No daily feedings or discard? That’s right! This Easy Gluten Free Sourdough Starter will have you in the sourdough game in no time.
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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.
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.
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?
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.