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Home » Gluten Free Information » How to Make a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

How to Make a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

Last Updated May 6, 2021. Published May 6, 2021 Good For You Gluten Free

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How to Make a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter
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Curious about how to make a gluten-free sourdough starter? Miss that tangy sourdough bread taste now that you can’t eat gluten? I’ll show you how to make a traditional gluten-free sourdough starter in seven days so you’re ready to make your own gluten-free sourdough bread in no time! This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

I’ve been having all sorts of craving for bread these days… and I figured there was no time like the present to perfect my gluten-free bread-making skills than now.

I love the smell of fresh baked bread, and the taste of sourdough bread, well, it’s an olfactory experience I can never get enough of.

On top of that, sourdough bread is just better for you. The wild yeast breaks down the proteins and carbohydrates in the bread, making it more easily digestible.

Remember, sourdough bread made with wheat flour is not gluten free. Yes, the fermentation process will break down the gluten proteins, but it does not fully eliminate them. You’ve been warned.

For the past few months, I’ve been working on creating a gluten-free sourdough starter, and then using that starter in a slew of recipes.

Today I want to share everything I’ve learned about making a homemade gluten-free sourdough starter so you can get busy making that delicious sourdough bread too.

Tip! If you’re looking to buy gluten-free sourdough bread, and don’t want to go through the fuss of making it yourself, I highly recommend ordering fresh gluten-free sourdough from this company – you won’t regret it!

Beginner’s Guide to Making a Sourdough Starter

Making a gluten-free sourdough starter from scratch is simple, but it does take a little work (more like babysitting!).

Give yourself at least a week to make your starter before making a bread, although ideally you’ll allow your sourdough starter to develop longer. The older your sourdough starter, the more tangy and flavorful it will be. Some sourdough starters have been passed on from generation to generation, giving a sourdough taste like no other.

While making a homemade sourdough starter is an exercise in patient, I promise you, the taste of fresh gluten-free sourdough bread is well worth the effort and wait.

You’ll need a few simple supplies to make your starter.

Mason jar: I start with a small pint-sized mason jar to hold my starter, but as the starter grows, it will need to be transferred into a quart-sized mason jar. Do not use metal. Use a wide-mouth mason jar if possible.

Gluten-free flour: You can use any gluten-free flour to create your starter. I typically use a brown rice flour or sorghum flour. Use whatever you have (or whatever you want to get rid of). The flour is tasteless.

mason jar, sorghum flour and tablespoon on a table.

Filtered water: I use filtered water from my tap.

Coffee filters: While you could use a light towel or even plastic wrap to cover your starter, I prefer to cover it with a coffee filter. The coffee filter allows the air to circulate, but it won’t let any particles into the jar that could taint your sourdough starter. You’ll need a rubber band to secure the filter in place.

Warming mat (optional): I know most sourdough starter recipes do not call for a warming mat, but let me tell you, my house is so cold even in the summer. It’s typically 67-69º F in my house year round. This is just too cold for the sourdough to do its thing. I have a warming mat that I use when making kombucha or to help my gluten-free challah rise. It’s magic.

Day #1:

Add to your clean mason jar the following ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp flour of brown rice or sorghum flour
  • 2 tbsp filtered tap water

Mix the flour and water together to make a thick but stirrable slurry.

Mason jar with 2 parts flour and 2 parts water - a beginner gluten-free sourdough starter

Cover the jar with a coffee filter and secure it with a rubber band and place the jar in a warm place in your house (or use the warming mat I talked about earlier).

Day #2:

You’ll want to feed your starter twice per day. I typically feed it in the morning when I wake up, and again before bed.

To feed it, discard half of the starter from the jar. Then add 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix it together, scrape down the sides, then cover it and allow it to do its magic on your countertop (at room temperature or on the warming mat).

You’re creating an atmosphere that is wet and moist, the exact conditions where yeast and bacteria thrive. Feeding it allows that yeast and bacteria to proliferate.

Tip! Some people do not discard half of the starter. However, discarding allows the yeast to feed on new flour without as much “competition,” helping to develop your starter more quickly. I usually discard the starter for the first week, but then don’t discard any starter after that.

Day #3-6:

Continue to feed the starter twice daily, first discarding half of the starter and then adding 2 tablespoons of flour and water to the mix. Mix it well, scrape down the sides, and cover it until its next feeding.

By this time you’ll see the starter puff up and have a bubbly head or bubbles throughout. It will also start to smell sour. This is good. Your starter is developing more and more each day and officially transforming into yeast.

As you continue to feed the starter, you’ll see it rise (almost double in size) then fall after feeding it. This is normal and good.

The gluten-free sourdough starter after 7 days - bubbly

Day #7:

By day seven, the starter should be bubbly and airy. This means you’re almost ready to bake with it. Take a whiff. Do you smell that tangy, sour aroma? Can you hear it bubbling? It’s alive!

If your starter is not light and bubbly, continue to feed it for a few more days, and make sure you’re storing it in a warm place. Yeast and bacteria work faster in warmer climates.

Is It Ready to Bake With?

You’ll know your sourdough starter is ready to use when it’s bubbly and has doubled in size.

When you’re ready to bake with the sourdough starter, remove the portion you need and use it. The yeast in the sourdough starter will work better if it’s been fed, so consider feeding the portion you need for your bread and then allowing it to sit at room temperature for a few hours before using it. This is especially important if your starter has been in the fridge. A room temperature, well-fed starter will work faster and better.

A bubbly sourdough starter ready to bake gluten-free bread

When using your sourdough starter in lieu of yeast, the general rule-of-thumb swap goes as follows: 1 cup of sourdough starter is equal to 1 package of yeast.

However, you’ll want to subtract about 1/2 cup of water and 3/4 cup of flour from your bread recipe to compensate for the extra water and flour in your sourdough starter. Make sense?

It’s always easier to work from a gluten-free sourdough bread recipe (like mine), or I sometimes use pre-made bread mixes and just use 1 cup of start in lieu of the yeast. Works really well and gives those boxed bread mixes a tangy, sourdough taste.

Storing Your Starter

If you are planning on baking with your sourdough starter often, you can store it at room temperature, just make sure to feed it once per day to maintain it. You can continue discarding half of it, then adding more flour and water to the mix. Or honestly, after my starter is in good shape, I feed it once a day and don’t discard any of it.

Any discarded starter from here on out can be used in pancakes, muffins and other fun quick breads, which I will be experimenting with more myself in the coming months and years.

If you don’t plan to use your sourdough starter for awhile, store it in the fridge. The cool enviroment will slow down the ferment and allow you to keep your sourdough starter happy for a long while.

If you see a cloudy liquid forming on top of your starter (called a “hooch”), it means your starter is hungry. Stir your starter and feed it!

When storing it in the fridge, be sure to feed it once weekly with equal amounts of water and flour, and discarding some of it as you go along. Have a set night marked on your calendar to feed it. (Now you can see why a sourdough starter passed down through generations is such a prize. You have to feed your starter once per week to keep it alive.)

When you’re ready to bake with your sourdough starter again, remove it from the fridge 12-24 hours ahead of time. Mix it and feed it as you would if you were storing your starter at room temperature (once per day). When it gets bubbly, it’s activated and ready to use to bake up those delicious gluten-free sourdough bread loaves!

Keep feeding your starter and allow it to grow as you need it. An active starter will quickly bubble and be more readily available than a beginner starter.

Troubleshooting

Your gluten-free sourdough starter is in jeopardy if any of the following occur:

Mold: If you see mold on or inside your starter, discard the starter. It has gone bad. I have seen mold on the sides of my jar but not on the starter. I transferred the starter to a clean jar and all was good again.

Bad Smell: Your starter will have a sour, tangy aroma, but if it smells awful, it will probably taste awful.

Need it to Grow Faster: Feed your starter more often and it will grow faster. Also divide it into two jars to get more starter action and to prevent your jars from overflowing.

I’m still learning, so I will add to this post over time. But please leave your questions and I will try to respond and we can learn together.

Ready to Bake Bread?

Take a look at my gluten-free sourdough bread recipe. It’s delicious and the sourdough makes it light, airy and tangy. Get the recipe here.

A round artisan loaf of gluten-free sourdough bread.

Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

This recipe will walk you through, step-by-step, how to make a gluten-free sourdough starter from scratch.
4.67 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breads
Cuisine: American
Keyword: artisan bread, bread, sourdough bread, sourdough starter
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Servings: 1 starter
Author: Jenny Levine Finke

Equipment

  • 1 quart mason jar
  • Coffee filter with rubber band

Ingredients

  • 22 ounce bag of sorghum or brown rice flour
  • filtered water

Instructions

  • Day #1: Add to a clean mason jar 2 tbsp of flour of brown rice or sorghum flour and 2 tbsp of filtered tap water. Mix the flour and water together to make a thick but stirrable slurry. Cover the jar with a coffee filter and secure it with a rubber band and place the jar in a warm place in your house.
  • Days #2-6: Feed your starter twice per day. I typically feed it in the morning when I wake up, and again before bed. To feed it, discard half of the starter from the jar. Add 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix it together, scrape down the sides, then cover it and allow it to do its magic on your countertop at room temperature. As you continue to feed the starter, you'll see it rise (almost double in size) then fall after feeding it. This is normal and good.
  • Day #7: By day seven, the starter should be bubbly and airy. This means you're almost ready to bake! Take a whiff. Do you smell that tangy, sour aroma? Can you hear it bubbling? If so, it's ready as it has fermented nicely. If not, continue to feed it twice daily for a few more days, and make sure you're storing it in a warm place so the yeast and bacteria can do their magic.

Notes

Once the sourdough starter is ready, you can measure out what you need, then place the starter in your fridge and feed it once per week. It should last for years if you feed it weekly. When you’re ready to bake bread, take out what you need from the jar, feed it, and bring it to room temperature (3-4 hours or overnight) before using.
You can use any gluten-free flour for the sourdough starter. I have used brown rice flour and sorghum flour and both work well. Make sure your flour is labeled gluten free.
You do not have to discard half of the starter each day. Doing so will speed up the ferment process; however, if you’re okay to go slow with it, you can simply feed the starter without discarding any of it. I typically discard starter for the first 7-10 days, then just feed the starter daily from there on out without discarding any of it. 
After you have developed your starter, you can store it in your fridge and feed it once per week. Mark your calendar so you don’t forget to feed it!
If you see murky water pool on top, it means your starter is hungry. Feed it! 
Once you make your sourdough starter, you’re ready to bake some bread. Here is my artisan gluten-free sourdough bread recipe.
Tried this recipe?Mention @GoodForYouGlutenFree or tag #goodforyouglutenfree!

Filed Under: Gluten Free Information 13 Comments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Good For You Gluten Free says

    January 29, 2023 at 8:21 pm

    Yes if it’s pooling water it means it’s hungry and needs to be fed.

  2. Terri says

    January 29, 2023 at 7:19 pm

    Thank you! I unplugged the warmer, we’ll see what happens. I keep my house pretty cold that’s why I tried the mat. Do you think I should do more flour/less water per feeding?

  3. Good For You Gluten Free says

    January 29, 2023 at 4:43 pm

    It might be too warm. Maybe try without the warning mat? I think it’s fine as long as there’s no mold. Mixing before discarding is wise too.

  4. Terri says

    January 29, 2023 at 3:29 pm

    Hi! I’m on day 5 of my starter. I’m feeding twice a day and using a warming mat. I’ve noticed my starter is watery on the bottom and bubbly and thicker in the top layer. Before feeding I stir it and then discard. Is this normal? The “hooch” is on the bottom not top

  5. Dee says

    November 11, 2022 at 3:33 pm

    Thank you. I just bought the warmer you suggested because I also think my house was too cold and it just stopped growing until I put it in my oven with just the oven light on. I was feeding it twice a day too so I wasn’t sure if I had killed it somehow. I’m now on day 8 and hope to try your sourdough bread recipe tomorrow. Thank you for your time to answer me and this amazing website.

  6. Good For You Gluten Free says

    November 9, 2022 at 3:48 pm

    Make sure you discard a little of the starter then feed it with more flour and water. The water on top means it needs to be fed.

  7. Dee says

    November 9, 2022 at 3:22 pm

    Hi I was so excited to see this post and your recipes. I started my sourdough starter 6 days ago and it was doing great I think. It was foaming and bubbling and growing but all of a sudden it stopped. It gets a small amount of water sitting on the top and I stir it down and it comes back. It doesn’t bubble or grow anymore. What did I do? Is it still good? Also when throwing out 1/2 at each feeding how accurate does it need to be?

  8. Good For You Gluten Free says

    June 16, 2022 at 8:20 am

    It may not double but it should keep growing. It could depend on how warm it is in your home. Good luck!!

  9. Maggie says

    June 15, 2022 at 9:16 am

    Hello! I am so excited to finally see my starter bubbling quite a lot up the sides, but my question is whether it’s alright that it isn’t fully doubling in size? It really only raises a little bit after 24 hours even those there’s clearly a lot of air & bubbles. It’s been over a week so far. Thanks for your help!

  10. Good For You Gluten Free says

    March 29, 2022 at 6:36 pm

    Mine just plugs in. No temperature adjuster. But I recommend keeping it between 70-74 at least. I’m not 100% sure though.

  11. Rochelle says

    March 29, 2022 at 12:42 pm

    I am purchasing the warming mat because I have the same temp here as you do. What temp should the mat be set at? Thanks!

  12. Good For You Gluten Free says

    January 7, 2022 at 10:02 am

    You can use any flour for the starter and I don’t think it matters if you switch from brown rice flour to sorghum. Just be sure to feed it. I haven’t used a GF starter outside of making GF bread but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let me know if you try!

  13. Maya says

    January 7, 2022 at 12:36 am

    Hello! Thanks for this great post, this info is just what I was looking for. I’m looking forward to making this with my son, as he enjoys learning how to bake. I have 2 questions, though…

    -Do you have to be consistent with the type of flour? Like if we start with sorghum can we ONLY feed it sorghum thereafter?

    -some in my family are not GF. Can I use my GF starter to make them wheat bread, do you think, so I don’t have to have two separate starters?

    Thanks again for this super helpful post!

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Hi, I'm Jenny Levine Finke and am passionate about the gluten-free lifestyle. I'm a certified integrative nutrition coach and self-taught expert on [most] gluten-free things. I have celiac disease and know the struggles you're going through first-hand. This is why I've dedicated this blog to serving the celiac and gluten sensitive communities with important information, product and restaurant reviews, and simple recipes I hope you'll love. Read More…

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