Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

Recipe by Amy Trage
16 Reviews 4.4 out of 5 stars

Add tangy zest to your breads and other baked treats with this gluten-free sourdough starter. Just a few ingredients and a week or so of nurturing bring you this exciting addition to your gluten-free baking world.

Note: While we normally caution against using our Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour in recipes involving yeast, this starter recipe has been developed specifically for that flour and works just fine. That said, we don’t recommend substituting Measure for Measure in your own yeast bread or sourdough recipes.

Prep
20 mins
Total
7 days
Yield
about 1 1/4 cups starter
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Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. Day 1: Mix together the flour and water in a medium-sized bowl, stirring until thoroughly combined. Cover the bowl, and let the mixture rest overnight at room temperature.

  2. Day 2: Discard half the starter, and feed the remainder with 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (128g) cool water and 1 cup (121g) Measure for Measure flour.

  3. Days 3, 4, 5... Repeat the process from Day 2. Sometime between days 5 and 10, you'll notice that within several hours after feeding the starter will have grown in size to between 2 1/4 and 2 3/4 cups. At this point it's ready to use in your recipe. If it takes longer than this, simply keep repeating the once-a-day feeding process until it matures fully; bubbling nicely, and doubling in size within several hours after feeding.

Tips from our Bakers

  • Be aware: some of your baking ingredients can be a hidden source of gluten. Learn more at our blog post: For gluten-free baking, think beyond just flour. For additional information on King Arthur-produced products, read the complete details of our allergen program, including our contact-prevention practices.

  • For tangier yeast bread recipes, try using 1 cup starter in place of 1/2 cup water and 1 cup flour.

  • For a fun experiment, try substituting 1/2 cup starter for 1/2 cup of the flour and 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of the liquid in our Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin recipe or any other muffin, cake or quick bread of your choice.

  • Sourdough starter is best stored in the fridge in a stoneware crock or glass container with a loose-fitting lid. You should observe the same procedures for care and maintenance as for a wheat-based starter.

  • Try this starter in our Gluten-Free Sourdough Flatbread and our Gluten-Free Sourdough English Muffins.

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