’d given up on finding a gf sourdough that actually tastes good. I’ve been gf since I was a kid (the 90’s were not good for celiacs), and the thing I still miss the most is a good sourdough.
Anyway, thank you! It’s delicious! My very selective (picky?) kid even likes it!
My question though: how to get the crust less, well, crusty? My kids have a hard time with a hard crust and I have dental work that bends easily. I’ve tried letting it cool wrapped in a towel. Any other suggestions? Could I leave the lid on the whole bake time? Longer, lower bake time (but maybe that would ruin the beautiful oven spring).
I’d love any advice or ideas you have. And I can’t wait to try more of your recipes! I’m excited to bake for the first time in years!
Kim says
Awe, that's awesome that you're excited about baking again!!! I know how that goes and I've been there.
I understand the crust issue. My husband doesn't like the sourdough crust either. A couple of things you could try, along with the towel wrap, is to leave it in the Dutch oven like you said. You could also substitute the water in the dough with milk, which will give it a softer crust. You could also try to bake it in a loaf pan, but at the moment I don't know the adjustments you would need to make for it to be baked in the loaf pan. I'm currently testing a sourdough sandwich loaf that is softer, so keep an eye out for that. It's still in the works, but hopefully I'll get it perfected and on the blog before too long.
Hope this helps!
Sarah says
Thank you so much! I’ll try using milk next time! And I’m looking forward to your sourdough sandwich loaf!
HD says
Any new updates on using a loaf pan? This is my first GF Sourdough but I've baked a non-GF previously with no problem in a loaf pan.
Murat says
Hi Kim,
I double the ingredients because my Dutch oven is too big. Preheated the
Dutch oven to 500F then I reduced to 450F then I put the dough in. I did 40min closed Dutch oven then 25min open Dutch oven.
It was good crust and rise but inside is little doughy.
Kim says
It's because you doubled the ingredients. My Dutch oven is also large and the bread has no problems using the original amount.
Laura says
Hi Kim, so I ended up with this same gummy/doughy texture without doubling the recipe. The only variation is that I (for lack of a better option), had to use pea protein powder. I did the baking soda during kneading, and everything seemed to be going well, bottom sounded hollow when I pulled it out of my Dutch oven and tapped, tastes great (kudos btw), but gummy. Any suggestions?
Kim says
I would try it again and add another 10 minutes to the bake time. Gumminess is almost always due to underbaking. Also, make sure to let it cool completely before slicing.
Colleen Skeffington says
Hi Kim, absolute perfection. Your recipe is so easy to follow, I've watched numerous videos on making Gluten Free breads and sour dough bread. So far yours is the very best.
My question is what can I substitute for the whey protein powder? I tried a clean protein powder and the bread is amazing, but we can taste the protein powder. Crumb texture, squishy-ness, all great.
Just looking for it to taste more like sour dough bread.
Thank you.
savanna says
Hi Kim,
Ill be making your recipe this weekend and would like to use a starter my friend has made for me. I am new to sourdough so not totally sure but do i treat it the same way as if it was yours? would i feed it the night before etc?
Kim says
Yes, I assume you would treat it the same as mine and proceed with the recipe as instructed. Let me know how it works!
Savanna says
I just pulled my loaf out of the oven and OH MY GOODNESS. It is GORGEOUS!! I made your gluten free flour blend, and followed everything to the T. TRUST THE PROCESS PEOPLE! I did accidentally leave it on the counter for 8 hours instead of 4 ( I turned my alarm off in my sleep ) but it still turned out perfect. After the fridge set I did leave it on the counter for a few hours and noticed not that much difference so I put it in the 170 oven for a few hours. I wish I can post a picture. This was my first time using sourdough, let alone in a gluten free bread recipe! I’ll be trying all your recipes now!
Kim says
Awe, yay!!!!! So glad it turned out well for you!!!
Jennifer says
Hi Kim! I was so excited to find this gluten free starter recipe!! Thank you for sharing it. I followed the recipe to a T and now I'd like to bake some bread. However, my starter is not doubling in size. It has been fed, lightly covered and on my counter for 2 days now and has risen a bit but definitely not doubled. Help?!
Kim says
It's not going to do much in 2 days. You need to give it at least a week to ten days (or longer, especially in cold weather) for it to fully develop.
Olivia says
Kim! Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve made it half a dozen times and love the taste. That said, do you have any tips for baking at altitude? I live in Denver and despite adding baking soda and a bit more water my crumb is always very dense. Thank you!
Kim says
I am at sea level so I don't know much about baking at high altitude, but here is a post that some of my readers have found very helpful who are baking at high altitude. Hope this helps! https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Oleana says
Hi Kim. Could you please clarify how much starter in grams do you use for your sour dough bread recipe? The way I read it is that you take ALL your starter from the fridge, feed it and use it ALL. Isn't it too much though? Then there would be none left for next time:) Thank you so much for answering!
Oleana says
Oh, nevermind Kim, I found it! 60gr. Cheers!
Hail says
Is the initial dough supposed to be so wet? I’m new to gluten free baking, and I’ve read the recipe/ingredient list a hundred times trying to see if I mixed up the ratios. But the flour (in grams) and the water (in ml) are the same? It seems like such a high hydration but I’m so not used to gluten free so I don’t know if it will come together more as it sits/rises/ferments? It’s almost like a cornbread batter consistency right now that I’ve added all the ingredients. I’m just wondering if I’m missing something.
Thanks!
mel says
If it's of any comfort, I'm making this for the first time, and I followed the instructions to a T, and my dough is quite wet as well! Not like how it looks in the video. I came here looking for advice haha. I think I'm going to let it proof for longer if I don't find a solid answer. You're not crazy!
Alissa says
I am having the same issue too! Like unworkable sticky. Did you ever find a solution?
Mine looks nothing like the dough in her video 🙁
Marylou says
I'm having the same issue. Kim said to not be afraid to add enough GF flour to be able to knead it, so I used almost all of the rest of her bread flour mix to get it smooth and not so sticky. It has barely risen after 4 hours, so I'm hoping it will be ready to bake in a few more.
Kim says
Sourdough always takes longer to rise, even non gluten free, and with colder weather it could take extra long. Try to go more by how it looks than the actual time. It's been kind of cold here and when I made sourdough the other day, I had to leave it sit on the counter overnight for it to rise. So I put it in the fridge for a few hours (3-4) and was able to shape it and bake it the next day. I had to put it in a warm oven (turned on to 160 F just to warm it and then turned off) for a few hours before it was ready to bake after that second proof. It is very normal for it to take a long time, especially in colder months.
Allison says
This is my first attempt at sourdough and I also have an extremely sticky mess. I followed the recipe using my scale, let it proof on the counter for 4+ hours before putting it in the fridge overnight. This morning, when I tried to knead it, I couldn’t because it was so sticky and wet. I added all the rest of the flour from the initial blend recipe and it was still extremely sticky. I can’t form it into a ball. I’m afraid to put it in my banneton for fear of the mess it will make. I put in back in my mixing bowl and used the dough hook for another 5ish minutes. It’s now resting in my mixing bowl and I’m not sure what to do next. Did you end up baking yours? Did it turn out at all?
Kim says
A few questions: what type of rice flour did you use in the flour blend (or did you use a store bought flour blend)? For the bulk fermentation (the first rise), did it actually rise or did you just put it in the fridge after 4+ hours? What was the consistency of your starter?
If any of the above are off, you will not get the same results as me. If you use a store bought blend, it will not work. If you use a rice flour other than the ones I recommend (on the flour blend page), you will have a very sticky mess. If you do not allow the dough to proof completely on the bulk ferment, you will have a sticky mess. In the colder months, this could take upwards of 8 hours or more. I often leave mine on my counter to proof overnight in the colder months. If your starter is too thin, you will have a very sticky mess.
If you did all of the above correctly and are still having problems, please let me know and maybe I can troubleshoot a little further for you. I hope this helps 🤞🤗
Kelly says
I keep adding more flour to look like the video. I had to add a lot. Now I hope it works. 🤞🏼
Kim says
Did you use my flour blend or substitute anything within the blend?
Becky says
Hi Kim, thanks for all of your wonderful recipes and flour blends! I made my first sourdough load today following your recipe and the crust is so very dark I'm wondering if there is a way to avoid that? Oven temp checked out good, and I used an enameled dutch oven. Either way, I can't wait for it to cool so that I can slice and taste it!!!
April says
Has anyone had success in adding herb or other flavours to GFSD bread? Don't seem to see too much online ..
cheers,
Angelica says
I am super excited to start my sour dough starter (day 2 ) I actually thought one didn't exist for celiac disease so when researching I literally was so happy. I have SO many questions about it while researching the best I could.
1. what flours are best that is used for gluten free sour dough that gives a very close texture to gluten containing sourdough
2. how do I achieve a nice crunch ?
3. I want to try making my bread in a cast iron bread pan I saw do you think this will come out good
4. since I am on day 2 I did not discard was I supposed to discard yet I have read day 3 is when it usually begins
5. how do I avoid a very sour taste to the starter I know that can sometimes happen
6. what brand of husk is your absolute favorite
7. how do I avoid a super sticky starter when I am ready to make your bread recipe
marianne hurley says
I have made and loved the first version of this bread - even though I omit the psyllium because my husband is very allergic to it!I just found version 2.0 and will be baking it for the first time today.
My question is about the crust. I do not like a hard, crispy crust. What do you recommend to produce a crust that is only slightly crisp?
Kim says
I actually find by either covering the loaf with a tea towel or placing it under foil when it comes out of the oven will soften the crust perfectly.
marianne hurley says
Thank-you, I'll try that next. I thought about brushing it with melted butter when it comes out like I used to do with my regular gluten loaves.
Tiffanny says
Is the psyllium husk that you use and that is pictured on your recipe ingredients whole psyllium husks or the husk powder? My container states "whole psyllium husk" and looks like yours but it is ground small enough that it could be considered a powder. I ask because I just started the recipe and after 5 minutes with the dough hook, I found multiple balls of what appears to primarily be psyllium husk. So, I won't be baking this until tomorrow but if it doesn't turn out and I do some trouble shooting, I thought that may be a place to start. I'm wondering if the dough hook isn't enough to mix the ingredients well and if I should start with the ceramic beater, mix until everything is combined and then put on the dough hook. I'm very excited by the recipe . Thank you!
Shelley Smith says
Wish I could attach my pic. This bread is amazing! Adding the baking powder makes a huge difference. I have made 12. Sourdough loaves and this one is perfection. I use Kim’s bread flour and follow her directions- she has done all the hard work for us. I kid you not, best gf sourdough bread I’ve had in 15 years! Thank you and a million hugs Kim!
Kim says
OMG!! Do you have an instagram acct? If you do, I would love if you could post a pic and tag @letthemeatglutenfreecake!! I love to see pics!
Shelley Smith says
Sent you my pics via email cause I’m not on any social media
Whitney says
Hi Kim, I tried your recipe last week and am trying again now that my starter has gotten stronger. I wanted to ask why you changed the format of the recipe ingredients? I understand weighing the flour and starter but it’s made it much harder to follow now that honey, water, etc are all measured by grams and mL’s. I also wanted to ask if you’ve omitted the extra xantham gum for a reason? Thanks again for this recipe. Will you consider making it easier to follow?
Whitney says
And 390mL of water seemed like way too much. I couldn’t use it all bc it was making my dough super sticky, like a batter consistency so I had to add more flour to the recipe.
Kim says
I'm not sure where it went wrong because the 390ml is just my original artisan bread amt minus 30ml for the starter amt (60g starter-30g of flour and 30ml of water). It's the same baker's math that was used in my original artisan bread and actually in my original sourdough recipe. The difference is the amt of sourdough starter that was used in this recipe. I reduced it because I found that it actually worked better with less starter. In all of these recipes of mine (artisan, old sourdough, and new sourdough) the hydration rate is 100% so the water amt always equals the flour amt. Nothing has changed, so maybe you measured something wrong or perhaps you substituted something within the flour blend??? My dough is not batter like at all. I tested this bread over 20 times before publishing it. When all was said and done, I didn't feel the xanthan gum was required because the sourdough starter kind of took its place.
As for the honey and water, etc all being in grams/ml, it is extremely easy to measure all ingredients straight into your bowl when it's sitting on a scale and you just pour your ingredients in until you reach the amt required for the recipe. However, if you're still resistant to change, the original amt was 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of honey and the water equates to 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp (which is much harder to follow if you ask me)😊
Whitney says
Ok, thanks for the response. Maybe it’s just me bc I’m new to making bread and still learning. Just seems complicated but I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it!
Jennifer Haibon says
Help please! I can't find where it says how much starter I should use for this recipe. Is it 140 grams of starter? Hoping to make my first loaf in a few days.
Kim says
It's in the recipe, 60 grams.
Jennifer' says
Thank you! I am apparently blind and could not find that for the life of me. 🤦♀️
Lauren M says
Hi Kim, I used your flour blend and even weighed all the ingredients but when I took it out of the fridge in the morning, it was basically like soup! It was sticking so bad to my fingers and everything. It was like cake batter. Help!!
Brooklyn Ramsey says
Mine too!
NguyenStarch says
Tapioca starch is a game-changer for gluten-free baking. I used it in my bread recipe, and the texture was amazing. No more crumbly gluten-free bread for me!
Annie says
I have not actually made this, (But I feel very confident it will come out perfectly as I am very used to sourdough, but not gluten-free,) but I have made the starter and as we speak, it Has been fed and will be bubbly very soon.
My question is this, and I’m sorry if you have already answered this question but there are so many replies I just haven’t had time to read them all.
Why do you not add the bicarb of soda in the beginning of the mix. Rather than adding it when you knead the bread before the final rise. Thank you and I hope to hear from you very soon
Kim says
Because baking soda will begin activating right away, so it needs to be added as close to baking as possible.
Danielle says
I followed the starter recipe and it turned out great. I then put it in the fridge on day 10 and on day 11 I took it out and followed your GF sourdough recipe to a tee! left it over night and it did not rise. I then left it for another night and nothing. Was I supposed to subtract the 140 grams of starter from ( 70 from flour and 70 from water?) I did not do that because it does say to in your recipe. I just added everything like it is on this page. I noticed my dough was a lot more dense and less like yours in your video. I am confused. What can I do now to save my hard work?? More water and commercial yeast? Was I supposed to feed my starter again before using?
I wanted to just use my starter. Help!
Kim says
Did you feed the starter the night before you used it in the recipe? It needs to be well fed before using it, not taken directly from the fridge and poured into the mixing bowl. You don't need to subtract anything from the recipe as it's already configured to remove the 70 grams each of flour and water.
Without being there, I'm not sure what went wrong, but I could maybe take a guess that either your starter wasn't quite ready or it wasn't well fed before using. There is a narrow window of time where you have to use it before it falls again (12-13 hours max), so if by chance it started to fall before you were able to get it into the dough, that could be the reason.
I hope this helps 🤞
Danielle says
I figured out my problem which is happens a lot with a lot of my GF baking, because I live in a high altitude it requires more water and more rise time. I also fed my starter a couple hours before at room temperature. My sourdough turned out absolutely amazing and only required 40 min. Thank you!!!
Kim says
Oh, that is so awesome, Danielle! I'm so glad you were able to figure it out 🥰
Marianne Hurley says
Danielle, I live at 7500' and am working on tweaks for my altitude. What altitude are you at and what adjustments did you make other than feeding your starter shortly before making your bread?
Kyle says
Hi Kim! On your bread flour recipe, can it be made in a large amount and stored or does it need to be mixed fresh for every recipe?
Kim says
Yes, I do it all the time. I store it in a large tightly sealed container, where it sits in my pantry, which is dark and cool, for at least 3-4 weeks. For longer storage, it can be frozen.
Melissa Mc says
I am so glad I found your blog! I believe the starter GF sourdough is ready to be used. It's currently in my fridge. I haven't set it out yet and haven't fed it the 50g/60g (based from your starter video)
I notice in this recipe, we are to feed the starter... is this in addition to the 50g/60g feed after we pull the initial starter out? I hope I am making sense...lol
Thank you so much!
Ronda Klabbatz says
My loafs turn out kind of purplish or pinkish. I use fresh finely ground rice flour from Jasmine long grain rice. They look good except for the color. anyone else have this problem?
Kim says
It's probably the psyllium husks you used. Some brands give off that purplish hue.
Sara says
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I followed your instructions and this is the second time I've tried it, something weird happened during the bake where it get browning on the inside of the loaf. Any insight to what it could be? Also, day 2 the bread doesn't have the same spring to it. It gets rather dry and no much of a sourdough taste.
Kim says
That will happen if you use baking soda and don't knead it in well enough.
Janine Marshall says
Hi Kim, I’m trying to understand how you convert any of your yeast recipes into sourdough. You mentioned above that you swap out 140 grams of sourdough starter for the yeast “in this recipe” but this recipe doesn’t close yeast in the ingredients. So is that the general rule? 140 grams of sourdough for any of your recipes containing yeast?
Janine Marshall says
Sorry for the typo. You probably know what I meant to say, but just in case, I meant to say that this recipe doesn’t list yeast in the recipe.
Shelley says
My second attempt was DELECTABLE! I could cry for joy it is so good Kim! A million thanks for you dedication to creating incredible gluten free breads! I realized my fail in the first attempt. I misunderstood your direction and took away the 70 grams of flour and 70 grams of water when I made the bread dough. I watched your video several times and reread the recipe and saw that you had already subtracted it when you posted the recipe. This second loaf is out of this world! Best gluten free sourdough EVER!
Kim says
Yay, Shelley! So glad it worked for you the second time around!!!!
Shelley Smith says
I followed Your recipe precisely but I came out with a much smaller loaf. I also took it out of the oven about 15 min early because when I took the lid off it was a very crusty brown! Don’t know what I did wrong but I am determined to keep at it! I even took a pic but don’t know how to attach it. It tasted good but not as sour as I hoped and also needed more salt. I really appreciate your recipes, videos and guidance with gluten free baking. Gluten free baking frustrates me but I will persist!
Debbie D says
I just got done making this bread. I did sub the tapioca flour with arrowroot flour--as my tapioca flour hadn't arrived yet. I didn't hold out much hope for this bread as I had tried 3 other recipes from other sites (not your recipe nor your flour blend). I wish I could post pictures of the bread I just made (I have them if you ever want to see them). My bread came out GORGEOUS! It has the BEST crumb! Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. One of the "other" gluten free recipes I used came out like a brick and I needed a chain saw to cut it open. This cut beautifully! Browned up just great. I used a Kitchenaid Bread Bowl to cook the bread in the oven and used a Kitchenaid mixer as well. I cooked the bread for 50 minutes within the breadbowl and then took off the bowl part and let it cook for another 5 minutes. I tested the temp inside the bread and it was about 110--111 F. I was concerned it would be gummy. NOPE! It came out perfect! Thank you so much for (finally) a great GF bread!
Kim says
Awe, that's wonderful, Debbie! I'm so glad you liked it!!!
Jan G says
Best GF bread!!! I need to know about freezing this bread so I can sell it! I’ve been baking for friends and recently was asked to bake for a small neighborhood market and they need it to be in their freezer section!! Any tips on slicing & freezing? Type of bag to use? How long will it be good if frozen? Thanks!!
Pamela Price says
Kim-I was so proud of this loaf. It actually looked like yours.
I’m learning that all these yummy, healthier, no chemicals breads, do get stale faster. So I’m stock piling them in the freezer. Don’t want to throw any of these breads away.
Thanks for all your help teaching us what you know. Learning to bake with your guidance has been so much fun.
Kimberley Kuschak says
Can I drop the honey? I’m looking for a sugar/gluten free recipe
Kim says
You could try, but I just don't know if it would work. The little bit of honey is used to feed the yeast, but it is possible it might get enough food from the flour components. I've just never tried it.
Jenn says
Great, thank you so much!
Jenn Gregory says
I apologize if someone has already asked this, however, is the 140 grams of sourdough starter in addition to the 350 grams of Kim's GF bread flour blend and 240 ml of water?
Kim says
Yep! I already did the work for you so you don't need to do any math 🙂
Alida says
Hi Kim
Tried to bake your bread, but without any success😢
The water one put in when making the dough, is that cold water, or luke warm water like in most yeast based recipe,s?
My bread did not raise at all in any of the steps, so end result, VERY dense.
When one feeds the starter the night before, the morning, should that starter still be at peak, or already have collapsed?
I sooo much want to try this again and this time have success🤗🤗
Kim says
The starter should have already collapsed when you feed it.
I'm taking a guess here, but it's possible your proofing area isn't warm enough for the dough to rise. This is a constant problem with gluten free bread in that it needs a warmer environment than what we're used to with gluten filled bread. What I do is turn my oven on to the warm function (which on my oven is 170 F), turn it off and put the dough inside the warm oven. In colder weather, I might even turn it on and off a couple of times again while the dough is proofing if it's not rising like it should. It does take a much longer time, however, for sourdough to rise so be aware of that as well.
The water does not have to be warm if your proofing area is warm enough. But if you want to add warm water, it won't hurt it.
I hope these tips help in your next go round 😊
Tim says
I agree on both the starter and the dough proofing. Where most standard gluten flours work anywhere from mid 60s to mid 70sF temp for gluten free ideally you need 80-90F for that last proof.
Another trick I have used to get the wild yeast to a higher count in the starter and even in the dough is using rasin or wine grapes water. Soak organic raisins in slughtly warm not hot spring water. Then use that water for your starter or levian. I have even used a tbs of homemade yogurt whey drained. I use different lactobacillys strains vs standard cultures. These two things jump start the CO2 and lactic /acetic acid production. Putting the proof in the frig helps as the yest stays active but slow but the bacteria is practically hibernating with no activity. You get more CO2 with less acid vs equal activity at the 85F proofing temps. Allows the proof to slowly reach the 3.7-4.0 ph needed but with more rise. Which I think us needed with gluten free wild yeast. I agree the 1/4 -1/2 tsp baking powder helps get a larger hole crumb. A bit of apple cider can help as well and speed things up.
Awesome recipe. Keep up the greatexperimentation. Of food science..
Cynthia’s says
You nailed it!!!
I nailed it!!!
Great recipe!!!
Kim says
Awe, thanks so much Cynthia!!
Christine says
Kim, I have been searching and searching for a GOOD gluten-free sourdough bread recipe for my liquid starter, “Cuthbert”. I used your bread flour. I preheated my Dutch oven at 500 for 30 minutes before adding my dough. At 40 minutes in the Dutch oven (at 450) I removed the lid. My bread was super dark. I took its temperature: 205 so I know it was done. It was perfect, but the crust was too dark for my husband. Any suggestions or recommendations on oven time/temperature? Can I try 350? Or 20 minutes and then remove the lid?! Totally thankful for your recipe! Delicious bread and excellent shape! I feel redeemed after so many failures!
Kim says
Thanks so much, Christine!!
That is a little unusual because mine doesn't ever come out too dark. It could be your Dutch oven compared to mine. Is yours coated in enamel by chance? Yeah, I think you could take it out of the Dutch oven after 20-30 minutes, but maybe just keep it loosely covered with some tin foil so it doesn't continue to darken for the remaining of the bake. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Christine says
Thanks Kim! I am trying again this weekend and will let you know how it goes. My Dutch oven is cast iron but not black. I will try 30 minutes at 450 than put on a baking sheet and cover loosely with foil.
Christine says
Kim! It worked! A perfect sourdough loaf! 30 minutes at 450 then on to a baking sheet with loose foil over top for another 15 minutes. Beautiful! Trying your artesian loaf next!
Kim says
That's wonderful, Christine!!! So happy it worked 🙂
Shelley Smith says
I used my Dutch oven (cast iron covered with enamel) wondering if that is why my bread was so dark too.
carolyn arce says
I am letting it proof overnight but so far I have the same problem as a previous comment . It looks awfully wet and I don't know if I can fix it before baking? I know I used everything as written and weighed all the ingredients . Water was measured Ina glass measure slightly under the 400 ml lin to get to 390. Any suggestions?
Kim says
If you weighed all the ingredients, then why wouldn't you weigh the water in the measuring cup to 390ml instead of just checking it to be slightly under the 400ml line? That doesn't make sense to me. If you substitute any ingredients within the flour blend itself, you will not have the same results and may need to change some things.
carolyn arce says
Hi appreciate you getting back to me.
I didn't weigh the water because it's in milliliters not grams . My measuring glass skips from 350ML to 400ML... nothing else was changed
By the way I added more flour after letting it proof a bit in fridge but before overnight time. I really didn't want to take my chance with such a wet dough . I will see today later when I bake it what happens . Hopefully I didn't kill the process of the rise.
Kim says
Hmmm. I have 4 different scales and every one of them measures in grams, milliliters, ounces, and pounds. But milliliters and grams are basically the same thing. Grams are usually used for dry ingredients and milliliters for wet, but they are interchangeable.
carolyn arce says
Thanks I didn't know grams and milliliters are interchangeable... well my bread so far looks amazing great rise ...I have tried making gluten free sourdough before and never have I gotten such a beautiful rise . I did bake it in a clay baker rompkompf I think it's called. Well hope inside delivers the texture you show that's always been where it doesn't seem dry enough. I'll let you know . I will send a pic. Thanks for the help.
Matt says
Hi Kim! I've been making sourdough breads for years and this is the first GF sourdough that's actually come out great! I know this was a relatively new recipe and I'm really happy you added it.
I have a couple questions/comments though. I didn't have potato starch so I substituted arrowroot starch at 2/3 the amount (by weight), which is a recommendation I saw online, and reduced the water proportionally. Everything about the texture and density seemed fine except that the bread was slightly sticky after it was completely cooled and sliced, even the next day. I'm wondering if you think it's due to the substitution, and if so, any suggestions you might have. We have quite a bit of potato flour that I might try as a substitute for potato starch instead of the arrowroot.
The other thing I did different was that I baked in a Dutch oven with the lid for 40 minutes, but stopped baking at that point because the temp was around 190 F and the top was already a nice golden brown with a crispy crust. Could the shorter baking time cause the stickiness?
Thank you!
Kim says
Hi, Matt!
I've only used arrowroot as a substitute for cornstarch as they are more related in texture. Since potato starch is the biggest percentage of my bread flour blend, I would say that's one of the reasons why you had stickiness.
I would definitely NOT substitute potato flour for the starch. They are too totally different things and you won't end up with anything worth baking. I've had a few readers who thought they were interchangeable and had disastrous results.
As far as the baking time, I would continue to bake it for the full time. I find that checking the temperature is not always accurate when it comes to baking gluten free bread, or at least my recipes. If you went for the full 60 minutes, your bread would most likely not be sticky.
Hope this helps 🙂
Matt says
Thanks for the feedback! We just happen to have a big bag of potato flour so I was hoping it might produce something decent, even though I know they're not interchangeable. I decided to just give it a try and it really was pretty terrible, haha. Luckily we turned the loaf into crackers and then crushed them into a salad topping, both of which were great.
I just made another sourdough loaf but this time followed your recipe exactly, and it may have been the best gf bread I've ever made! It's really great to be able to bake something that actually seems like real sourdough after going a couple years without it. You're a true hero for Celiacs!
Kim says
Yay!!!!! I'm so glad it finally worked for you!! Thank you so much (you are too kind) 😍😍😍
Leah says
Do you have a good sourdough starter recipe or guide? Ive tried twice and can't get a starter going!
Matt says
Hi Leah,
If you're on Facebook, I recommend following the Gluten Free Sourdough Baking page. It's very active with a lot of members, and they have instructions in the "Files" section on how to make your own starter. Their methods work well but I've had great results from a simpler approach. Here's my recommendation:
Start with a mix of grains; you're more likely to get more microbes if you have variety. I've found teff flour to be a reliable source for creating a starter, even using just a tablespoon mixed with brown rice flour is likely enough to get your starter going within a week, but any grains should work given enough time. Adding a few grapes can also help because they're usually naturally coated with wild yeast, which is that powdery substance you often see on grapes. You only need about 1/2 - 1 cup of flour blend. Add enough water to make it into the consistency of pancake/waffle batter (the exact texture isn't important, as long as it's thick enough to eventually see bubbles). Cover it with cloth or a paper towel to allow oxygen but keep out bugs, then let it sit at room temp.
It helps to stir it every day to encourage airborne microbes to be incorporated. You might start to see it bubble in as few as a couple days, but often it can take a couple weeks. When there are a lot of bubbles, discard 1/2 - 3/4 of the starter and feed with fresh flour/water. Wait for it to bubble again and repeat. When you reliably get lots of bubbling within 8 hours of feeding (at temperatures above 70 F), the starter should be ready to use!
A couple things to note: while the starter is being established, especially during the first week or two, it's normal for it to develop a terrible smell like a dead animal (although this doesn't always happen). People make the mistake of throwing the starter away because they think it's ruined; that's just the progression of different microbes battling it out while the yeasts and lactic acid bacteria establish themselves and create an environment suitable for themselves and inhospitable to the undesirable ones.
You may notice a layer of dark liquid forming on the surface that can smell rotten, alcoholic, or like nail polish remover. Sourdough bakers refer to this as the "hooch" and it also forms in established starters that haven't been fed recently. It's not harmful, but it doesn't taste great and you can just pour it off or stir it back in.
To maintain the starter, I typically keep enough for 1 or 2 recipes, stored in a small mason jar with a sealed lid. When I'm baking, I take whatever starter I need from the jar and mix fresh flour (I just use brown or white rice flour with nothing else) and water right into the jar with whatever starter remains. You only need trace amounts of starter for it to completely re-grow but I usually make sure there's at least a tablespoon. Then I let it sit out at room temperature (with the lid loose so the gas can escape) for most of the day or until it bubbles, then move it to the fridge until my next bake. If you're not using it for more than two weeks, you'll want to discard most of it and feed again just to keep it healthy. Weekly feeding is best.
Finally, even though the starter seems active and stable, it can take a couple months or more for it to become reliable and predictable. Don't be surprised or discouraged if you occasionally get little or no rise during those first couple months. The starter is still young and not entirely stable. Also keep in mind that temperature significantly affects rising time. I use a proofing box set to 80 - 85 F, and I can get the dough to double in about 4 or 5 hours, but at 70 - 75 F it can take twice as long.
Hope this helps! If it doesn't work and you want some established starter, let me know and I can mail some to you. Our house is 100% gluten free and my starter is safe for someone with Celiac who is extremely sensitive.
Kim says
Hi, Leah! Not sure why I didn't see this until now, but in addition to what Matt told you, you can also check out my sourdough starter post here: https://www.letthemeatgfcake.com/gluten-free-sourdough-starter/ 🙂
Leah says
Just finished making a loaf and love it. I’m wanting to try some 2oz rolls with this recipe now. Any idea on what I should alter the cook time to?
Kim says
Awesome! I would shoot for 20 minutes and check at that point 🙂
Nicki Swift says
OMG Kim, you are my lifesaver for real sourdough bread (the crispy crust alone had me squealing with joy!).....if I didn't know it was gluten free, I would never have guessed! I jumped right in and kept my dough in the fridge for 7-days before baking, as I really love the sour of sourdough. But I'm just curious, had you ever tried not refrigerating it in your many tests getting to this point? Wondering if just leaving it on the counter would speed up the souring process (okay, maybe I'm just being impatient and want to bake it quicker). Or is your main purpose of the refrigeration strictly so it's easier to knead?
I will advise I didn't have the "milk" powder when creating your GF flour blend, so winged it by adding coconut milk when making the dough (a little at a time until I got the consistency of the dough in your video).
I did find I had a "gummy" problem when cutting...but that was entirely because I just couldn't wait any longer to try it. But when the rest of the loaf had finally cooled, it was perfectly amazing! THANK YOU KIM!
Kim says
Awe, thanks so much, Nicki! You're too kind 🙂
The main reason I refrigerate it is for the ease of kneading. When you say milk powder, did you get the correct flour blend? My only flour blend that uses dry milk powder is my all purpose one. The bread flour blend uses whey protein isolate, not milk powder. That could be why you got a gummy texture as well.
Nicki Swift says
Okay, apparently had a not-so-Swift moment there because I used your all purpose blend!(???!!) Wow, if it was amazing with the "wrong" blend, it's going to be to-die-for with the right one! Thanks again Kim!
Martha Cortez says
Thank you so much for the GF flour recipes! They've made a significant difference in GF baking for me(I bake GF for my daughter who is gluten intolerant) . I did substitute potato starch with arrowroot since she is staying away from nightshades as well. I've made a few things including this sourdough bread,,, it was incredible!
Kim says
Thanks so much, Martha! I'm so glad arrowroot worked as a sub for the potato starch 🙂
Marla says
This was my 3rd time making this bread. The crust was very crunchy & hard to slice the first two times (I checked the temp of my oven and it was fine), so I adapted the timing a bit by baking it completely covered for 50 minutes and uncovered for 10. I also put in 3 ice cubes between the parchment and the cast iron when I put the loaf in. AND, I used pea protein instead of the whey isolate since I needed it DF, and it was perfect!!! Thank you, Kim, for this amazing recipe!!
Kim says
That's awesome, Marla, that you were able to adapt it to your needs!!! Adjusting the covered baking time could be something that's required for dairy free. Thanks for informing me so I can add your info to the recipe for those who also need to be dairy free 😍😍😍
Nette says
Hi Kim, is it essential to have a 5 quart Dutch oven or would 3.75 do ( this is the size I already have)?
I’d love to use this method over the water pan one, if possible without buying something else.
Would a round covered 5 quart Pyrex dish work instead of a Dutch oven?
Kim says
I think the 3.75 size would work. It's the ones that are bigger than 5 quart that I think would cause your loaf to spread out and not rise up 🙂
Margo Tessman says
I made my first sourdough loaf from your recipe Kim. So pleased with it how it turned out. I too had streaks of brown through the outer edges of my loaf, due, I guess, to not working in the baking soda well enough. BUT, my dough was SO sticky I could hardly manipulate it at all to incorporate the baking soda. It did not look like the dough pictured on your website. Can you tell me why my dough might be so sticky? Could hardly get it off one hand without the complete glob of dough clinging to my other hand.
Kim says
Hi, Margo! First question, did you use my bread flour blend? If so, did you substitute anything within the blend itself?
Margo Tessman says
Yes, I used your bread flour recipe as directed. The only thing I was unsure of was whether to use the dough hook or the beater in my stand mixer. After making the bread I came across your video and you were using the dough hook. This is the only thing different that I think I did. Unless my starter wasnt really ready but I worked on that for 15 days and I did get a good rise in my loaf.
Matt says
Bread tastes great but I am not able to get it to rise as much as I would like. I fed my starter the morning of making the dough and waited for it to rise before combining as it seemed most gluten recipes follow that but I noticed your recipe doesn’t mention that. Is the idea that it gets fed and rises once it’s all combined in the mixer?
Kim says
How long did you wait for it to rise? My recipe calls for feeding it the night before (many others do this as well) because you want it to be at peak rise and be very active and "ripe" before using it in the recipe. If you don't give it enough time to become fully active, you won't get much of a rise. In my recipe, the very first step is to feed the starter the night before, so I'm not quite sure what you mean when you say my recipe doesn't mention that?
Matt says
Thanks for the reply Kim, sorry I wasn’t very clear in my question, I did feed it the night before but by morning time it has already risen and fallen. So I fed it again in the morning and let it rise 3 hours which is about the time it was taking me to get a peak and then i put it in. I didn’t realize that the starter could still be peaking after such a long time so I thought maybe I just missed a step of feeding it again in the morning but I must be doing something wrong if it has fallen by morning,
Kim says
Hmmm. That is a head scratcher. Try feeding it double the amount the night before and see if it sustains its rise by the next morning.
Matt says
I figured out at least one big mistake I made, I clicked the link for the flour blend and scrolled down to the first recipe which is the all purpose flour, not the bread flour. 🤦♂️ It still tasted great and had some rise but I’ll let you know if that fixes my rising problem.
Erin Bloys says
I need some help figuring out what happened with this bread! I made a 10 cup batch of your bread flour, using the exact ingredients you listed, no subs!
I followed the process and had a nice mature GF starter made from brown rice.
I got a good initial rise.
After storing it in the fridge overnight I kneaded it with a rounded 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for about two minutes. It shaped up nicely and I placed it in a floured round banneton for the second proof. It puffed up nicely.
I scored it and baked it and it came out of the oven looking exactly like yours in the photos. Gorgeous banneton marks and a nicely opened up x shaped score.
Waited 3 hours to let it cool. great texture, nice little plentiful fermentation holes, but when I sliced it the entire loaf is tunneled through with streaks of brown. It almost looked like a marbled rye bread! What the heck?! The taste and texture are good even where I see the brown marks, but what is this??!! What caused this?! because even thought this is a nice loaf of GF bread, I know my kids won't eat it with these marks!
Kim says
That is puzzling. The only thing I can think of is maybe the baking soda didn't get completely mixed in and it reacted with the alcohol in the sourdough. If you make it again, either try leaving the baking soda out completely or making sure to thoroughly mix it in. I found this thread from The Fresh Loaf where the person had a similar problem. See what others have said: https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/14626/help-brown-spots-bread
Erin Bloys says
Yep, I'm sure that baking soda is the culprit after reading the link - thank you for sharing that! I will try it again without the baking soda. I'm also thinking about turning this into a caiman raisin swirl loaf. I want to try adding soaked, drained raisins and cinnamon sugar before shaping and final proof in a banneton. I thought I might gently flatten the dough and try a sort of lamination of the raisins and cinnamon, then roll it up and tuck the ends under to shape it into a batard. I might even sprinkle some cinnamon sugar over the top before I score, but I hope the sugar won't burn in the high heat of the dutch oven. FYI, I threw a couple of ice cubes into the bottom of the hot dutch oven when I placed my loaf inside and I got an incredible rise and even some blistering on the exterior crust!
Kim says
Sounds fabulous!!
Tania says
Wish I had spotted this sooner. I had the brown marbling and slight chemical taste that I am now thinking was caused by the baking soda. I am about to try the recipe again as the texture and rise were great and the loaf still tasted ok.(even with the slight chemical taste)
Lissa says
I made this and I wish I'd taken a picture! My spouse, who is NOT GF, tore through this! Liked it way better than all the GF store bought breads. I did too! I used to bake bread all the time, but as my gluten sensitivity increased, my inability to simply even breathe while playing with gluten flour ended my bread baking hobby. Finally diagnosed officially with NCGS, I'd come kicking and screaming to the GF bandwagon. But this has completely changed my perspective. Now, my first attempt wasn't perfect, but I was able to recognize my errors (thanks to rereading the commentary), not letting the dough sit for long enough, too impatient with getting it baked, failing to fight off the urge to cut into it piping hot, I recognized my errors. Regardless, it was good enough to keep my spouse coming back for seconds (and thirds!) and I feel a rekindling of my bread baking passion. *THANK YOU*. Round two is resting, I'm going to be patient this time and give it the time it deserves. Hopefully this time I'll get a picture! Oooh! I hadn't tried the Dutch oven method before, and despite my nervousness, it came out beautifully! All my bread pan methods for GF bread failed miserably so this method is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Kim says
Awesome, Lissa! So glad you could enjoy a great gluten free loaf of bread 🙂
Lissa says
Round two came out even better. I'm absolutely in love with this recipe! Now, my starter is starting to fizzle out, so I've gotta go back and research before attempting to make another batch, but, I'm hooked! Thank you!
Judy Sarvary says
This sourdough bread turned out pretty good. The dough and then the bread itself had a pink tint to it.. why would that be?
Kim says
Did you happen to add the baking soda? I just had another reader say that she had brown streaks in hers and I wondered if it's from the baking soda not being mixed in properly.
Steve says
Outstanding recipe! I’ve also made this with Authentic Foods superfine brown rice flour, which works just as well. I find I need a little more water, maybe my starter is less liquidy.
Kim says
Thanks, Steve 🙂
Jennifer Matthews says
So far so good. Making my first loaf of sourdough now. Should be done in about 15 minutes. My only question is how dark should the outside look? Mine looks very dark, almost burned looking. Is it supposed to be that way? I have it cooking in a dutch oven but my lid has a crappy knob that can't deal with temps above 350 so I just left the lid off but I did make sure to put a cup of water in a shallow pan when I put the loaf in the oven. I'm just not sure if I did anything wrong, I'm such a newbie at this !
Kim says
It does tend to get pretty dark, but the problem with your lid could cause it to get even darker.
Rudy says
Kim, this recipe is incredible! Love it love it love it. Just finished baking it earlier today. Delish. I even made adjustments for a second loaf (before the original was even done with the first rise), including cocoa powder and extra honey for a lovely chocolate taste. Both turned out well. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe, this will replace the gluten bread i consume, i love it that much 🙂
Kim says
Wow, thanks so much, Rudy 🙂 🙂 🙂
Denel Wardell says
Shallow pan for steam. It was a stoneware pan. Does that matter? Also, the pan was completely dry when I pulled the bread out. Is that normal?
I used a baking stone from Pampered Chef to bake the loaf on the center rack. My water pan was on the rack 2 levels down and to the right of the baking stone.
I will email you. I have gotten nearly all my ingredients from your links. (You should be making at least some money for all your hard work...hehehe)
Kim says
Haha! I do make a little bit with the product links, so thank you for that!
Hmmm. I wonder if the stoneware pan soaked up all the water maybe? I'll await your email to try to figure this out 🙂
Denel Wardell says
This was only the second time I've tried to make bread completely from scratch. I read the recipe and watched the video a zillion times. My starter matured for over 3 weeks. My starter is 100% sorghum flour. My bread flour is your recipe. I was very careful to do everything just as you said/did. No substitutions.
It rose beautifully during both proofing sessions. It looked perfect going into the oven. I was so excited!
And then...the final end result...I was so disappointed! It did not rise at all during the bake. The crust was so hard I literally had to saw it to cut it. The inside was a bit dense. The only sourdough flavor was in the dough right by the crust, and that was not real distinct.
What did I do wrong?
I did stir my starter before I added it to the mixing bowl. Could that have caused the problem?
Help please! Now I'm scared to make any bread.
Btw, my first bread from scratch was your English muffin bread, that turned out a little dense, but worked well for my Thanksgiving stuffing.
Kim says
Oh no! I'm not sure, Denel, but together we'll figure it out. Did you put it in a covered Dutch oven or use a shallow pan for steam? The steam is very crucial in the recipe. If you can, please email me at [email protected] and give me some more information, including if you can give me brands of flours that you used to make the bread flour blend. Sometimes it's as simple as that.
Sarah says
My bread is not rising. I am using a mature starter (over a month old now) made from brown rice flour. When I'm mixing the bread initially, the dough doesn't seem as soft as yours in the video, it that the issue? My oven has a proofing setting so I'm putting my dough covered in there for 8hrs and its not doubling in size. Any suggestions?
Kim says
Were there any substitutions in the dough or the bread flour blend? If you watch my video, you'll see the dough itself doesn't rise a whole lot. It's just noticeably puffy. I would just go ahead with the next step. You'll see the most rise from when it hits the hot oven.
Bev Kennell says
I just made your sourdough bread for the first time and it is excellent! I can't stop eating it. I struggled making the starter and threw the first batch out. I was thinking of throwing the second batch out too, but discovered that my house was on the chilly side and that was the problem. So I put the jar on a towel on a heating pad, and that did the trick! It took two weeks for the starter to be ready, but it turned out great. Now I want to try all your recipes. Thanks so much!
Kim says
That's awesome, Bev!! I am also addicted to this bread. And that's a great tip for using the heating pad!! Thanks so much 🙂
Courtney says
I’m new to sourdough and gf eating, but I made this and it turned out fantastic!! So happy!
Amy Hilliker says
Hi there! I'm sorry, I'm so confused about a few things.
1. Why all the discarding? Where are we discarding it to and what are we doing with what we discard?
2. Is there a rise and fall to the starter itself ? If so, how much of a rise is expected?
Thank you for all your efforts with gluten free baking!
Kim says
Hi, Amy! The reason for the discard is that if you don't discard, your starter will take over the entire jar and possibly spill out the top. Each time you feed the starter, it's going to grow. It will continue to grow and expand to measures far greater than your jar can probably handle. If you happen to have a very large jar and want to skip discarding a couple of times, that would probably be fine, though. I wouldn't get into the habit of not discarding, however.
I usually just trash my discard, but there are so many websites out there now that have great recipes for using some of your discard, such as this one here: https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2020/10/sourdough-discard-101-recipes-faqs-answered-pancakes/
Yes, your starter will rise and fall. How much is dependent on how much flour you begin with and how much you discard and feed it. See my post on gluten free sourdough starters: https://www.letthemeatgfcake.com/gluten-free-sourdough-starter/
Noelle says
Hi Kim, this may be a silly question, so I apologize in advance. I love making gluten free sourdough and I love your flour blends, thank you for all the research you put into making your recipes! Do you by chance know if I can bake this low and slow instead of hot and fast? My pathetic oven has been having trouble maintaining high temperatures.
Kim says
I don't know for sure, but my guess is it wouldn't work at all. The bread needs that (at least) initial blast of very hot temperature to create the oven spring before the crust sets. I feel if you were to bake it on low the crust would set before it had a chance to rise and you'd be left with essential a brick.
Jesse says
First try with this recipe after making your starter. I use the oven for proofing like you do and when I checked it after 3 hrs on the second rise, I noticed the dough had split in a giant x shape on the round loaf (made in cast iron skillet). Have you ever had your dough split during the rising? I did add the 1/4tsp baking soda, but maybe not enough kneading to incorporate?
Kim says
Yes, my dough has split before. It's usually indicative of over proofing in gluten free baking. I would begin checking at 1 hour and every hour after that. However, it should still be a very great tasting bread!
Jesse says
Oh, it was some of the best gluten free bread I’ve ever had, period! Just had a very rustic look lol. Thank you for this recipe, I’ve despaired over making good bread in the past and your recipes really boosted my confidence!
Kim says
Thanks so much, Jesse😊
Marlene says
I live in Australia where your gf bread flour is not available so I use the one by Jeff hertzberg mixing enough for 10 days and have used your instructions for the rest but it is a little flat and needs to rise a bit more may it be because it is only around 13 degrees average can you confirm my recipe and I will Get there
Kim says
Unfortunately, it's probably flat because of the flour mix. I do have affiliate links for Australia for the flours needed to make my flour blend, so you should be able to find most, if not all, of those flour components in your area. I don't actually sell my flour blends pre made. I offer the recipe for you to make them yourself.
Danielle Harris says
Hi there! I’m hoping to add in kalamata olives, rosemary, and roasted garlic- at what point in the process would it be best to mix these in?
Kim says
That sounds so good, Danielle!!! I would say to mix them in with a spoon or spatula after mixing the dough in the mixer, before the first rise.
Please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Martha Wutschel says
I am new to sour dough bread. I made your recipe and now am ready to knead and bake the Artesian loaf. When I removed the bowl from the refrigerator I noticed a pink hue to the outer skin. I checked the starter - there is no pink hue here. I refrigerated in a metal bowl. Could that have impacted the color? Should I throw away and start over?
Kim says
Oh, wow Martha. I'm not sure, but I would have to say it very well could be a reaction. I honestly would start over completely. That totally sucks and I'm so sorry you have to start over, but I just wouldn't trust it.
Sara Scheid says
Hi! After adding psyllium husk powder my dough later turned a light purple color. Is this from the psyllium husk? I am proofing now and going to bake anyway. I’m going to make another loaf tomorrow and omit the husk. Any thoughts? Thank you!!
Margo Tessman says
In ordering psyllium powder/husk online, if you read product reviews, some brands have people commenting that the psyllium turned their baking products purple.
Dawn Harpster says
I am having an issue I have tried this recipe three times and followed it to the letter. My starter is active and bubbly and I still can't get this to rise hardly at all. What else can I try because I love the flavor I'm just not quite sure what else to do. Would love your help!
Kim says
Hi, Dawn! I'm sorry you're having issues with the sourdough. It can be a finnicky bread, especially considering everyone's starter is different.
A few things to ask: did you substitute anything in my bread flour blend? If not, sometimes I find that people just aren't making their proofing area warm enough. What I like to do is turn my oven on to the "warm" function, which I believe is at 170. As soon as it comes on (I have a gas oven so I can hear when that happens), I turn it off and put the dough in the oven. It's nice and toasty in the oven, which most people think is too warm but I've found it perfect for gluten-free proofing. The dough won't rise all that much for either the bulk fermentation or the final rise, but should definitely get a lot of oven spring. Have you tried using the baking soda? That also helps.
I hope these tips and tricks help, and I'm crossing my fingers you'll be in gluten free sourdough heaven soon 🤞
Laura McFarland says
I made this sourdough last week and it was super! I have been cooking/baking GF for the last 11 years and I'm very particular about what I actually park on and make again and again. Your website is a treasure trove that I haven't seen in all these years! Thanks for offering well crafted breads for those of us who are bread deprived. I am wanting to make this bread to sell and am wondering if there's any way I can eliminate the whey? I actually used collagen in mine, since my husband is DF and it was what I had on hand! But it's so costly to use, so I'm wondering if I can substitute it for coconut powder/milk powder or eliminate it with any sucess?!!
Kim says
Hi, Laura and thanks for the kind words!!
I do have some substitution suggestions right on my flour blends page for using something other than whey. However, I wouldn't suggest eliminating a protein powder altogether because protein is what I feel makes my bread recipes successful, along with the other ingredients in the flour blend. Check my flour blends page for the other substitution suggestions I have listed 🙂
Amy Hilliker says
Thank you for the reply. So are you saying the night before use 140g starter, add 100g water and 100g flour to that then the following morning use that as the ripe starter in the bread recipe?
Kim says
Basically, but don't get so caught up on the exact numbers. As long as you have at least 140 grams of ripe starter the next morning, you're good.
Blake Walsh says
I had a quick query! Is the refrigerator step necessary? I have a very mature starter. I sub additional starter for some of the flour and water. If I am pleased with the sourness of the dough on the first rise, does the dough need that extra time? Thank you much!
Kim says
Hi! The refrigerator step is necessary to be able to shape the dough easily. Without it, you'll have a very sticky mess on your hands. Having well chilled dough makes it so much easier to shape. This may not be true for gluten-filled dough, but for my gf bread recipes it is one of the main steps that helps with shaping.
Tanya Delahoz says
@blakewalsh-what flour did you use for your GF starter? I’m starting to experiment with gf starters and need all the help I can get!
Kim says
I used random flours. I made about 4 starters in a 3-4 week period, just for testing purposes. One I started solely with buckwheat flour, one with sorghum, one I think with a mixture of white rice and brown rice, and another I think was made with teff. Once they got going with lots of bubbles, I then added white or brown rice flour for maintaining until I was ready to bake.
Hope that helps! Good luck 🙂
Amy Hilliker says
Hi Kim! I am so excited to try making this Gluten Free Artisian Sour Dough Bread! I've never made bread from scratch and I absolutely LOVE Artisian Sour Dough! One of the things I love & appreciate most about your post is your specific ingredients & brands that have worked the best. What specific flour and brand has made the best starter for you?
Kim says
Hi, Amy! I like so many of them, but I think my favorite was the one I started with sorghum flour and ended with brown rice flour. The sorghum was Bob's Red Mill and the brown rice flour happened to be Authentic Foods Superfine Brown Rice Flour, but I think the Bob's Red Mill brown rice flour would also work perfectly fine in this application 🙂
Nicole says
I have been baking GF bread for 14 years and this bread is one of the very best; certainly the best sourdough bread that I have made. I believe the secret to successful baking is the flour/protein blend. For those who live at 4300 feet above sea level: the initial rising time took 8 hours and I had to keep the dough in an oven that I would periodically warm up for 45 seconds at 170F. In step 4, sprinkled 1/2 tsp of baking soda on top of the dough before lightly kneading the bread. Letting the cooked bread cool completely is also necessary to avoid the weird GF gummy consistency. Thank you for the wonderful bread recipe.
Kim says
Thanks so much, Nicole!!! And thank you for the high altitude baking tips, which will be very helpful to other bakers living at high altitude 🙂
Catherine says
The first time I made this recipe, it said 240g of starter (about 1 cup). Now it says 140g (1 cup) but I'm still using 240g or else I would only have about 1/2 cup. Does that make sense?
Kim says
Hi, Catherine! I'm so sorry that I've made it so confusing. I actually had someone ask me about the 240g because in the video I say 140g and it was supposed to be 140g, so I changed it on the recipe to 140g. However, if for whatever reason yours is working great using 240g, so I'd just stick with it.
I hope I haven't made it even more confusing, haha!
Catherine says
I'm glad I asked! 🙂 I will stick to 240g as it works perfectly fine for me. Thanks for clarifying.
Amy Hilliker says
Same thing happened to me! 140g measured half a cup and didn't rise at all so I'll try the 240g since that worked for you. Thanks!
Madeline says
Yes! I made the recipe with the dough hook! This was the best bread I have ever made!!! Thank you so much Kim!! Last question lol.... when doing your starter, I’m looking to make bread without xanthan gum. Can you use your own all purpose flour blend ? (Xanthan free blend or replace it with psyllium husk?) or do you have a certain blend Xanthan gum free you would recommend? Thank you so much for all the help! 🙂
Kim says
Yay!!!!! I'm so glad you had success, Madeline!
When making the starter, you could certainly use the xanthan gum free blend (mine or any other you might find). And you can also use psyllium husk as a replacement in my bread flour for the xanthan gum. 🙂
Madeline says
Thank you so much! We all devoured this bread like no tomorrow.
Madeline says
Hi Kim! So excited to make this bread! For the starter, do you know roughly how many grams 1/3 of the starter should be? Thank you so much!
Kim says
Hi Madeline! I'm sorry, I don't. It all depends on how much you've fed it throughout and how much its risen and how much has been discarded. I don't think anyone's starter would weigh the same as another's. What are you trying to do? Maybe I could help figure it out?
Madeline says
Hi! So I’m just looking at Step 1 of this recipe and wanted to be exact with how much starter I have currently and how much I should have for the recipe! Thank you!
Kim says
Hi, Madeline! You'll need 140 grams of starter, which is around 1 cup 🙂
Madeline says
Thank you! Also do you use a whisk to mix or do you use a bread hook?
Kim says
The dough hook. Are you not able to see the video in the post?
Frankie says
Is that before or after you discard most of it? I.e. is the 1/3 of the starter - 1/3 of the 140g of initial starter?
Kim says
It's discarding like you normally do when you feed your starter. I reworded it 🙂
Amber says
I also really don't understand the wording of this step and the video didn't help. I don't understand why it says to discard all but 1/3 of your starter when everyone's starter size be a different size? Like if I have 3 cups of starter that would be 1 cup, but if I have 6 cups it would be 2 cups...
Kim says
I see your point. This is based on my starter recipe, but it really doesn't matter in the final recipe. As long as you have 140 grams of the starter for the recipe, you're good. So if you have a very large starter like you said, just discard whatever you would normally discard before feeding it.
Kim says
I've reworded it. This recipe was based on using MY starter recipe. If you have a larger starter, all I'm saying is to discard whatever you would before you feed your starter, and to do this the night before making the dough. The goal is to have 140 grams of the starter to add to the dough the next day.
Shari says
Hi Kim, made my first loaf of Sourdough Bread yesterday and it turned out awesome. I had never made any type of sourdough bread before. Thank you once again for all these wonderful recipes and flour blends. I had given up on all of the GF flour blends that where commercially available and just started researching how to make my own when I found yours, thank you for the hours and days of research I know you had to do to come up with a blend that gives us something that most people will never know the difference between wheat and GF. I have been baking since I was 7 and love the way the house feels and smells on a baking day. I’m ecstatic to have that back once again. You’re the best, keep rocking out these amazing recipes. 🦋🌞
Kim says
Oh my gosh, Shari! Thank you SO much for your kind words!! I'm so glad you're able to enjoy baking again and I'm happy to be a source of gf recipes for you 🙂
Chris says
I have made the bread with your flour recipe and starter. I had to let the bread rise for 6 hours the first day. The dough was back to normal size when I removed from the fridge the next day. Was this to be expected?
On the bake day I let the dough rise for 4.5 hours. There was some rise but not a lot. The bread tasted good but I feel it may be heavier than it should be and made a small loaf. I used my cast iron Dutch Oven pot to bake the bread.
Have I done something wrong?
Thanks
Kim says
Hi, Chris! It sounds to me like your starter wasn't active enough. It is normal for the dough to fall after being in the fridge overnight. Did you get any oven spring at all (the initial rise in the oven)?
Chris says
Hi Kim.
My initial rise after many hours was very good. More than doubled. After kneading the following day I had minimal rise. When baking I had next to no rise.
If my starter isn’t active enough how can I fix it?
Thanks
Kim says
Oh, okay. Maybe it's not your starter then. I'm wondering if you're not allowing it to rise long enough for the final rise. Also, I've found that some failures with my breads are because the proofing area isn't warm enough. Here's what I do: I have a "warm" function on my oven. I think it goes to about 170 degrees. I turn that on and allow it to warm up very briefly (like a minute) and then turn it off before placing the bread in the oven to proof. After one hour, if still not looking like it's doing anything, turn the oven on again to the warm function and quickly turn it off. I've noticed that with gluten free baking, the proofing temp needs to be higher than with normal gluten-filled baking.
I'm crossing my fingers that you'll find success, Chris! I'm so sorry it hasn't worked for you yet, but I'm confident it'll happen and you'll be left with a glorious loaf of gluten free bread 🙂
Adam Goldwater says
Hey. I'm struggling with the same thing. Great initial rise and overnight. Kneading gets rid of all the previous rise and even after leaving for 3.5 hours at around 25/26, very little rise in the banneton and not much in the oven.
Can the kneading step be skipped and if so, how do you go from fridge to oven?
Kim says
You could skip the kneading. I prefer it with the kneading because I like the final texture, but you're welcome to try it without. To go directly from the fridge, I would scoop it out and put it directly into the banneton with extra flour sprinkled in the banneton to avoid sticking.
Hope this helps 🙂
Jeanne Stanton says
Hello! I built my GF starter 3 weeks ago and it is ready for baking! I want to make this bread but have a question: your recipe calls for 1 C of active starter. And then says discard all but 1/3 of it when using it. So are you saying to take 1/3 C of starter and feed that the 100 grams of flour and water in the evening? Thanks in advance for the help. I also just created 5 C of your flour blend so I'm ready to go! 😉
Kim says
Sort of. I reworded my recipe to hopefully make a little more sense. I'm stating to discard all but about 1/3 of your starter the night before and add 100 grams of flour and 100 grams (or a little more) of water, all done the night before. The goal is to have enough of your starter the next day to equal 140 grams. So if your starter is huge and you don't want to discard all but 1/3 of it, then discard however much you've been discarding when you feed it. When I wrote this recipe, it was based on using my own starter recipe. I do understand, however, that everyone has different starter sizes so I'm rewording this to accommodate.
Angharad Ermel says
Made this sourdough bread for my picky teenage grandson and he LOVED it! Thank you so much for the recipe - you don’t know how many recipes I’ve tried that hasn’t passed his taste test!!!!
He asked if I could make hamburgers with this recipe as he hasn’t had hamburger in a bun for a very long time! So can I make the dough into buns and what changes do I have to make?
Melissa C says
FANTASTIC! I made my bread today (tagged you on Insta) and my sister and I are amazed! I'm so happy! Thank you, so so much!
Kim says
Awe, thanks Melissa!! I appreciate the shoutout on Insta 🙂
Catherine Guinta says
Is it possible to double the recipe to make a larger loaf?
Kim says
Sure! It makes a pretty large loaf, though. You'd definitely have to adjust your baking time, probably to close to double the time.
Catherine Guinta says
I decided not to double it and just make it more often so we eat it fresher. I was wondering if it would be possible to add cheese and herbs to make a savory bread with this recipe.
Kim says
I think that sounds so good, Catherine! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Marla says
I was thinking about doubling this recipe and baking it in my very large cast iron pot. My friend loves the bread, and asked that I make her a loaf with fresh dill. Any thoughts on how much dill and when I'd add it?
Kim says
Oooh, dill sounds so good!! If you're doubling the recipe, I would go with at least 1/4 cup but maybe even 1/2 cup. And I would probably add it at the kneading stage.
Please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Patricia Suttmiller says
I can't wait to try this. I've made the GF Artisan bread and cinnamon rolls.and it was delicious. I have switched to mostly GF and it is helping my arthritis a lot. I also have several extended family members with celiac. Have you tried sourdough with your rye bread recipe? That was the next recipe I planned to make.
Kim says
I haven't tried any other recipes for the sourdough yet, but plan on it as I love using it! I need to try the rye bread soon, though. That and bagels/pretzels 🙂
Colleen Kumar says
Kim, I just wanted to confirm that after preheating the dutch oven at 500F, you drop the temperature down to 450F once the bread is added. You mentioned it in the video, but it's not in the written recipe. Actually, this is the first time I realized you had videos on your blog because it seems my ad blocker had been hiding them from me all this time! 🙁 I'm so very excited to see you posted this recipe, as I have been experimenting with GF sourdough baking the past few months with lukewarm results, and I know this will be fantastic because I have NEVER had a bad recipe from you! So thank you so much!!!!
Kim says
Thank you for catching that, Colleen!! Yes, you do drop the temp down to 450 as soon as you put the bread in the oven.
If you want to see all the videos you missed in one spot, check out my Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBIMroJp0URZoYGbTilnVSg
Thanks so much for the kind words, Colleen! I hope you like the sourdough 🙂 It has now become my favorite bread I make 😋
Catherine Guinta says
Thanks for sharing, I never get the videos either so I will definitely check out your YouTube channel!
Colleen says
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly (this morning is baking day, yay)! I just subscribed to your YouTube videos channel as well so I can easily find your videos in the future. May I ask what size banetton you use? I bought a 9" round thinking that was a standard size (ironically it's the same one you have linked above), but it is too big inside of a gallon-sized ziplock bag.
Colleen says
* too big to fit inside the ziplock.
Kim says
I'm so sorry, Colleen! I had the wrong banetton link on my Youtube video. Thanks for catching that! However, no need to buy another one. You could just use plastic wrap to cover yours. It doesn't have to be in a ziplock bag.
Amber jnips says
Recently had to go wheat free for my 2yo who has an allergy. I have a regular sourdough starter which has been so fun to explore the past few years but now haven't baked much since he can't have any.
Found this recipe and cannot wait to try it! I've tried making a GF starter without any luck but after reading one of your comments, I think that I just turned in the towel too soon because of the smell.
Do you sell any of your starter? I've been looking at one's online and they seem like they have mixed results
Sara Binns says
Can I put this into a bread machine? I have MS and some days kneading is harder than others.
Kim says
I don't know anything about bread machines, so I can't say for sure but I bet it would do just fine 🙂
Heath says
Hi Kim, I am not sure how to start a new comment, but what I am wondering is, my dough is very runny. It is more like pancake batter. Suggestions?
Kim says
Hmmm. Did you use my flour blend?
Heather Cooper says
I did. Does altatude affect consistency? Maybe I didn't add the correct amount of flour or too much water. It happens sometimes...hahah..I will try again.
Kim says
It may, Heather. I wish I knew more about high altitude baking. I'm crossing my fingers it works next time 🤞
Keala says
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with the world. We always go to restaurants that make their own GF bread and of course the recipe is a secret that they say took them 200 times to get right. After years of being deprived, thank you for letting us bring this masterpiece into our home.
The bread was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Perfect artisan sourdough bread! I did undercook it by maybe 3 minutes and it was way more sour than I thought it was going to be. I only refrigerated it overnight, but I guess my sourdough starter is VERY mature. I do want to tone it down a bit, but other than that I am amazed I only have to do a couple little tweaks on my part. I did it with the baking soda and loved the way it turned out. Next time I will do without just to see the difference in taste and texture. Thank you for blessing our home! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Also, my dutch oven was buried in the garage somewhere, so I used my cast iron pan, threw in a few ice cubes, grabbed the parchment, threw it in, slapped foil over the top and topped with my le creuset lid and it worked like a charm. I guess I could have just put it in my le creuset, but I didn’t want to risk it flattening out in a larger pan. I can’t wait to find my dutch oven and put it to good use!