How to Make a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter from Scratch

Do you dream fresh homemade sourdough bread, but can’t eat gluten? I’m here to tell you that dreams can come true! Come learn how to make your own gluten-free sourdough starter from scratch with this easy step-by-step guide, using only three ingredients.

The process takes about a week, but requires minimal time or effort each day. By the end you’ll have an active homemade gluten-free sourdough starter – ready to use recipes like our gluten free sourdough bread, delicious gluten free sourdough crackers, or any others you desire.

Note: This post was originally published in March 2020 but has been significantly updated since.

Before we dive in, I’ll share a few tips, facts, and gluten-free flour options. I’ve also included a handy demonstration video at the end (where I make a wheat starter from scratch, but it’s basically the same process).

Quick Sourdough Facts

• Rather than using instant dry yeast, sourdough relies on fermentation via a starter – a living culture of beneficial bacteria and natural yeasts – to make the bread rise.
  
  
• The natural fermentation process and added probiotics makes sourdough bread more gut-healthy, nutrient-dense and easier to digest.
  
  
• Once established, a starter must be nurtured with routine feedings to keep it alive. But don’t worry, it’s easier to do than most folks imagine. I store my starter in the fridge and only feed it (add fresh flour and water) once every few weeks… or sometimes as little as once every few months!
  
  
• Contrary to popular belief, most homemade sourdough doesn’t taste super sour at all (it’s only called “sour” since it’s made with fermentation). Rather, commercially-made sourdough often includes additives to boost sour notes.

RELATED: Browse my favorite sourdough baking supplies and learn how to store, maintain and feed sourdough starter here.

Gluten-Free Sourdough Flour Options

When it comes to baking gluten-free sourdough bread, there are dozens of GF flour types to choose from! Millet, potato, rice, buckwheat, tapioca, sorghum… the list goes on.

• Most gluten-free sourdough bread recipes call for a combination of several types of GF flours, along with the addition of psyllium husk and/or xanthan gum to help everything bind well in the absence of gluten. 
  
  
• To make a gluten-free sourdough starter, I’ve found it’s best to simply use brown rice flour or buckwheat flour (or half and half.) I used brown rice for this tutorial, which has a more mild, subtle flavored compared to buckwheat. You can also use white rice flour, albeit less nutritious than brown rice or buckwheat.
  
  
• Once your starter is established, you can experiment with feeding (maintaining) it a variety of these flours, or even sweet rice flour. Sweet rice flour is less gritty and more sticky than other rice flours, which I’ve found can be helpful as a binding agent.
  
  
• Finally, I do not recommend using an all-purpose 1:1 GF flour for this recipe due to the extra additives and gums it contains. I tried to make a gluten-free sourdough starter with a 1-1 GF flour once – it technically worked (rose and got active) but smelled absolutely disgusting.

Supplies Needed

• A large air-tight glass container. I like to use this 2-liter flip-top container (about a half-gallon). A smaller container container will limit the space your starter has to rise. The container should be large enough to allow for the flour/water mixture inside to at least double in size.
  
• A digital kitchen scale. For the most consistent results, it’s best to weigh sourdough ingredients since various flours have different densities and weights. For example, this recipe calls for 500 grams of flour to start. 500 grams of Arrowhead Mills brown rice flour equates to 3.25 cups, yet 500 grams of their buckwheat is 4 full cups.
  
• Mixing bowl
• Box cheese grater (to shred the apple)
• Liquid measuring cup
• A moderately warm location
• Recommended: an ambient thermometer or sticky strip thermometer
  

Ingredients

• Brown rice flour or buckwheat flour (or a mix of both). You’ll use about 750 grams of flour (or 1.7 pounds) total for the entire process. I like to use this organic brown rice flour.
  
  
• One organic apple. The apple is what inoculates the starter with natural yeast and beneficial lactobacillus, so I highly recommend going organic for the best results. Non-organic produce may lack the good bacteria needed, and contain chemicals that interfere with healthy fermentation. I prefer use a Fuji, Pink Lady, or Gala apple.
  
  
• Un-chlorinated or filtered water. Avoiding chlorine is important when it comes to any fermentation process, including making sourdough. A basic carbon filter is enough to remove most of the chlorine from city tap water. You can use bottled water in a pinch, but don’t use distilled water! It’s too sterile and “stripped down” to support a healthy sourdough culture.

Instructions

Day 1: Mix Flour, Water and Apple

• Start by washing the apple well under hot running water, but don’t use soap or another vegetable wash. Then use a clean cheese grater to shred the apple, including the skin.
  
  
• In a large clean mixing bowl, combine 500 grams of brown rice or buckwheat flour, one grated organic apple, and 360 mL of lukewarm filtered water (about 1.5 cups). Mix thoroughly. The texture should be like thick sloppy dough – not dry and crumbly, but not soupy wet*. 
  
  
• Transfer the mixture into a large, clean glass container with a lid. Mash down the wet dough to remove any air pockets. If possible, try to avoid getting gunk all over the sides of your container (which is more likely to grow mold). Use a silicone spatula to clean up the sides if needed.
  
  
• Mark the level of the mixture on the side of the container using a glass pen or rubber band so you can easily monitor the starters’ growth.

*PRO TIP: Throughout this process, if your starter ever seems too dry or far too wet, feel free to add a splash more water or flour until the desired consistency is reached as described. The amounts I’m providing are a general guide since different flour types and brands will have slightly varying weights.

Days 2-3: Rest and Wait

• Now tuck the container in a moderately warm location and let it sit for 72 hours.
  
  
• The ideal fermentation temperature for starter is around 70-75°F (23°C). Cooler temperatures will slow the activation process and increase the chances of mold, so if your home in the cold side, see tips on how to keep sourdough starter warm below.  Use a simple stick-on thermometer to easily monitor the temperature.
  
  
• Over the next three days, your starter should start to get active, bubbly, and rise. It may even rise and then fall back down again, which is a sign that it needs to be fed soon (step 3). The starter will also start to smell a little funky, malty, and semi-sweet – reminiscent of apple cider vinegar. 

Ways to keep sourdough starter warm:

• Find a warm spot in your house, such as next to or on top of a warm appliance. For example, my kitchen has under-cabinet lights that put off heat when they’re on, making the cabinets above quite warm and cozy.
  
  
• Use a starter heating pad. I love and use this handy warming plate to keep my starter warm AND under the bowl of proofing dough later. I’ve also found that using warm water in the starter and dough will help boost activity.
  
  
• Oven light trick. Most oven light bulbs emit warmth, so turning on the oven light (but keeping the oven itself OFF) can create a nice warm spot in the back of the oven for your starter or proofing dough. However, I’ve heard horror stories when folks accidentally pre-heat or bake their starter! So if you try this, be sure to make a reminder that it’s in there – including for other members of the household. 
  
  
• Proofing box. If you’re a regular baker with a chronically cool home, it may be worth investing in a proofing box – which can keep both your sourdough starter and proofing bread dough at the perfect temperature!

Day 4: First Feeding

After 72 hours (or about three days, it doesn’t need to be exact) it’s time to feed your starter for the first time. The process of feeding a sourdough starter usually involves discarding a portion of it before adding fresh flour and water.

• First, open the lid and stir the starter with a clean utensil to knock out the air and bring it back down to its original volume.
  
  
• Next, remove and discard about half of the volume of starter in the container. I usually just eyeball it, using the mark or rubber band line on the container as a guide. Discarded sourdough starter can be composted, fed to chickens, or used to make other sourdough goodies like gluten-free sourdough discard crackers.
  
  
• Now add an additional 250 grams of fresh brown rice or buckwheat flour and about 180 mL (about 3/4 cup) of lukewarm water to the mix. Stir thoroughly to combine. I usually mix it right in the starter container, though you can also mix everything in separate bowl and transfer it back in. It should be a slightly thinner consistency than the original mix.
  
  
• Clean up the sides of the container as needed so you can monitor the rise again (and possible fall).
  
  
• Now, put the container back into a warm location and let it sit for 48 hours this time. 

Troubleshooting notes

If your starter didn’t rise at all during these 48 hours, allow it to sit for another day before moving on to the next step. Yet if it rose and fell back down (look for smears on the container) then it is time to feed again. If it’s acting particularly lethargic, try feeding with half brown rice flour and half buckwheat. 

Note that it’s common for the first bout of activity to be more vigorous and obvious than after the first feeding. That’s because different short-lived bacteria quickly ferment the starter at first. Yet these are not the same type of bacteria and yeast we desire long-term in our starter, who are slower to develop. 

Day 6: Feed Again

This step is easy! Simply repeat the same discard and feed process that you did previously. Stir it first, discard half, and add more fresh flour and water like we did in the previous step. Yet this time you want to make it a splash more wet than before – like a wet, sloppy dough. Use 250 grams of flour and about 220 mL (just under a cup) of lukewarm water this time. 

Now, let your almost-ready gluten-free sourdough starter sit for 24 hours If all goes well, it should rise and fall within this time period. The apples should be pretty much be disintegrated by now too. 

Day 7: It’s Ready!

If it’s bubbly and active within 24 hours of the last feeding – congratulations – you just made a new gluten-free sourdough starter from scratch! It’s now ready to bake with. Try our rustic gluten-free sourdough boule loaf recipe here.

But first, be sure to name your starter. It’s tradition among the sourdough community and considered bad baking luck if you don’t! Check out our round-up of the best 60 Punny Sourdough Starter Names for plenty of fun ideas.

If you’re not ready to bake yet, simply store your starter in the refrigerator and see the tips below to learn how to take care of it.

Storage and Ongoing Care

Now what? If you aren’t ready to bake yet, simply store your starter in the refrigerator and then head over to our guide on how to maintain and feed sourdough starter. It covers the pros and cons of storing it at room temperature vs the refrigerator, when and how to feed it, and how to ready a starter for baking.

TIP: it’s best to use sourdough starter for baking several hours after feeding, once it’s reached “peak activity” – which is when it’s at least doubled in size, is no longer actively rising, but before it deflates again. And remember, never use ALL your starter in a recipe! Always save at least a half cup to feed and keep going.

FAQ: What’s that dark liquid on the top of my sourdough starter?

When a sourdough starter goes unfed for a while, it will form a layer of dark liquid on top called “hooch”. The yeast in starter produces hooch (an alcohol) as a natural byproduct of the fermentation process. Hooch is not harmful, but is an indication that your starter is hungry and needs to be fed.

When you see hooch, you can either pour it off the top or simply mix it back in, and then discard and feed as usual. However, mixing hooch into the starter will make it extra sour-tasting. Since we store our starter in the fridge and often go many weeks between baking/feeding, it almost always has a layer of hooch on top.

And that’s how to make a gluten-free sourdough starter!

So, how’d it go? I hope this article got you one step closer to making all your sourdough dreams come true. Please feel free to ask questions and leave a review below. Thanks for tuning in, and happy baking!

For all you visual learners, here is a quick video showing the process of making a classic wheat sourdough starter. The flour is different and the water amount varies slightly, but otherwise it is essentially the same process! My gluten-free sourdough starter never gets quite as bubbly as my wheat one.