Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter
I love sourdough. I love the process of feeding your starter and gently stretching the dough. It’s therapeutic to me.
About a year ago I decided to finally address some gut issues that I had been experiencing for years. I also have Hashimotos (hypothyroid autoimmune disease) which causes additional symptoms. I went to four different doctors and all of them highly suggested that I go gluten-free.
This was the worst news, as I was literally in the midst of creating a career out of selling and teaching people how to make sourdough. Sourdough, when fermented for at least 12 hours, has very low gluten levels, but my doctors didn’t even want me to consume wheat, so traditional sourdough was off-limits.
After I got my gut issues a little under control, I decided to attempt gluten-free sourdough, using alternative flours. I quickly got discouraged because the process of making gluten-free sourdough is nothing like the process of traditional sourdough that I was used to. But after months of trying, I successfully made a gluten-free sourdough starter from sprouted brown rice flour and I made my first loaf of gluten-free sourdough bread.
Here is what I did to create my gluten-free sourdough starter:
Day 1: In a clean jar, add 50g organic brown rice flour and 50g lukewarm water. Mix until well combined. It should be the texture of thick pancake batter. If it feels too runny, add an additional 10g flour. If it feels extremely thick, add an additional 10g lukewarm water. Loosely cover (if the jar has a lid simply place the lid on the jar rather than screwing it on tight) and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
Day 2: Discard half of the mixture. Add an additional 50g organic brown rice flour and 50g lukewarm water. Mix thoroughly, loosely cover and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. You might notice some bubbles today, but if you don’t, don’t worry.
Day 3: In a clean jar, add 10g of the starter mixture, 50g organic brown rice flour and 50g lukewarm water. Mix thoroughly, loosely cover and let sit for 24 hours.
Days 4-10: Repeat the Day 3 instructions until your starter is getting very bubbly and rises at least ¾ inches and falls everyday. Gluten-free sourdough starter won’t double in size like traditional starter. It also won’t pass the “float test”. You’ll know it's ready to bake with when there are lots of bubbles or air pockets, it slightly rises, it has a slight dome on the top, and it doesn’t smell bad.
If mold ever starts to form on your starter, throw it out and start over. After it is established and you don’t want to feed it everyday, you can keep it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.