No daily feedings or discard? That’s right! This Easy Gluten Free Sourdough Starter will have you in the sourdough game in no time.
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.
I was always so scared to start a sourdough starter and make sourdough bread. The way it sounded to me was so confusing and way too much work. Like you had to have all conditions exactly right. No tap water. No metal utensils. A big enough jar to handle overflow and lots and lots of discarding and feeding. Every day. Sometimes twice a day. At least that’s what I thought originally, and some of those “rules” stuck with me when I made my first sourdough starter and bread (such as twice a day feedings and discardings).
But I often found myself forgetting to feed my starter and it’d eventually die. So when I found a different way for beginning and maintaining a sourdough starter, I was absolutely thrilled to test it out and see how it would work in the gluten free bread baking world. And that’s why I’m here now, telling you all about it, because it worked SO well that there was no way I was NOT gonna share it with you!
This method is not my own creation, so I need to give credit where credit is due. The brain child for this fabulous sourdough starter is the “Sourdough Whisperer” herself, Elaine Boddy. In her book (affiliate link), she explains that there is no need for keeping an overload of starter because it will almost grow into a beast, requiring to be fed all the time. If you keep a minimal amount of starter, you only need to feed it a minimal amount of flour and water, and not that often either. So I took her teachings and applied them to my own gluten free practices and here we are. You truly won’t believe how easy it is to maintain this starter (in the fridge!) and feed it only when you need it. Let’s dive right in!!
here's what you'll need
- A medium bowl
- A small jar for storing starter, preferably one with a wide lid
- Gluten free flour (NOT a blend). I’ll explain more on this later.
- Water
THE SIMPLE METHOD FOR creating your SOURDOUGH STARTER
Fun fact about me--I used to brew my own kombucha. I was good at it, too, and it was incredibly cheap to make! I used to make different wonderful flavors, like lavender lemon, tangerine, and chai just to name a few. This was when kombucha first came on the scene and no one really knew what it was. Now, you're probably wondering, "why in the heck is she telling me this?" "Who cares?" I actually DO have a relatable reason. It's the way I "got" the whole sourdough starter thing. Kombucha uses a SCOBY, which is a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. It is required for the fermentation of kombucha, which is just sweet tea that's been fermented.
Sourdough starter is basically the same concept. It's simply a mixture of flour and water that grabs the wild yeast in the environment and flour to create a live fermented culture. Sourdough starter takes the place of store bought yeast in bread baking.
To make a gluten free version of a sourdough starter isn't really any different, other than the types of flours you use. And in my experimenting, I've found that there is a WIDE range of flours that can be used in making a gluten free sourdough starter. Of note, there won't be the same kind of stretch in this gluten free sourdough starter as there is in a regular (gluten/wheat) starter. In fact, sometimes the top of the starter looks like cracked leather a little bit, and in order to see the bubbles you may need to agitate the jar (or even stir it gently).
- In a medium bowl, add 50 grams of brown rice flour (or your gf flour of choice--see below) and 60 grams of water. Stir until well combined. It should look like a thick pancake batter. Cover loosely and leave on the counter for 24 hours. I use a paper plate to cover my bowl.
- The next day, feed the starter with 30 grams of your gf flour of choice and 40 grams of water. Cover loosely and leave for 24 hours.
- Continue this method until you get to day 5.
- On day 5, remove the cover and discard roughly half of the starter and feed again with 30 grams of your gf flour of choice and 40 grams of water.
- Day 6, do not discard anything and feed with 30 grams of your gf flour of choice and 40 grams of water.
- Day 7, discard half and then feed as per usual.
- Day 8, feed as per usual.
- Day 9, discard half and feed as per usual.
- Day 10, look for signs of plenty of bubbles, expansion of the starter, and a sour smell in the bowl. If you don't see these signs, continue with the status quo until you do see them. If you DO see these signs, you can now put it in a wide-mouthed jar (affiliate link) with a tight fitting lid and place it in the fridge, where it will stay until you’re ready to use it.
Rather Watch?
What Flours are Okay to Use?
From what I've researched about sourdough starters, the best flour type to begin with is a wholegrain variety. Here are some examples:
- Sorghum (affiliate link)
- Teff (affiliate link)
- Millet (affiliate link)
- Amaranth (affiliate link)
- Buckwheat (affiliate link)
- Brown rice (affiliate link)
You can also use a combination of any of the above to start your starter. I would NOT suggest using anything other than the above flours for the first few days, until you begin to see activity. Then, if you want, you can add half of the flour you started with and half white or sweet rice flour. The sweet rice flour offers a very slight stretch to the starter that you wouldn't normally have.
When I made my first starter, I used sorghum because I had a bag of it sitting in my freezer just waiting to be used. Then I ran out and needed to feed it with something else, so I used brown rice flour. Not too long ago I bought several bags of Bob's Red Mill wholegrain flours, almost every single one listed above. I stashed them in my freezer for a rainy day. So I've pretty much been experimenting with all kinds of wholegrain flours and teff flour was bubbling within 2 days!
SOURDOUGH STARTER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No, you absolutely do not need to feed your starter daily! If you aren’t making bread on a daily basis, store the starter in the fridge until you’re ready to make bread again. Only feed it when you need it.
While most people state to use filtered water, my experience is that tap water works just fine. If you feel your tap water is heavy in chlorine, you can fill a container with tap water and leave it on the counter overnight. The chlorine will dissipate as the water sits.
Liquid on top of a sourdough starter is called “hooch.” It’s a byproduct of the fermentation process and indicates your starter is hungry. You can either stir it back into your starter when feeding or pour it out before feeding.
Tips, Tricks, and Rules to Break
- If you stir your starter with a metal spoon, it's not going to die. I know this because for the longest time I used a metal spoon and had the liveliest starter ever. The only reason I switched to a silicone spatula is because it was easier to scrape the sides of the container and I wanted it to look a little neater.
- Shocker--you can actually use tap water!! Again, I know this from experience. I've never used anything other than tap water. Maybe my tap water isn't filled with tons of chlorine, but I've never had a problem with it. If yours is, by all means use bottled or filtered water. Or pour your tap water into an open container and let it sit on the counter overnight.
- If you plan on baking gluten free sourdough often, just keep your starter on the counter and feed it at least once a day. If you don't plan on baking as often, you can store your starter in the refrigerator and feed it once a week.
What Size Jar Do I Need?
Elaine from Sourdough Whisperer recommends going with a smaller jar because you really don't need to keep large quantities of starter at any given time. I personally like these 16-oz wide-mouth jars (affiliate link), but use what you have. You don't need to go out and buy any jars, but especially not ginormous ones!
Don't be intimidated about making (capturing) your own natural yeast. It's so much easier than you might think and the rules CAN be broken. Start your gluten free sourdough starter today and by next week you should be ready to bake my gluten free sourdough bread!!
Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
Ingredients
- wholegrain flour, at least 290 grams (options: sorghum, buckwheat, brown rice, amaranth, teff, millet, quinoa
- water
Instructions
- Day 1--In a clean glass or ceramic bowl, add 50 grams of the wholegrain flour of your choice and 60 grams of water. Stir the mixture. If it's super thick and not like a thick pancake batter, you can add another 10 grams of water.
- Loosely cover the bowl (I like to use a paper plate) and leave it to sit on your counter for 24 hours.
- Day 2--Add 30 grams of wholegrain flour and 40 of water to what's already in the bowl and stir to combine.
- Loosely cover the bowl and leave it on your counter for 24 hours.
- Day 3 and 4--Continue with the previous day's feeding (30 grams of wholegrain flour and 40 grams of water) for both days. Loosely cover the bowl and leave it on your counter for 24 hours each day.
- Days 5--Remove the cover, discard roughly half the starter (no need to measure), and feed the starter as per usual (30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water). Loosely cover the bowl and leave it for 24 hours.
- Day 6--Remove the cover and feed with 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water (do not discard). Cover loosely and leave for 24 hours.
- Day 7--Remove the cover, discard roughly half the starter, and feed with 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water. Cover loosely and leave for 24 hours.
- Day 8--Remove the cover and feed with 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water (no discard). Cover loosely and leave for 24 hours.
- Day 9--Remove the cover, discard half, and feed with 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water. Cover loosely and leave for 24 hours.
- Day 10--By now, your starter should look very bubbly and have a sour aroma to it (in a good way). Spoon it into a wide-mouthed jar with a tight fitting lid and place the jar in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake with it.
Notes
Gluten Free Sourdough Starter was originally posted on June 9, 2020 and has been updated with an entirely new method for creating and maintaining the starter, as well as new pics and a video.
Anna says
Hi! I have a question. How do I maintain my starter after I use some of it to make bread? You say in the blog post to feed it but you don't say how much and when? I'd like to make bread about once a week for a while and then maybe every couple weeks.
Christie says
Hi Kim I’m on day 7 of my starter using buckwheat flour. It’s rising well, has bubbles, but smells quite foul. Perhaps I’m not attuned to what it should smell like, can you help me work out if it’s OK or if something has gone wrong? How would I know if it smells “too” bad, or if it is indeed fine?
Many thanks,
Christie
Kim says
Does it have a boozy like smell to it? If it were moldy, you should be able to see mold forming on top that may be pink-tinged. Can you describe what it smells like?
Karlee says
Hi there, I tried this recipe with buckwheat flour and nothing has ever happened! It got that pinkish color at the top at one point but it just stays like a thick paste and never rises. It’s smells like a barnyard! I must have done something wrong because it’s been 14 days. I’ll have to throw it out and start again I’m guessing. Maybe I’ll try millet flour next time. Any thoughts? I followed the directions exactly.
Kim says
What is the temperature of your kitchen? I always get massive growth when I use buckwheat (much more than anything else) so I'm not sure what happened, but if you got a pinkish color on top, most likely that was mold and it was doomed from the beginning. You'll need to start over.
Sarah says
Hi Kim,
I tried this recipe with Buckwheat flour, everything was going amazing and smelling nice until day 6 when I woke up to a covering of mold on the top of the starter as well as green fuzzies growing on the rim of the jar. I was so stoked to use it and so close to the finish line, but upon my findings, I was crushed. what happened or what can I do to prevent this when I try again? Thank you!
Kim says
Oh no! The only thing I can think of is it was in a too warm environment. If you can place it somewhere colder in your house, that might help.
Hollen says
Hi, Kim! I have tried this recipe with buckwheat flour twice now, and both times have wound up with mold. I’m using a paper plate to cover my bowl, but I’m wondering if I need to use something different? I live in the south, so it’s quite humid and unfortunately we’re prone to mold pretty easily. Any tips?
Kim says
Hmmm. I also live in the south in a very humid environment and I've never had mold develop in the 5+ years I've been making sourdough. You need something that breathes initially to accumulate the yeast from the air, so maybe you could try a muslin type cloth of some type of breathable cloth that you can wrap a rubber band around to hold it in place?
rosie says
It is winter here and 68 in my house ( I like it cool) I know gluten starters do better in warmer atmosphere, is it the same for this GF starter? I just watched the video and see you sterted your starter in a mixing bowl, mine is in a wide weck jar, will this work?
I just moved my starter to a small closed room and surrounded it with a seedling warming mat to see if this helps, i am getting the houch but she doesn't seem to be growing or bubbly, day 7
Kim says
I would think the seedling mat would help (I have something similar for bread rising), but if you starter it in colder temps it will most likely take longer to see growth. I'd just give it more time.
Adina says
Hi there!
I'm a fellow baker and just wanted to say that the best flours to use for starter have a higher amount of B amylase enzyme in them. The reason why some of the flours don't work is because they don't have that available to be broken down by the lactobacillus. You can try using malted rice flour, as it has B amylase. Also, brown rice flour and sweet potato flour have B amylase.
Kim says
Good to know, and thanks for the info! I will certainly look up all of those and then add an update to the post. I really appreciate you giving me this info and helping a fellow baker out 🥰🥰🥰
Jen says
Malted rice has gluten
Hannah says
Hi Kim,
Well after having great success with my starter via your recipe for the past month, I decided to 'proof' it in my Breville oven. It bubbled up beautifully, better than in the room, made a beautiful sourdough loaf. Then I put it in the fridge until next time. Next time was a few days later, I took it out of the fridge, left it to warm for a couple of hours, fed it 30 grams brown rice flour and 30 grams water. No activity after 24 hours! It's acting like it's dead. Any ideas of what happened? And what I can do? Do I have to start from scratch again? Thanks so much!
Hannah says
The proof temperature was 80 degrees, so should have been okay.
Kim says
Okay, then that definitely wasn't it. I honestly don't know why that happened. Try to revive it like I suggested and let me know what happens.
Kim says
Hmmm, that's odd. I would try to feed it again and just give it time to revive. I'm baffled honestly by what might have happened, unless it got too hot perhaps?(although I doubt that's the case).
Hannah says
Could it be how much is being fed, when nothing is getting discarded, and only 60 grams used for bread making? Wondering if the 30 grams isn't enough as the started gets to be bigger? What am I missing here?
Thanks Kim!
Kim says
That shouldn't be it as I never have to discard a thing and mine has been going for over 2 years now. That's the purpose of this one, not having to constantly discard once it's established. The starter really shouldn't be continuously growing. It should remain a small amount in the same small jar (like my 16-oz jar that I've been using from day one). If it's growing larger than your jar can handle, you might be feeding it too much or too often. Try scaling back some of your feedings and see if that helps it. Also, if you've been using tap water, try switching to bottled water. My tap water is fine, but some people have problems with using their tap water.
Lydia says
I've completed the 10 days with sorghum flour and my starter is looking great! I'm a little confused though what I should do now to maintain it long term. I put it in the fridge and plan on feeding it once a week like you say. Do I need to discard half of it again ever? Can I keep it in the fridge indefinitely or will I have to start over at some point?
Kim says
No, you don't need to discard anything at this point. You just keep it in the fridge until you're ready to bake and then take it out, feed it, and bake! It's just that easy. And it will keep in the fridge indefinitely, as long as you use it every once in a while. I've had mine for over 2 years now and sometimes it's in there for a few months without being touched and it's just fine when I feed it again.
Mari says
Hi Kim. I just commented also on your sourdough sandwich recipe thread. How long do you consider a few months when you say yours has remained not used in fridge for a few months. My starter isn't growing at all even after almost 20 hours. Before when I first started with it it produced beautifully and I was able to make loaves with no problem. Mine remained without being used at least for 4 months or 5 in the fridge? Could this have killed it? I used 35 grams of sorghum flour to feed it and 35 of water from a bottle.
Hannah says
I've been using your started recipe and so far so good. However do I need to wait until my started doubles in size? Typically it's only 50% bigger when I use it, and that's after it sitting out for 24 hours after being fed. Should I wait longer or feed more so it doubles in size before using it for bread?
Thanks so much!
Sarah says
Thanks Kim,
I just finished making a starter using your instructions. I used brown rice flour that I milled from brown rice in the tmx. I split it and added glutinous flour on day 5 to one batch, but found just the brown rice flour batch rose so much nicer by day 14. (I first tried buckwheat flour but it went mould on day 2, it's summer here). Most days I put it in the fridge during the day and kept it out at night to stop it over fermenting.
Karen says
Hi Kim, I followed your instructions and although I've had some bubbles it's not doubled in size either. I'll use the warming mat suggestion to improve it, but what I'm wondering about is whether it will eventually smell sour like I would expect from a sourdough starter. I started with sorghum flour and switched to brown rice flour to keep it fed. It just smells like yeast, not like sourdough, and it's not discolored.. By comparison, I've had glutenous sourdough starter in my fridge (being fed regularly) for months that has the "sourdough" smell and I'm 2+ weeks into this GF starter and they don't smell anything alike. Thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!! Your site is a blessing to find and I intend to try tonnes of your GF recipes. 🙂
Kim says
Awe, thank you Karen!
It will get more sour as time goes on, but here are some things you can do to speed it up (mine is very sour, almost blows me away when I first open the jar haha!):
Don't pour off the hooch (stir it into the starter)
Feed it less often
Feed it 1.5:1 flour to water ratio to make it thicker
Use a different whole grain, something darker (such as buckwheat or teff)
Stir it frequently, even when it's sitting in the fridge
Greg says
Kim, I’m familiar with regular sour dough and starters and their processes. I took a bit different approach to the flour blend, right or wrong, to start the starter.
You suggest weighing out 300 grams to use over the whole process, here is what I did.
125 g Sorghum Flour
100 g Brown Rice Flour
25 g Amaranth Flour
25 g Teff Flour
25 g Millet Flour
It doesn’t look like yours in the video as you used only brown rice flour. I will only use brown rice flour for refreshing the sourdough starter here on out.
When watching the video, you showed I believe 50 grams each brown rice flour and water. How much of the sourdough starter is used with those two ingredients to refresh it?
Thanks
Greg
Kim says
It really just depends on what recipe you're using. If you need, say, 100g of starter for a recipe and you only have a very small amount left in the jar, then feed it with 50g of flour and 50g of water. Or you may already have about 50g or so in your jar so you could simply add 30g each of flour and water. Sometimes I end up with a very small amount left in my jar (like a tablespoon) so I'll need to feed it more for whatever recipe I'm making.
Hannah says
Hi Kim,
When I keep my starter in the fridge, if I don't use it weekly, should I take it out and feed it?
And I've read on other sites that you should feed the same amount water, flour, and starter that you have by weight. Do you agree? Cuz I'm just adding 30 grams flour and 30 grams water to my starter that weighs about 230 grams, and using 60 grams starter when I make bread, so the weight stays about the same. My bread comes out great so far, just wondering if doing this would create even more bubbly starter?
Thanks much! I appreciate your site and information.
Kim says
Honestly, I sometimes don't even touch mine for months on end. It lives in my fridge and I only take it out when I'm ready to bake again. I go through sourdough baking spurts and will bake at least a loaf a week or more, and then I'll have periods where I don't bake any sourdough for months and the starter continues to stay dormant until I'm ready.
You can feed it in different quantities, based on the recipes you're using. Some recipes call for a different ratio than 1:1, but generally all of mine are 1:1, meaning 1 part flour to 1 part water. If I change that at any time, I will note it in any new recipes.
Hannah says
Do I need to wait until my started doubles in size? Typically it's only gotten 50% bigger when I use it, and that's after it sitting out for 24 hours after being fed. Should I wait longer or feed more so it doubles in size before using it for bread?
Thanks so much!
Alli says
Hi there! My starter was doing so well! Growing and doubling since day 4. Then on day 7 I watched the video and I noticed your starter was smoother and mine was a grainier texture. Like grainy thickish pancake batter. So I whisked it with a fork smooth on my feed and I killed it 🙁 is it ok for the starter not to be smooth? I’m using sorghum flour. Thank you for the help!
Kim says
Yes, that is perfectly fine if it's thicker.
Guadalupe Sanchez says
My starter has the smell and bubbles, but it's not rising much. Am I doing something wrong? I'm on day 11 currently.
Kim says
I would suggest putting it in the fridge at this point and when you're ready to bake it, take it out, feed it, and give it plenty of time to rise and see what happens.
Denese says
Hello Kim,I have just stumbled across your website.
I am in the process of purchasing my ingredients for your honey jumble recipe & am excited to see the end result.
Though I live in Brisbane Australia, I am familiar with your American food & also enjoy experimenting with new flavours.
I am grateful for your interest & dedication in expanding gluten free recipes to share with everyone THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Kind Regards,Denese.
Kim says
Awe, thank you so much, Denese 🙂
Brittany says
It has been about 2.5 weeks and although it has the smell, it is still not bubbling. At all. What am I doing wrong??
Kim says
If it has the sour/boozy smell to it, I would go ahead and try using it (or put it in the fridge to wait until you're ready to use it).
Drina Boban says
Hi Kim, I just tried making this starter for the 2nd time and failed again.
I'm following your steps and while I do get the sour/funk smell, both times there are no bubbles. Zero.
The 2nd time I tried, I went out to about 16 days but still no bubbles so I ended up throwing it out.
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but am wondering if temperature plays a roll. My house can get chilly overnight (~55-65 degrees overnight indoors). Would that cause this failure? And, if so, do you have any tips?
Thanks for your help. I've made a lot of your recipes with huge and delicious success so am excited to get this right.
Kim says
Definitely your room temperature is to blame. If you can put it in a warmer place at night, such as an oven with the light turned on. Another option is something I just bought on Amazon myself and it is a game changer for dough proofing. It's an electric mat that you place your bowl on and can adjust the temperature. If you would feel comfortable leaving it on at night, here is the link: https://amzn.to/4hwhorh
Drina Iva Boban says
Thanks so much, Kim! I'll give those suggestions a shot.
Christy Bakke says
While not made specifically for bread, a seedling warming mat will also work. It warms to about the same temperature and is much more cost efficient. We have one like this and use it in the winter when the house gets chilly.
https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Waterproof-Seedling-Hydroponic-Standard/dp/B00P7U259C/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=23SH5HPEWTDMN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.89L5ZnGHn6FbU0k8wtaRSTudw3V_0GnHIxwyLV_TFWNyGZPu792zJ4aQO5LuuJO9cLY7ybFrGb5T4dv3U-TZLgXccwjMlmZ1gCq51LGW0nhnwVM7ztaJZYUBby2jusfLMRvSaIMn-drzr77xFdI4zxNznnH-XNFmCd-v721vJZAJPGHTF1lBnYUpqYHTIi3SvCtAjhrtwOWSumROkpWhgLxRK6WA6gRhRf6QAYo-UNa65rsbTdMOtPQi46SZ994cI6m8NWmiG2VjbSxrjAhu8ukQ8Ae3fnsFbSvfRL6vAFE.8ydzxWtqwZ7U511phmoP0-DVsAJmtEn29PFUpSqDlNM&dib_tag=se&keywords=seed+warming+mat&qid=1738766903&sprefix=seed+warming+%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1
Christy says
Hi Kim!!
I’ve had celiac disease for about 4 years and love to cook. I’ve just discovered your website and am very excited! Purchasing some brown rice flour now.
I am a little confused though and hope you can clear this up.
On your video at the very end after the starter is ready and has been stored, you stated that when you’re ready to use it, you must feed it again And let it sit At room temperature until it doubles in size. But this isn’t stated in the recipe. Is this something I need to do every time before I use it? And how long does it usually Take to double?
I’ve never made starter so I have no idea how to upkeep and how long it’s good for, etc! Please let me know. Thank you!!!
Kim says
If you have just created the starter, you can use it right away in a recipe without feeding it, as long as it's bubbly. However, this recipe is for creating the starter and assuming you will put it in the fridge to store it until you're ready to bake with it. For instance, let's say you make the starter but are not yet ready to bake with it for another week. You would then place it in the fridge and in a week, you would take it out of the fridge and feed it as per the sourdough bread recipe you're following. The information for using the starter is detailed within whichever sourdough bread recipe of mine you're using.
Stacy says
Kim can you use the discard to make another starter? Or is it better to throw it out?
Kim says
Yes, you can!
Stacy says
Hello Kim,
At day 4 the starter was bubbling. But ever since the just a few. now I'm at day 10. I've been keeping the temp at 80, but yesterday it got to 100 for a few minutes. Should I just start over? Can it be over stirred when feed? I really want this to work I hate trying to find a good bread to eat.
Stacy says
Kim,
What color is the starter to be? I am using Buckwheat and brown rice and it has a pink hue.
Kim says
If there is a pinkish discoloration, that may be an indication of mold and you'll need to toss it and start over. The 100-degree jump was probably the reason.
Shannon Denbow says
Kim,
I am struggling. My sourdough starter bubbles slightly but does not double. Never has. I threw away one batch after 10 days because of the same reason thinking it was just a dud. I was told it’s because I used tap water. This time I used filtered water and it’s the same thing. I am eager to use it but very frustrated with how it’s not turning out. Thank you for your help!
Shannon
Kim says
Try letting it go for longer than 10 days. Sometimes in bread baking and sourdough starter making, you have to go by the look of it more than a set time frame. If it takes yours 15 days to finally develop, that's not abnormal.
Emma Mathews says
Do you need to wait the full 10 days? On day 8 with lots of bubbles, growth and sour smell.
Kim says
No, you can go ahead with making sourdough 🙂
Elizabeth says
I have followed the steps for the 10 days for the starter, put it in the fridge, and pulled out yesterday morning. I fed it and sealed it and left it on the counter. However, after 24 hours, it's still not growing in size. Have I done something wrong?
Kim says
During the colder months, it may take longer than 10 days. I'm sorry, I wrote that within the blog post and forget that most people don't ever read the blog post. If you read through the blog post, you will see that it may take longer. What I would do at this point is continue to feed and discard every other day, just like you were when you were building it, and that should work.
Amanda says
Have you tried using Maskal Teff? I definitely recommend looking into it! They only grow, clean and mill Teff in their allergen free facility. I use them for my Teff starter, mainly for injera, but wanting to venture out and try a bread loaf. So excited to have found your blog!
Maria says
Hi there! I’m on day 3 and my starter doubled in size already and tons of bubbles. I did 1 buckwheat and 1 all purpose from bobs red mill. Is this ok? There is no mold and it smells sour. Just wondering if this Happened too fast.
Kim says
Nope, it sounds like it's moving right along. Don't use it yet, however, as it's not strong enough yet.
Kylie says
Hi Kim!
I’m wondering what to do if my starter is too watery? I’m using millet. I followed the exact grams day 1, and it was no where near as thick as yours, but I left it since I hadn’t looked at the video seeing how thick it was. It’s day 2, and I did the exact grams and it was way too watery still, so I added around 15 grams more but it’s still not close to your thickness. Should I simply add more flour until it is thicker, or leave it as is? Also, will it still be usable considering I added extra flour and it hasn’t been as thick as yours these last 2 days?
Thank you,
Kylie
Kim says
I wouldn't worry if you have to add extra flour. It's not going to ruin it. Whatever you need to do to get it to the same consistency as is shown in my video is what I would suggest.
Shelly says
Hi Kim. I am a complete beginner with sourdough. I have had bad reactions to commercial yeast and have not had any yeasty foods in over 20 years. After recently discovering I can enjoy ferments without any symptoms I've decided to give this a go. It was a bumpy start. Winter in the northeast means my kitchen is usually 70 degrees F and my starter was not doing anything. After doing some research I purchased a seed warmiing mat and things are finally moving forward! Day 16 here and I have bubbling and hooch with a great sour smell! My concern is that I am not getting anywhere near doubling, I don't see any growth at all. I feed in the morning, so I don't feel like I'm missing it. My starter gets very thick with bubbles over the course of the day, and I get liquid on top after 8-12 hours. I am wondering if I messed up my days, maybe missed a discard? Is there a formula for the feedings based on how much starter I have? You say to make sure to reserve at least a tablespoon, so I imagine feeding that amount would be different than feeding a 1/2 cup or a cup? I'm just randomly guessing that this is a feeding issue, but Is there a way to figure out if my starter is too big for the 30g + 40g? Or is there some other reason I'm not getting any kind of rise? I've been too nervous it isn't ready to move to the fridge or bake with. I'm super eager to try your breads!
Shannon Denbow says
Kim,
HELPPPPPPP!
I have tried to do this twice, with different flours. At first I thought the first time I did, that the sour dough was going to start bubbling but it didn’t. I had a sour smell ish ?? But no bubbles and then it just sort of died. The 2nd time I did it, it never did anything.
In trying to research it, I found that some people say to use spring water or filtered water because sometimes “city” water has too much “stuff” in it. I don’t know. I am scratching my head. I ordered my flours in bulk due to the expense of just running to the store, so I am ready to go again but I need some guidance. Thank you!!!
Kim says
What day was it on before it "died"? No two people will have the same exact results and it may take longer for yours to bubble. It does seem to go through a day when it looks like nothing is happening and then all of a sudden you see bubbles. I would just keep going, but if you are concerned about your city water, you can certainly use filtered water or you can pour your city water into an open container and leave it sit overnight and all the "stuff" will dissipate.
Kate says
Hi Kim
I'm super super nervous about this because me & yeast have not gotten along, in the past.
I noticed you said "No daily feedings or discard? That’s right! This Easy Gluten Free Sourdough Starter will have you in the sourdough game in no time", but I see daily feedings & discard. What am I missing (it's what I often do)?
I have a lot of flour that I've stored but none of it has been kept in the freezer. Is it ok to use?
And lastly (for now)...is this kept in the fridge?
Kim says
I know it seems scary when starting with sourdough, but it's not as scary as people make it out to be. What I mean by no daily feedings or discard is that once you have established your starter, you won't ever need to feed it daily or discard anything. At first, when creating the starter, you will need to feed it as instructed and discard some as instructed. But while most sourdough starters require you to feed them on a constant (daily) basis and discard on a constant (daily) basis for the LIFE of the starter, that is not the case with my starter. Once it is well established and showing growth and bubbles, you will store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. And when you are ready to use it? Simply take it out of the fridge, feed it, and use it. It's just that simple!
Your flour should be okay if it's been stored in airtight containers to keep any bugs out.
Kate says
Thanks Kim!!!
Kaeli Young says
Can you use the discard for anything? New to all of this! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Kim says
I never do because there's never really enough to make it worthwhile because we're starting with such a small amount.
Cinzia says
Good morning, thank you so much for sharing the gf sourdough recipe! I’m wondering, when I’m ready to use the starter (after the 10 days prep), do I keep some of it to keep the starter going for future loaves? And does it need feeding before storing in the refrigerator again?
Eager to give this a go 🌹
Kim says
Yes, you will need to keep some, even if it's just 10g! It does not need feeding before storing in the refrigerator.
Anna says
Hi Kim! Thank you so much for this recipe and sharing your knowledge. I am on day 9 of my starter and every day it has water on top. Your notes say it's hungry what should I be doing so it's not hungry. I have little bubbles and pretty sure it smells the way it should. I have not been consistent with marking so I'm not sure if it's growing well. Also does temp in the house play a role in growth?
Thank you again!
Kim says
Yes, temp in the house definitely plays a huge role. If it's very warm, it can actually cause mold or cause the starter to overprocess the feedings, which leads to more "hooch" on top (which is the liquid). The hooch is very normal (read through my post) and can be poured off or mixed through. I tend to mix mine through because I like a more sour sourdough bread.
Kimberley says
I'm using Buckwheat flour and woke up on day 3 to a purple colour on top of my starter? I know it's hard to trouble shoot starters but is this something expected or have I created bad bacteria
Kim says
Ooooh, that's a tough one. I don't know if I'd trust a purple color as something other than mold. Without seeing it myself, I can't say for sure, but maybe just to be on the safe side I would toss it and start over.
Kristen Cochran says
Hi Kim, this recipe says it was posted in 2020 and that there is an entirely new recipe with video. Where do I find that?
Kim says
This recipe IS the new one with the video. I have to put that on any posts that I update, per Google.
D'Layne says
Hi! I'm on day 5 of the starter and there is mold growing on the side of the jar. Help!
Kim says
Oh no! You'll have to trash it and start over unfortunately. Is your house extra warm?
Logan Ross says
I am on day 6 and I went to go feed my starters and they both have mold growing in them. They also both have a gathering of water or liquid on top of the starters. Is this normal or where may I have gone wrong? Thank you!
Kim says
The liquid is totally normal, but mold is not. You will need to start over because of the mold. If the temperature of your kitchen is warm, you may have difficulty with mold (unless you can find a cooler place to store the starter while it's growing). The liquid is simply hooch, which is a byproduct of sourdough starter. It can be poured off for a less sour starter, but you can leave it if you want a very sour sourdough.
NANCY KLIMUK says
Hi. I’m new to the sourdough works especially gf sourdough. What is the reason for discarding?
Kim says
If you don't discard, the starter will overgrow and grow completely out of your container. It will also be a little weaker.
Sandra says
Hi Kim, new to sourdough, thank you for sharing this recipe. My question is, I'm on day 10, have 1-2 bubbles and smells nice with a scour smell, do I continue to feed it and discard until bubbles appear? I'm using brown rice flour.
Kim says
I would give it just a few days longer. There is no steadfast rule that you have to stop creating it at day 10, but if you start to see more bubbles, you can then place it in a jar and transfer it to the fridge.
Dagmara says
Hello! I just discovered your website and it is indeed a game changer in gluten free life!:) Could I ask question about this starter? On the days where you did not marked "stir till well combined" should it be stirred or I just pour flour and water on top and leave it like that?
Best regards,
Dagmara
Kim says
Oh, yes, definitely stir it. I'm sorry if that's confusing. I thought it was implied.
Denise says
Hi kim,
Once I take starter out of fridge does ut need to come to up to room temp. Before I feed abd use?
Kim says
No, it does not 🙂
Mia says
Hi,
I am on 3. Day of making sourdough starter. It started to smell funky, like roten eggs. Do I need to start over?
Mia says
I forgot to mention my starter is active I have lot of bubbles in it.
Michelle says
Mine is the exact same - 3 days in, tons of bubbles, and a slight rotten egg smell - and more water at the bottom than top! Any answer?
Kim says
If it looks at all like mold, you'll need to toss it and start over. Without seeing it myself, I'm not sure what's going on. Could you send me a pic via email ([email protected])?
Barbara Wheeler says
Hi Kim,
I have had celiac disease for over 16 years. I've had a wheat based sourdough starter for 55 years, that is amazingly still active. I say "amazingly" because it has remained unfed in my refrigerator for years.
Needless to say, I haven't been able to use it for over 16 years, but I refuse to throw it out.
When it was given to me shortly after I was married, I was told by someone I trust that it had been perpetually going for 100 years. 155 year old starter!!
I am trying to convert this starter to gluten free and will likely not even think about trying it for months, maybe even a year, of feeding and discarding weekly.
When I was baking 5-6 loaves a week for my family 50 years ago, it was all very simple. Now sourdough and sourdough starter is a daunting and very intimidating science!! Regardless, I refuse to throw my starter out.
I have done lots and lots of reading and I'm trying to find a simple way of keeping my starter active so I can attain my goal of it eventually becoming gluten free. There are many complicated methods out there. Yours is by far the simplest method and aligns with my belief this doesn't need to be rocket science.
This is a really long story. Sorry...
I want to use your method of feeding 30 grams of flour and 40 grams of water (I have never, ever used anything but tap water either) weekly. HOWEVER, I have 1 cup of starter and don't know if that is enough for that volume.
I have been feeding with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sorghum nearly daily for the past 10 days or so, but see the value of using weights here and I am ready to only feed weekly.
Can you tell me what the weight of your starter is for that weight of flour and water?
I may not be ready to jump on the science band wagon but I see the value of weighing flour and water - and starter.
Thank you for any help you can provide me!
Barbara
Kim says
Hi Barbara! That is amazing to have a starter that's 155 years old!!
You have PLENTY of starter for 30-40 grams. 30 grams is only about a couple of tablespoons. When I feed my sourdough starter, I generally only feed it what I need to make a certain recipe. For example, if I need 100 grams for one of my recipes, I only feed it 50 grams of a gluten free wholegrain flour and 60 grams of water. This allows me to have a little over 100 grams, so whatever minimal amount is left in the jar will be put back in the fridge until the next time. That could be just a couple of tablespoons left. I never measure anything by volume (cup) measurements anymore so I can't say exactly what 100 grams of starter would be in cups, but I can say it's definitely less than a cup, if that helps.
Ann says
Barbara, don't forget that the gluten present in the wheat flour originally used in your heritage starter will always be present even if you start feeding it gf flours. It will never 100% disappear. If you're celiac, even a trace amount of gluten can mess with your gut health, so gifting your heritage starter and starting a fresh gf version might be the best thing for your health.
Kim - I'm SO excited to come across your blog and will be trying your gf starter soon. Thx for sharing!
Paul G says
Was supposed to be “lends”, not “lens”.
Paul G says
Hey Kim, my wife and I love sourdough bread, but the Type with gluten in it just kills her stomach, so I’m looking forward to trying this out as I do love my baking! Do all of the whole grain wheat starter types Lead to the same tasting sourdough loaves? I’d be interested To know if rice flour, starter versus buckwheat flour, starter lens towards a different taste.
Kim says
I've tried nearly all of them for making and/or feeding my starter and I do find they impart some of that flavor to the final bread. The stronger ones, like teff and buckwheat, particularly give that almost "wheaty, nutty" taste to them, which I personally love.
Keela Eldridge says
My question is whole grain flour that is gluten free or just regular whole grain flour, just confused, thank you
Kim says
Yes, definitely gluten free. You cannot use a whole grain flour that is not gluten free and make bread that is gluten free. I have several options within this post, such as brown rice flour, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, sorghum, etc. Just check within the post for a few more.
Ariana says
Hi, thanks for this awesome recipe! I used millet flour. My starter is bubbly and sour, but how do we know when it’s ready to use? It doesn’t seem to do the float test like regular flour.
Nana Yaa says
Hello Kim, I have started your Sourdough starter and I am on day 9. My question is can I develop a All purpose Gluten-free flour and use the Sourdough starter in all my various recipes to replace the instant dry yeast?
Lupe says
Hey Kim
I'm on day 1 of my starter and there are pink blotches on it. I read online that that means it went bad. Is it because the climate in my house is to hot?
Im using the brown rice flour for it.
Maddie says
Hey there. Thanks for this recipe. I’m on day 5 and I followed all the instructions accordingly, but wanted to say that my starter started having a sour aroma from day 3. Is that a problem, does it mean it it needs to be binned? Thanks in advance 🤗
Mari says
Hi Kim. I'm so thankful for your recipe. I'm on day 5, however I've noticed that since day 3, the starter looked more liquidy?? Than in the very beginning that I started it. I'm following recipe as written and using sorghum flour. Any ideas? Or does this sound normal at this point? So it appears more like a runny pancake batter, not a thick or pasty one.
Thanks in advance!
Kim says
Yes, it will go through stages of looking runny and then thicker. It's perfectly normal. Towards the end, or when it's finally ready to use, you can start putting less water to flour in it, which will make it thicker.
Laura says
I started with buckwheat and ran out on day 6. Would it be okay to feed it white rice flour? (It’s actually just “rice flour” from the Asian grocery store so I’m not sure what kind of rice it is.) I also have flax meal and the Trader Joe’s blend that’s millet flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, rice flour, sorghum flour, and xanthan gum.
Kim says
You could try with the rice flour. I've only ever used a whole grain flour for building and feeding a sourdough starter.
Michelle says
Do you have to start with a bowl or can you just start in a jar and leave it in the jar? If not, I’m curious why not.
Kim says
I personally like the bowl because you can see much more clearly what's going on with it, but you are welcome to start in a jar if you'd like.
Coreena says
How long after taking it out of the fridge and feeding should you wait to use it in baking. Meaning how long after a feeding should I wait til it’s ready to be used.
Kim says
Until it nearly doubles in volume. That could take 6 hours in warmer days or up to 12 hours in the colder months.
Allie says
Hi! This recipe has me so excited! I am just now investigating gluten free recipes and foods in order to deal with my Hashimoto's, and it's been a bit overwhelming. I love sourdough bread SO MUCH! Once you get to a point of having enough starter to bake a loaf, do you have any recipe/instructions to follow for baking the bread? I was thinking maybe I'd need a Dutch oven, but I don't know what size to buy. Any help would be greatly appreciated! 😄
Kim says
Hi, Allie! I love sourdough bread, too. I do have a few recipes. Check the notes section of this recipe and you'll find the main one, but you can also search "sourdough" and you'll find a few more, like pretzels and cinnamon rolls 🥰
Linda says
Hello. Why discard? I feel it's less of a waste to leave everything in there and use what I need when I'm ready to bake.
Kim says
If you don't initially discard, you'll eventually have way more starter than your feedings can sustain, and your starter will be weaker. You can always start another starter with the discard.
Esperanza says
Hi, you didn't mention oat flour, which I love. Does give problems?
Greetings 🙂
Kim says
You should be able to use oat flour in the starter as well. I just didn't list it as a lot of people are allergic to oats.
Nataline Calia Brieck says
Hi Kim, I'm so appreciative of this recipe. I have been making traditional sour dough (from wild starter) for years and recently had to face the fact that I am sensitive to gluten. I started your process using brown rice flour and I am on day 8 with no bubbles... my starter looks just like paste. Any suggestions?
Natalie Calia says
Hi Kim,
I'm so appreciative of this recipe. I typically make "regular" sour dough for my hubby but I'm gluten free and so I'm familiar with the process of creating a wild yeast starter. I started your process using exclusively brown rice flour and I'm on day 8 and my product just looks like paste... no bubbles. Curious how I can get it to bubble? Wondering if I need more water? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Agata says
Hi Kim, thank you for this recipe! I'm using brown rice flour and I'm on day 5. It's bubbling very nicely and I'm hopeful. I have a question: is the discard from day 5 good for anything? I hate to throw it away.
Thank you!
Helen says
Hi Judy, I am on day 7 of making the sour dough starter, it's my first attempt with gluten free organic Teff flour and so far it seems to be going well.
It's chilly on my kitchen worktop here in the UK but that doesn't seem to have held my starter back.
Today my kitchen has a slight sour sweet aroma.
Jen Bickford says
How soy you maintain this recipe do you discard half and feed weekly when storing in the fridge?
Kim says
Nope. There is no need. Once it is established, put it in the fridge until you're ready to use it. When ready, take it out of the fridge and feed it and use the amount needed in your recipe. You should always have a little leftover in your jar when using, which you can just put back in the fridge until the next time.
Hayley says
Hi
I am following this recipe. I am using buckwheat flour.
I have just fed 'day 4' and when I took the cover off, my starter was pink on the top and smelt fermented. Do I need to throw away and start again or is it OK still?
When I added day 4 flour & water it went back to the regular colour but there are no bubbles yet.
Having never done this before. And any advice appreciated.
Thank you
Kim says
Hmmm. The pink color makes me believe it could be mold and, to be on the safe side, I would unfortunately throw it out and start over. Is your kitchen extra hot? That might account for the mold.
Faryn Sand says
Hi, I am trying to make a starter using brown rice flour, and followed your exact measurements by converting to cups (since I don't have a scale), and something isn't right. If I only use 40 g water (1/4 cup) to 30g flour (1/2 cup), it is totally not enough water at all--it's just crumbly, nowhere near like a thick pancake batter consistency. What am I missing here? Thanks!
Kim says
Unfortunately, my suggestion will be to get a scale. For instance, how fine is your brown rice flour? If it's superfine, it will weigh differently than something like Bob's Red Mill. Also, water usually measures at 60g per every 1/4 cup and 30g seems very low for 1/2 cup of rice flour (something more like 70g per 1/2 cup is more reasonable). So again, a scale is really the only way to go. They are so cheap, there's no reason not to get one. I got all three of mine from my local Lidl for probably $6 a piece.
DD says
I think the math is wrong. 40g water is more that 30g flour, but then 1/4 cup water is less than 1/2 flour, so the cup conversion might be switched
Anna Brooks says
Hi Kim! My starter is thriving and I’ve made a couple loaves now that were GREAT! Including one I took to Thanksgiving last week and wildly impressed my gluten eating family! Still learning the rhythm and my starter’s “personality” and this and your bread recipe post have been so helpful! Does it matter when in relation to feeding my starter I put her in the fridge?
Karen says
Kim, your instructions seem to indicate you use the whole starter for a loaf. But I thought the starter has a shelf life in the fridge? How much do you actually need to make a loaf?
Kim says
It's actually 60 grams and it is listed within the recipe, but I have to admit that it does seem a bit confusing the way I worded it. I'm going back now and will try to word it so that it makes more sense. Thank you!
Kim says
Not really. I keep mine in the fridge, where it will keep until you're ready to use it again (and feed it). If it's active and you're not ready to use it just yet, pop it in the fridge, where it will keep for actually a week or more, until you're ready!
Lynda K says
I have a GF starter I started with millet flour. It definitely isn’t smooth like pancake batter, more like a cottage or ricotta cheese. It still works, at least I’ve used it and made bread -it may not be the perfect loaf but it sure is good!! Just for the heck of it I added more water and stirred really good, it still seperates and I’m wondering if I’ve missed doing something
Lynda K says
I meant to say that I used your sourdough starter recipe
Victorianna says
Hi Kim!
I’m on Day 7 and I see some slight bubbling. I have to keep pouring off the hooch every couple of hours though. I started feeding it every 12 hours instead and now it seems to be doing a little better. If I’m feeding it twice a day, do I need to do something different? Adjust the measurements maybe? And why so much hooch?
I’m using organic brown rice flour and local spring water for reference. 30g and 40g respectively. Thank you for the help!!
Marcella says
I’m trying to get a starter going, and I think I followed the directions correctly., but not sure if things are going well. I used only brown rice flour for the entire 10 days. The whole thing took on an orange tint on about day 7, got very thick, and I’m afraid it might be mold. We have something in this area of CA called pink mold which makes a pink ring in water like the toilet or dog bowl, and I wonder if that’s what turned it orange. On day 10 I put it in a jar in the fridge. I took it out to make bread, but fed it with buckwheat flour that time and it barely rose during the 10 hours at room temperature. I have transferred it to a bowl like before to continue feeding it, but now I’’m not sure it’s safe. I’m wondering if I could just purchase a gf starter, but I guess it would probably still pick up that mold if that’s what’s going on. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Ashley says
Try using only bottled or filtered water if theres ANY chlorine or other similar chemicals in your tap water you chance it killing your starter as chlorines job is to “prevent” bacteria and may cause a bad bacteria to form instead
Connie says
Kim, I am anxious to try your recipe as I have been trying other recipes for the past month, without success. My question is the list of your GF all purpose flour blend. I'm mainly making this for my daughter and she is extremely allergic to dairy. How important is it to add 98 grams nonfat dry milk powder. She definitely can't have that ingredient. Can I just leave it out?
Thanks, Connie
Kim says
Everything serves a purpose or I wouldn't put it in the mix, but that being said, on all of my flour blend pages there are paragraphs within the post listing substitution suggestions so please go through those and see what can be substituted/etc. Of note, the sourdough and any other bread recipe uses my BREAD flour blend, not my all purpose blend.
Doreen says
I'm on my second try at making the Starter and the same thing is happening again. The first 2 days the Starter is growing and bubbling like crazy then on day 3 it ceases to do anything. It just sits there. I'm following your instructions exactly. With the 1st batch I went to the 8th day of instructions with nothing happening then threw it out and started the 2nd busing a combination of organic brown rice flour and organic sorghum flour with distilled water. It is warm where I live also. I don't want to give up but I don't know what to do.
Doreen says
I'm on my second try at making the Starter and the same thing is happening again. The first 2 days the Starter is growing and bubbling like crazy then on day 3 it ceases to do anything. It just sits there. I'm following your instructions exactly. With the 1st batch I went to the 8th day of instructions with nothing happening then threw it out and started the 2nd batch.. I'm using a combination of organic brown rice flour and organic sorghum flour with distilled water. It is warm where I live also. I don't want to give up but I don't know what to do. Please help
Kim says
Sometimes it just takes more time. I would continue alternating discarding and feeding every other day as described, even if it takes to day 14 or more. No two sourdough starters are exactly alike and some take less time than others, some take much longer. Don't give up yet. I have total faith it will happen by just giving it more time.
Caro says
I'm on week 3 and it's not bubbling yet :/ Would feeding it twice a day help? Or should I throw this batch out and start over?
Valerie says
How's it been going, Doreen? Mine is very slow as well. I get bubbles, but no rise.
Kim, I left a comment on one of your videos recently. I've been feeding every other day, as prescribed, for a month. I have also tried troubleshooting with buckwheat when there is hooch. I could use some insight, please.
Jan says
Kim, you are a ROCK STAR! Thank you for all of your hard work; you are so kind to share it ! I have started with the sourdough "starter" and used sorghum flour. I am now on day 8. I have never had any liquid or hooch. It looks like a paste, and it's not bubbly. It is the farthest thing from thick pancake batter that one could get. It has the sour smell but not the other attributes. What do you think is going on? Should I start over with a different flour?
Thank you, my friend!
Kim says
Nope, I would just keep going. Different climates take longer or shorter. If you've got the sour smell, you're heading in the right direction!
Guadalupe sanchez says
Hey Kim
I'm on day 1 of my starter and there are pink blotches on it. I read online that that means it went bad. Is it because the climate in my house is to hot?
Im using the brown rice flour for it.
Valerie says
Silly question I know. What am I suppose to do with the discarded ? Toss it? Make more starter?
Helen says
Big fan of your recipes! 2 Questions on using the starter- once you have a successful starter in the fridge , do you need to feed it weekly? Second. Once you use it to make your amazing bread, how do you feed it to get it back to be ready to put in the fridge for next use. Thanks. H
Kim says
Hi, Helen! You do not need to feed it regularly. When I feed it and use it in my recipe, I put the lid on and put it right back in the fridge as is. It stays in there until the next time I make bread and I do absolutely nothing with it until then. I once left the starter in there for literally months and when I finally got around to baking sourdough again, I pulled it out, fed it, and repeated the same process. It worked beautifully!!!!
Pamela Price says
Kim- my starter is going nuts !!!! A loaf of your artisan bread is baking now.
I’ve got so much starter I was hoping you have several more ideas if what to do with this monster I’ve created🥴😳🤣🤪
Pamela
Kim says
Ha! That's a great problem to have I guess!!
You could try making any of the other bread recipes using the starter versus yeast. I explain how to do that in my sourdough bread recipe 😍
Lynn Groom says
This worked like a charm. Bless you.
Nicole Shaw says
I've been so excited to do this but something is not going right. After watching your video on making the bread, I noticed that your starter was gooey, while mine is consistently rising/falling and bubbly after 25 days it isn't gooey or creamy like I saw yours. I've been faithfully feeding it by 1/3 discard, 50 grams sorghum or fine white rice flour + 50ish grams of water every 12 hours. What am I doing wrong? I tried, at about 15 days to make bread following the recipe with your prescribed bread 'flour' and got a lump of concrete dough, it never rose. Argh..I would love some help figuring out what I am doing wrong? My daughter and son are now 15 months GF with a Celiac's diagnosis and she is so craving 'real bread' my heart aches for her. Thank you so much! ~ Nikki
Kim says
I'm here to help, Nikki! First off, I'll ask if you substituted anything within the flour blend itself, such as using a different rice flour instead of the superfine rice flour, or a different protein instead of the whey protein isolate. Can you send me a pic of your starter? My email is [email protected]. We can go from there and see what else could be wrong. Also, if you want to try something that uses yeast and not a sourdough starter, try my regular gf artisan bread. It's easy and is a wonderful loaf that everyone really enjoys. Another is my gf Italian bread, which is a little more enriched with some butter and milk, but is one of my favorite breads I make.
Sven Van de Casteele says
Hello,
I am allready trying to get my starter going for more than 10 days and the problem is that every time when i feed it now, it rises 1-2 centimeters in the first 2 hours but after that it falls and doesnt rise more. Any tips? In the beginning the starter was very active rising more, in my impression. I started with brown rice four andnow feeding with white rice flour. Thanks!
Kim says
It might be the cold that's causing the problems, but I would also try a more hearty grain, such as buckwheat or teff, to bring it back to life. Once it's rising more, then you could switch back to white rice flour.
Judy D. says
Do you HAVE to discard some of the starter if you have a big enough container & plan on making a few loaves?
Kim says
Nope, you certainly don't have to discard all of it. Eventually, if you don't discard some of it, it will just continue to multiply and outgrow its container, no matter how large the container is, however. But it's not necessary to discard all of it.
Judy Deckling says
Hello,
I just started my 1st batch a few minutes ago. I used sorghum flour. My question is, can I use masa harina (corn flour) as a partial addition down the road when I'm feeding my batch?
I am not celiac but I do follow an autoimmune protocol due to being diagnosed with MS and since cutting out all gluten & dairy 5 years ago, I haven't suffered a flare since and I'm keeping my symptoms in check fairly well.
Looking forward to making this recipe as I really miss having sourdough bread.
Kim says
That's a good question! I honestly have never tried masa harina in it before, but I'm hopeful that it would work if you want to give it a go 🙂
Sasha Kay says
I'm sure someone has asked this but I cannot seem to find the answer. which flours can I use for feeding the starter? I seem to remember brown rice, sorghum, teff ....
Kim says
Yep, any of those will work. Check out the section "Flours for Feeding" in the sourdough starter post and you'll see what I used 3 different times and got great results every time 🙂
Helen says
Hi Judy, I am on day 7 of making the sour dough starter, it's my first attempt with gluten free organic Teff flour and so far it seems to be going well.
It's chilly on my kitchen worktop here in the UK but that doesn't seem to have held my starter back.
Today my kitchen has a slight sour sweet aroma.
Hannah Bridge says
Hi, a few questions I’m afraid!
I have a regular starter that works well, I want to go gluten free because of a thyroid problem not celiac. If I start replacing the feeds with one of the approved gluten free flours from your list will the gluten slowly get less and less or is it something that continues to multiply and exist?
And,
Does the float test work/apply with your gluten free starter. I find this so helpful when making a normal sourdough loaf.
Many thanks and sorry to be difficult!
Xx
Kim says
You're not difficult! That's what I'm here for! Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to your question about using your own starter. If you were Celiac or gluten intolerant, I would probably say start over. I personally wouldn't trust anything that started with any kind of gluten in it already.
To answer your second question, I believe I tried the float test the first time I made my starter and it didn't work so I wouldn't go by that test. I wish gluten free had helpful things like that to determine readiness, but the only thing that I've ever used to determine it is when it's predictably rising and falling after feedings.
I wish you much luck in your gluten free baking endeavors, and hope that you are able to find something on my site that suits your needs 🙂
William Herbert says
Hannah—have you or are you trying what you asked about? I want to try the same, to “convert” my healthy gluten full starter to GF. Since I’m not worried about Celiac, a bit of gluten that diminishes with each batch doesn’t bother me. Looking forward to your reply [please].
Catherine Aberle says
Hi Kim. Thank you so much for all your great recipes. At what point can the starter be used to make loaf of bread?
Kim says
Whenever it's predictably rising and falling. I apologize for not having the link to my sourdough bread on this post, but I'm putting it on there right now 🙂
Marilyn Gilroy says
Love love the sourdough bread. Enjoyed the challenge of making the starter, not complicated. Kim your my kind of lady, great sense of humor.
Kim says
Oh, haha! Thank you so much, Marilyn!! I try to find humor in every little thing 🙂
Marilyn Gilroy says
So very excited to find your website. Made your gluten-free sourdough bread this weekend and it was a super hit. Had made sourdough bread for years and stopped when my daughter became gluten intolerant. So everyone is very excited about your recipe. My question is has anyone ever frozen the starter. I have frozen a regular starter in the past and I was able to revive it. I will be gone for an extended period of time in a few months and wanted to know if it would be OK in the refrigerator or should it be frozen and if so has this been successful. Thank you again for sharing your discovery and talent.
Kim says
I have never heard of freezing the starter, but I seriously bet it would work because I've frozen several of my yeast doughs with little to no effect at all, and starter is just like the most basic dough. If you try it, let me know what happens 😊
Annie says
I know you asked this question a couple of years ago, but have you thought about drying your starter. I am just making a gluten free starter because several of my friends and family seem to be gluten intolerant, but previously I have dried my starter which was made with bread flour, and it works wonderfully. I also have a vacuum sealer so I dry it grind it and vacuum it but you don’t have to do all that . So, although I haven’t tried it, I’m thinking you will be able to dry your gluten-free starter as well. 😊😊😊
Kim says
I'll have to try it one of these days. For now, I just keep it in the back of my fridge and feed it when I want to use it again and it revives right up!
Murat Ozturan says
Can this starter be used on normal gluten bread?
Hilary says
I’m excited to try this! I’m curious though, it’s a gluten free starter right? Is the whole grain flour you start with gluten free or regular flour? And does it become gluten free when you start mixing in the gluten free flours? I just want to do it right and not hurt my tummy. 🙂
Kim says
Oh, definitely gluten free! You could never start with gluten containing flours and end up with gluten free. Within the post itself, I list several wholegrain flours you can use that are naturally gluten free, such as sorghum, teff, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, and brown rice.
Murat Ozturan says
I am not trying to make Gluten free bread just using GF starter with normal with gluten flour.
Kim says
Not sure what you're asking. Every single thing I make is gluten free because I have celiac disease. If you want to make regular (gluten) sourdough, I would suggest using a regular (gluten) starter.
Murat Ozturan says
It is gluten free starter with normal gluten flour.
Melanie says
Thank you! You have no idea how refreshing it is to read a bread recipe that says you don't have to be exact in your measurements! How many grandmothers made bread by weighing out their flour and yeast??? And I use tap water ALL the time in my sourdough bread, without trouble, and I have a LOT of chlorine in mine! I'm excited to try this bread recipe, although since my husband is only wheat sensitive, not allergic to gluten, I'm going to use a rye fed starter.
Kim says
So true, Melanie! I remember watching my grandma make biscuits and just dumping everything in the bowl without measuring. Wish I could be that brave, but I'm glad I found at least the sourdough starter doesn't need to be exact.
Let me know how your rye starter works 🙂
Marina says
Hi, could it be that the leaven didn't rise in 3 days?
and I make it with spelt flour
Kim says
I've never worked with spelt flour, Marina, so I can't say as to the results.
Denel Wardell says
So, I went to feed my starter for the last feeding before using it tomorrow, and there was mold around the top curve of the jar. Any idea why that would happen?
Kim says
I've never had mold, but here's a great article on why it happens and what you should do: https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2018/03/troubleshooting-your-sourdough-starter/comment-page-1/
Denel says
So, that site was VERY helpful. I've been hard at work...lol...creating my new starter. When they mentioned a fruit bowl, I had an aha moment. My starter was right next to my fruit bowl!
I've had no issues with my starter since I relocated it (the new batch).
Question: are you supposed to stir the starter before adding it to your recipe? Or add it while it's bubbly?
Sarah Bowyer says
I am having trouble with my starter. I start getting bubbles forming around day 2-3 but when I start the discard-feeding schedule it stops rising and bubbling. I keep feeding and discarding but I get nothing. I am using brown rice flour. Am I doing something wrong? This is my second attempt and its the same issue each time.
Allie says
I’ve been so excited about my sourdough starter all week! I’ve been searching all of quarantine for a gluten free sourdough recipe and i am so happy i came across yours.
Quick question. Mine was rising and falling after a few days, but it recently stopped rising altogether. Is there anything i should do to get it to start rising again? Or do i need to start over completely? Thanks!
Kim says
Hi, Allie and thanks for the kind words!
Hmmm. I would suggest continue feeding and discarding and it'll pick back up. If it doesn't in a few days, you could start over but I have faith that it will 🙂
Annika says
Hi, I had some questions about the starter! Currently, it's the end of day 2 of my starter and I've fed it four times total (approximately once every 12 hours). For some reason, the liquid is forming on top of the starter only a few hours after feeding (and after the last feeding, it appeared within one hour)... does this mean I should be feeding it every 2-3 hours? Also, bubbles started appearing in the starter after only one day, is this normal? I'm using brown rice flour.
I'm really excited to see how it turns out!! I've already tried your pizza recipe and your donut recipe and both were delicious 🙂
Kim says
Hi, Annika! I would just continue feeding it every 12 hours as you've been doing. You can either pour off the hooch or stir it into the starter. And you can go ahead and start discarding now since you're seeing bubbles. That's a good thing!
Good luck and please let me know if you like the sourdough bread 🙂
LINDA K DEMENT says
Hi,
If you plan to use it more often and leave it on the counter, how often do you feed it?
Jillianne says
Really excited to try this! So far all of your bread recipes have been wonderful (I have you Italian bread in the oven right now!) do you have a good recipe for using the discarded starter (pancakes perhaps?) I feel like I haven't been able to find a decent GF pancake recipe and would love to see your take on them 🙂
Thanks! Can't wait to let you know how it turns out!
Kim says
Hi, Jillianne! If you love the Italian bread, you'll love this bread, too! It's so much like a bread you'd get at a real gluten-filled bakery, it's unbelievable.
I don't currently have any discard recipes, but I've seen a lot of them floating around on the internet. I do, however, have an amazing gf pancake recipe on the blog (https://www.letthemeatgfcake.com/gluten-free-pancakes/) If you want to add some of your discard to this recipe, it'd probably work out just fine 🙂
Katelyn says
I have a few questions! How strong should the starter smell when it is ready?
Have you ever seen hooch form on the bottom? I am noticing some liquid forming on the bottom. Should I just stir it in when I feed?
So excited to try this!
Kim says
Hi, Katelyn! I think the strength of the smell is different depending on the flours you used, but in general it should be pretty strong smelling but in a good way. I personally like the sour smell so to me it smells pleasant.
Yes, I have seen hooch form on the bottom of mine and I just stir it in, if it doesn't escape when I'm discarding.
I can't wait for you to try the bread!!
Suzette Johnson says
Why do you discard some of the starter? Can’t you keep it and continue to feed it and make more starter?
Kim says
I'm pretty new to all this sourdough stuff, but from what I've researched it's because if you don't discard some, your starter will take over and expand so greatly you won't be able to contain it. I've actually found this to be somewhat true in one of my first starters I made. It was almost overflowing! But that was mainly because I wasn't discarding enough. I guess you could put the discard in another container and basically start another starter. I've seen some recipes for making things with the discard, but I haven't gotten that far yet. Google sourdough starter discard recipes 🙂
Teresa Glynn says
You can use what you discard to make bread, sourdough crackers and more. I now have a system where I store my starter in the fridge, bring it out on Friday, start the feed process going again and discard on Saturday, ready to make Kim's bread dough for the week and a batch of sourdough crackers. Then, when I have the starter quantity back to where I want it, by adding the half flour -half water mix in stages, it goes back in the fridge to rest until the following weekend. No waste!
Catherine Guinta says
I started my sourdough starter a while ago with half brown rice flour and half white rice flour, it works fine for me. For the actual sourdough bread, I use your gluten free bread flour mix. My family loves it!
Kim says
That's awesome, Catherine!! I have one going now that's half brown rice and half white rice flours and I think it's my favorite so far in terms of flavor, but the sorghum one is also great 🙂
Redonda Homesley says
Thank so much for your thoughts on a starter. I have had success with a starter but used it all trying to make pizza dough. I look forward to creating one from your recipe soon. I hope you will offer other recipes along with a bread recipe to use our starters with.
Kim says
Absolutely! I'm hoping to have an in depth instructional post about how to substitute yeast with sourdough starter in ANY of my bread recipes 🙂
Patricia Suttmiller says
I have a good healthy GF starter going. I can't wait for your recipes. I used Sorgum flour to make my starter. I have my first loaf in the oven now. Recipe from another site. I didn't know you had one. I love your other breads. I can't wait to try this
Kim says
Thanks so much, Patricia! I'm hoping to have the recipe for a sourdough boule on my site next week, but also instructions on how to substitute the yeast in any of my bread recipes with sourdough starter 🙂
jody says
Do you have a preferred "recipe" to use when making sourdough bread from your starter. I love your flour mixes and appreciate all your tips so much. Thanks.
Kim says
Thanks so much, Jody! I will be posting my boule recipe next week and also instructions on how to substitute the yeast in any of my bread recipes with sourdough starter 🙂