Does Sourdough Starter Work With Gluten-Free Flour?
Yes! You can make a gluten-free sourdough starter from scratch or adjust your regular starter to gluten-free flour feedings. Note that changing a starter fed with gluten-containing flour works well, but it won’t be safe for people with celiac disease.
The main differences you can expect with a gluten-free starter vs. a regular starter:
- The starter will be thicker and chunkier after feeding & fermentation. Gluten-free flour is not as smooth.
- There are more funky smells when first getting a GF starter going. Just keep discarding and feeding in the beginning; the smells get better.
- There is almost always a semi-thick dry layer on top of the starter after feeding & fermentation. It’s just a dried-out layer, and you can scoop it off.
Sourdough Starter for Gluten-Free Bread
When it comes to sourdough, everyone likes to focus on the wild yeasts, but a sourdough starter isn’t all yeast; it’s a mix of yeasts, lactic acid-producing bacteria, and acetic acid-producing bacteria.
In wild sourdough starters, yeasts ferment wheat carbohydrates into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Then, bacteria in the sourdough starter metabolize the alcohols into acetaldehyde and then into acetic acid… making it sour.
There are many ways to feed a sourdough starter, and no one way is “correct.” Sourdough starters can be thicker and drier or thinner and more hydrated. You can also use almost any type of flour to feed a sourdough starter, but here we will focus on feeding a starter gluten-free flour.
Microbes in Gluten Free Sourdough Starters
Many different types of microbial metabolism and fermentation happen simultaneously in starters. Yeasts make bubbles and visible expansion in a starter, but bacteria make all the flavor. When more good bacteria are present, they can help boost yeast populations by feeding them usable acids and eliminating waste products (alcohol).
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “discard and feed.” The point of discarding and feeding your sourdough starter is to replenish the microbe’s food source so that the accumulation of waste products does not kill the yeast and bacteria.
Ingredients and Tools to Make a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter
- Flour: I’ve used various mixes of gluten-free flours, and there are a few that I really enjoy. *See GF sourdough starter flour mix discussed in the section below.*
- Water: Filtered water is best, but you can use tap water if you have good tap water. I use tap water that I filter through our water filter pitcher.
- Starter Cultures: To ensure a bubbly starter immediately, I suggest using a starter culture
- Glass Jars and Cloth: I like using a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar with a cloth cover to grow my sourdough starter. The mixture needs access to air so a loose lid or cloth lid works best. I usually secure a cloth lid to the jar with a rubber band. I use two jars and switch back and forth between feedings, so I always have a freshly clean jar.
- Kitchen Scale: If you frequent our blog, you should already have one of these on hand. If you’re going to experiment with different flours for your GF sourdough starter, you should use your kitchen scale for measurements. Some flours are denser, so you must weigh them for recipe consistency.
- Environment: Temperature is critical when growing healthy yeast and bacteria in a sourdough starter. Your kitchen temperature should be between 68-78 degrees F, and it can be warmer or cooler, but the rise time will be affected. Warmer temperatures make it rise faster and cooler temperatures make it rise slower.
How to Feed a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter (thinner, hydrated)
When starting your sourdough starter, it’s best to start with a thinner starter in the first seven days. You may not see your starter hold a rise for long, but it’s better for getting the microbes established.
The best ratio to get things going with a gluten-free starter is 1:2. For example, that would be 50 grams of gluten-free, 100 grams of water, and 50 grams of established starter.
Gluten-free sourdough starters fed 1:2 flour to water usually rise and bubble up in 4-6 hours, then fall back down to look flat. Some may form a watery layer on top.
How to Feed a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter (thicker, dry, that holds a rise)
So many people email me saying, “I fed my starter 8 hours ago, and I see bubbles, but it didn’t rise.”
It most likely did rise; it just fell back down.
If you want to feed your starter before bed or work and see it 8 hours later, still risen and bubbly, you need to make a thicker starter. If you want to snap pics of your starter and expect it to look like the ones on Pinterest and Instagram, you need to make it thicker.
You can feed a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio of flour to water for a thick starter. So, for example, for a very thick starter, that would be 100 grams of gluten-free flour, 50 grams of water, and 50 grams of established starter. It will be very thick and may dry out a little on the top, but you can see it hold a rise.
The Best Gluten-Free Flour for GF Sourdough Starters
There are two GF flour blends I recommend for this starter recipe:
- A mix of Bob’s Red Mill 1:1, organic corn masa, and sorghum (see recipe right below this)
- An even mix of brown rice flour and buckwheat
This sourdough starter recipe does work well with feeding 100% Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour. I suggest a brown rice flour and buckwheat mix if you have a corn allergy.
My favorite mix of gluten-free flour for feeding my GF sourdough starter is a simple mix of:
- 300 grams blue corn masa flour or yellow corn masa (organic is best)
- 300 grams Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour
- 150 grams sorghum flour (or buckwheat)
I usually make this mix, then store it in an air-tight glass container for future sourdough starter feedings.
NOTE: Cornmeal is not the same thing as corn masa. Masa is a finer grind made from corn that has gone through nixtamalization (a process where you soak corn with lime before grinding). Masa is used for dough, while cornmeal is more like polenta, and you must cook it for it to absorb water. You must use corn masa in this recipe, not cornmeal.
Can Gluten-Free Flour Rise with Yeast?
Yes, gluten-free flour can rise with packaged yeast or wild yeast from a sourdough starter. And with the right bread recipe, the rise is beautiful!
Here’s the thing about gluten-free flour rising with yeast, though: you MUST shape the bread before allowing it to rise. This is NOTHING like glutinous bread dough. There is no punch-down, no stretching or folding, no pre-shaping then shaping, and only one rise.
I chose the loaf-pan method for our gluten-free sourdough bread recipe, and it allows for higher water content and no need to try and shape something that includes no gluten to hold everything together.
How to Discard and Feed Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter
You discard and feed a gluten-free sourdough starter like a regular one. See the section above on the best gluten-free flour for sourdough starters.
The feeding ratio is adjustable in these instructions. I suggest following the 1:2 ratio for the first 7 days; then you can adjust to a thicker starter that holds a “photo-worthy” rise longer.
Step One (Day 1)
- In a bowl, combine: 50 grams of gluten-free flour, 100 grams of water
- Use a spatula to combine the flour and water. Stir until there are no clumps and the mixture is smooth.
- Scoop the mixture into a clean glass jar.
- Loosely set a lid on the top or secure a breathable covering to the jar (i.e. cheesecloth) and leave the mixture on the counter for 24 hours.
Step Two (Day 2)
- Stir sourdough starter mixture.
- Add in 50 grams of organic, gluten-free flour
- Add 100 grams of water.
- Mix and scrape down the sides. Replace a breathable lid. Leave the mixture on the counter for 24 hours.
Step Three (Days 3-7, Feeding and Discarding)
- to a clean bowl, add the following: 50 grams sourdough starter mixture from day 2, 50 grams of organic, gluten-free flour, 100 grams of water
- Stir until evenly combined, and scoop into a clean jar.
- Replace the breathable lid and allow it to ferment for 24 hours.
- Discard any remaining original starter mixture. Or you can find fun ways to use sourdough starter discard, like this muffin recipe.
- Repeat every 24 hours through day 7.
To keep your starter active and to make starter suitable for baking, use the following ratios for feeding: 10% starter, 50% flour, 40% water. (example: you need 200 grams of starter for a recipe, so you want to make 250 grams of starter, so you have some left to feed. You will mix 25 grams of starter, 125 grams of flour, and 100 grams water); These amounts work for most flour, but add a little more water if it’s too dry. Starters are forgiving.
How to Make Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread
CLICK HERE for the best and easiest gluten-free sourdough bread recipe
I developed our gluten-free sourdough bread recipe with four priorities in mind. I wanted this bread to be:
- Soft but sturdy and easy to cut
- Full of sourdough flavor
- Extremely easy to make with minimal ingredients
- No eggs so that it is more food allergen accommodating
I can say that I nailed it. Our gluten-free sourdough bread recipe checks off all my standards. It is delicious, soft yet able to hold together, egg-free, and straightforward.
Seriously, this gluten-free sourdough comes together in just 5 minutes. Then, let it ferment and rise before baking.
Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter Problems
With gluten-free sourdough starters, the troubleshooting is about the same as regular sourdough starters.
If you encounter any issues with your gluten-free sourdough starter, check out this article: The Most Common Sourdough Starter Problems and How to Fix Them.
Print Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter From Scratch
It’s easy to make gluten-free sourdough bread with this homemade gluten-free sourdough starter recipe. You only need a few ingredients and one week to make your gluten free sourdough starter from scratch.
- Prep: 10
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- Gluten-Free flour *(see notes)
- Gluten Free Sourdough Starter cultures * (see notes)
- water
Instructions
- The feeding ratio is adjustable in these instructions. I suggest following the 1:2 ratio for the first 7 days; then you can adjust to a thicker starter that holds a “photo-worthy” rise longer. Please read all of the recipe notes.
- Step One (Day 1) In a bowl combine 50 grams of organic gluten-free flour, gluten-free sourdough starter cultures (optional) and 100 grams of water.
- Use a spatula to combine the flour and water. Stir until there are no clumps and the mixture is smooth.
- Scoop the mixture into a clean glass jar.
- Loosely set a lid on the top or secure a breathable covering to the jar (i.e. cheesecloth) and leave the mixture on the counter for 24 hours.
- Step Two (Day 2) Stir sourdough starter mixture.
- Add 50 grams of gluten-free flour and 100 grams of water to the starter mixture in the jar. Mix and scrape down the sides.
- Replace a breathable lid. Leave the mixture on the counter for 24 hours.
- Step Three (Days 3-7, Feeding and Discarding) to a clean bowl add 50 grams sourdough starter mixture from the previous day, 50 grams of gluten-free flour and 100 grams of water
- Stir until evenly combined, and scoop into a clean jar.
- Replace the breathable lid and allow it to ferment for 24 hours.
- Discard any remaining original starter mixture. Or you can find fun ways to use sourdough starter discard here.
- Repeat steps 9 through 12 every 24 hours until you reach 7 days. At this point, it should be bubbly.
- (The Night Before Baking) Feed your starter 8 hours before you plan to make bread dough.
- To keep your starter active and to make starter suitable for baking, use the following ratios for feeding: 10% starter, 50% flour, 40% water. (example: you need 200 grams of starter for a recipe, so you want to make 250 grams of starter, so you have some left to feed. You will mix 25 grams of starter, 125 grams of flour, and 100 grams water)
- Click Here for my gluten-free sourdough bread recipe.
Notes
- I use a mix of 1:1 gluten-free flour, corn masa flour, and sorghum flour. Please see the body of this blog post for details on the flour blend ratio I use to feed my GF sourdough starter.
- It is best to use organic flour. If you are using my flour mix recipe from the body of this blog post, make sure you are using corn masa in the flour blend.
- This recipe was tested using two different flour mixes. If you use a different type of flour, your starter will be a different consistency and texture. This sourdough starter recipe does work well with feeding 100% Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour. You can also use a mix of buckwheat and brown rice flour if you have a corn allergy.
- You do not have to use gluten-free sourdough starter cultures, but it helps significantly, especially if this is your first time trying a GF sourdough starter.
- The type of flour you use will influence the flour-to-water ratio you should use. Whole grain flour works well with a 1:2 flour-to-water ratio. White flour works best with a 1:1 and 2:1 flour-to-water ratio.
- You may notice some early watery separation. This is normal and means you need to adjust the flour-to-water ratio. Add more flour to your feedings to thicken the starter if it is watery.
This looks amazing! However, I live in New Zealand therefore cannot get Bob’s Red Mill flour. What exactly is that, please, so I can try to get the equivalent?
Thank you! Julie
Hey Julie, the ingredients in Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour blend are: Sweet White Rice Flour, Whole Grain Brown Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Whole Grain Sorghum Flour, Tapioca Flour, Xanthan Gum
Hi! I have a sensitivity to gluten, corn, white potatoes, dairy, and eggs. Is there a specific flour mixture that you recommend I use to make this recipe?
Hi! This starter recipe also works well with brown rice flour and buckwheat
I started the process last night and am so excited to see and taste the results! Is there a way to keep the process going so I don’t have to start from scratch each time? Or is it best to make a new batch each time?
Thanks!
yes! you can keep the process going just as you would for a regular sourdough starter. Check step 12 in the recipe. When you bake with your starter, just keep 50 grams set aside so you can continue to discard and feed daily. 🙂
Thanks! Just to clarify, we would need to feed daily after the first batch, yes? Can it be left for a few days and then fed or stored in the fridge?
Any suggestions on what to use the discard in?
I have all the ingredients and I’m ready to finally do this!
Yes, it needs to be fed every 24 hours. No, you cannot leave it for a few days without feeding it at room temperature. If you want to “hibernate it” in the fridge, feed it, cover it with a solid lid, then store it in the fridge for up to two weeks before feeding again. When you’re ready to use it again, just take it out of the fridge and discard/feed every 24 hours.
Hey, have an issue with buckwheat starter, the top always turns pink I assume it’s a yeast? even when I sterilise my equipement and use filtered water, this contamination always ends up happening. I can see that some of your starters are Pink. Just wondering if you may have run into the issue and if it is a problem, really.
Might be the type of buckwheat you are using. Some have a reddish hue. I’d have to see a picture to tell. My starters are not pink, they are purplish blue because they are made from blue corn masa.
I have a very old and very hardy sourdough mother and I started feeding some of it with brown rice flour. It’s bubbly and happy. It is possible to covert this starter to gluten free if I keep feeding it brown rice flour? Do you know how long it will take?
Yes, you can transition it. It will never be 100% gluten-free, in the food safety meaning of “gluten-free”… But after about 10 feedings there will only be trace amounts of wheat.
Can I collect my discarded sourdough starter for several days before using it in one of your recipes that uses sourdough starter discard?
yes! just keep it in the fridge until you have enough
Hi! I’m using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 and my starter is looking great!! I have a question: after I save some discard from baking the bread and use it to make new starter, do I need to repeat the 7 day feeding every time before making bread? I have some discard in the fridge, too, so again, do I need to do the 7 day schedule before every bread bake?
Thanks!!
hello! If you put your starter in the fridge right when it is peaking, you can leave it in there until the night before you are ready to bake again. When you pull it out of the fridge, feed it, and it should bounce right back and be ready for the morning.
Just started your recipe! I’m so excited! I’m on day 3 though and I noticed that the starter has a pink hue. I used the exact brand of flours list….is this normal??!! Lol
Did you use the blue corn masa? or just the 1:1 flour. If you used the blue corn masa, it will look light purplish pink.
Ah ok! Ya I used your flour mix recipe that you shared in the blog. It’s hard to tell if it’s more pink that blue/purple hahaha. This might be a weird question but does this recipe create a different type of sourdough smell? If it was the bad bacteria kinda of pink would the smell be bad as well? I can’t really tell if the smell it’s giving off is normal or not 😉
Thank you!
Is it ok to use regular yellow corn masa? I cannot find the blue available.
yes, absolutely!
Is there any way to speed up the process ? What if I’m a few hours late on some of the 24hr feedings? I work 12 hrs so one day I may be a little later/earlier on the feedings. Is that okay?
Sure! add in a teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar or kombucha or fermented vegetable brine to speed it up. Just feed it once a day, it doesn’t have to be exact on the hour.
Thank you!! I also don’t have the sorghum or blue corn flour. Just King Arthur’s 1:1 GF. I hope it comes out the same. :/ is there any regular bread flour you suggest with lower gluten content? Or just stick with the GF mixes you mention here??
Hello! I am making you GF sour dough and can’t wait to try it! On day 3-7 do I get a new jar each day? I’m confused what to do those days.
yes, you add everything to a clean jar each day.
Do I continue to also feed the starter? I am so confused. Sorry!
I do not have the corn masa is there anything I can substitute for it?
TIA
Crystal
This sourdough starter recipe does work well with feeding 100% Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour.
Can this starter be made with something other than corn masa? My husband has a corn intolerance that gives him gut issues. Do you think in the days of fermentation that there would be just trace amounts of corn left? (He feels ok if corn products are listed after the “contains 2% or less of:” on an ingredient list.)
If your husband has a corn intolerance, he shouldn’t eat anything with corn. You can also make this starter with buckwheat and brown rice flour.
How much will this make? If I want to make several loaves at a time, should I keep the discarded dough in the fridge to have enough?
If you want to bake a lot, feed it more the night before but in the same water to flour ratio. You don’t use discard in bread recipes.
Hi Kaitlynn, I am new to the sourdough world and greatly appreciate your detailed instructions. So helpful! My 8-mo old granddaughter has many food allergies, and my DIL, who is still breastfeeding, is very limited on what she can eat. I purchased all the ingredients you recommended along with the culture starter and somehow managed to bake a loaf of bread, which my DIL loved. I have a question regarding how to determine how much flour and water to add if I want to make two loaves of your GF sourdough bread recipe (which calls for 200 grams of sourdough starter per loaf). In the sourdough starter recipe, you say “you can feed your starter however much you need to here. If you plan to bake five loaves, for instance, you can feed your entire starter 150 grams of flour and 300 grams of water in a large bowl and cover it.” I can’t figure out how I can make five loaves with this ratio if each loaf takes 200 grams of sourdough starter. I know I must be missing something. If I want to bake two loaves at a time, how much flour and water should I add to the starter on Step Four / Day 8? Thanks for your time!
I guess I was exaggerating with the “five loaves” part lol. That’s what you would feed it if you want to bake two loaves, because that would give you about 450 grams of starter, enough for two loaves and then some left to feed to make more starter.
I don’t have sorghum flour. Is there anything you would recommend I use in its place?
Unfortunately, I haven’t tested any other GF flours, so I’m not sure what would work.
I have a probably dumb question. I’m super sensitive to smells so, I’m relying on my husband to rate the smell of the starter. For me, it smells awful and makes me gag. He just says it smells cheesy. I don’t so much smell vinegar, myself. Just overwhelming sourness. Is that normal? The funk is INTENSE
haha! Yes, gluten-free starters can be funky and funkier than wheat starters. Especially if you ever forget to feed it. It should smell sour, and cheesy smells are usual.
Thank you! I did a 1:1 over the weekend and had no rise at all. Looks like peach fuzz mold was growing on top. It was a mason jar with cheesecloth in my kitchen…
I used the King Arthur’s 1:1 flour and bottled water.
What gives?
It might be the flour you are using. We’re you discarding and feeding it every 24 hours, or leaving it longer than that?
Thanks! Very well explained! Just how to keep the starter on hand for later use. I know people have it on hand and just add flour to it and bake over and over. It takes like more than a week to make started so I was confused here. Thanks again!
It only takes a week to make the starter. You can keep it in the fridge when you’re not using it, then take it out and discard and feed again when you want to use it.
I am on day three of my fermentation of my gluten-free sourdough starter. There is water in the middle, a thick substance on the bottom and then on the top is a brownish blue green white fixed substance and it smells absolutely horrid. It says on day three through seven to take 50 mg of the starter out in Mr. flour and water and put in a new clean jar. But I’m not sure which of the three layers to take out. what is considered the starter?
Not sure why it’s in layers and smells horrid. Did you tend to it on day 2? And what flour are you using?
Hi! Can I use King Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour mix for sourdough? If so how much do I use?
You said this is not for celiacs. I am celiac. I use park flour because it has no grains. I’m allergic to rice and oats as well. Do you think the paleo flour will work as a substitute?
I didn’t say that. The only thing I mentioned about celiac is that changing a starter fed with gluten-containing flour works well, but it won’t be safe for people with celiac disease.
I have tried this several times and I am confused by the directions. Step 1 is gluten free flour mix but all the other steps call for gluten free flour. It it correct that the mix you listed is only used on step 1?
Thanks
The gluten free flour mix and gluten free flour are the same thing.
My husband has Celiac disease and cross reacts to corn which has a component with a similar structure to gluten. This is a common cross reaction from what he has told me. I would love to see a starter I could make that does not use corn!
Thanks for this info! You do not have to use corn masa in this recipe, it’s just the GF flour blend I recommend. You can use an even blend of brown rice flour and buckwheat flour with good results.
Just want to clarify step 1… So you combine 50g of gf flour mix, 100g of water and 50g of starter cultures? What if you can’t get the starter cultures? Thank you!
Step one is to combine 50 grams of gluten free flour, 100 grams of water and a packet of starter culture (if you have it). You do not have to use the starter culture. You can make this starter with only flour and water.
Hi. This looks very good. Thanks for sharing. Question – the starter culture you can purchase – you need to use the entire packet you mentioned. That is one expensive loaf of bread , is it only once you need to use the starter culture ? ( utilise feeds from finished product / day 8 after that to make more bread ? ). What is the Max time it can hibernate in the fridge please ?
You don’t need to use a starter culture packet every time… just to initially mix your sourdough starter. Then you just need to feed your starter and keep it going forever.
What flour would you recommend if someone is gluten free, rice free and corn free 😬
you can try all buckwheat flour
Hello ! Was curious do you have a bread recipe from
using this sourdough starter ?
yep, it’s linked in the last step of this recipe.
How would you transition from feeding a normal sourdough starter to feeding it GF flour?
you can use the same discard and feeding routine but just start using GF flour.
Help! Day one I made a 1:1 flour blend with buckwheat flour and brown rice flour. Mixed that per your instructions, 1:2 with water and the culture packet. After 24 hours nothing had happened except that it kind of separated and I had water on the top. So for day 2 I fed a 1:1 ration with my buckwheat and brown rice flour blend and water. And still several hours have passed and nothing. What am I doing wrong?
you’re not doing anything wrong. It takes a while for the starter to get up and going. Please read the recipe notes. If you’re seeing watery separation, simply add more flour to make it thicker.
Hi Kaitlyn, I’m a novice at gluten-free sourdough and I’m hoping you could answer my question. I doubled the starter thinking that’s what I had to do to make two loaves of bread so if I wanna make gluten-free sourdough bread loaves, I basically would have to make four loaves? Since I doubled the starter, correct?
By the way, I love this recipe. It’s super easy and the bread turns out great. I made it years ago and are just now getting back into making sourdough again.
You don’t have to use all the starter. If you have some starter left after making two loaves, you can keep any left over starter in a jar in the fridge as “discard”. You can use this and revive it next time you want to bake, or use it in discard recipes!
Trying this starter tyvm. Was wondering at what point you would add cultures and how much, mine us dry powder. Thx
add the dry starter cultures at the very beginning.