Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

Last Christmas, I started a sourdough starter and enjoyed baking with it throughout the year. We used it to make pancakes, waffles, banana bread, sourdough bread, cookies, brownies... 

Sourdough bread has lots of benefits! It's fermented and contains pre and probiotic properties, so it's great for your gut! It can lead to better digestion and keeps your blood sugar healthy. So, when we started switching our diets over to gluten free, I knew that I would want to try my hand at making a gluten free sourdough starter so we could continue our baking. 

We're about a week and a half in to the journey, and I thought I'd share about how I'm making the starter because I'm getting lots of questions when I share over on Instagram.

I'm using King Arthur's gluten free flour. I also saw that Costco had a gluten free flour the last time I went in, and I'm planning on picking that up the next time I went in.... Costco's regular flour worked great for our last starter. 

To get started, you'll need a small jar. This one is from Ikea, and has a closeable top. But, you don't actually have to close it. I usually latch it, so it has a bit of an opening, but you can also put a towel over the top and seal it with a rubber band. 

With this particular starter, I'm using a 1:1:1 ratio. 

You'll also want a kitchen scale and you'll need filtered water. The chlorine in your tap water will kill your starter. 

To begin your starter, add 50 grams of flour to 50 grams of water. 

When I made my original starter, I was mixing 100 grams of each, and I realized I don't need to keep that much starter on hand, so I cut it in half. You could potentially start with 25 grams. 

Once you mix the flour and water, set it aside until the next day. 

On day 2, you'll begin discarding. It's just a fancy term for throwing half away. To do this, I measure 50 grams of the mixed starter out into a bowl, and I throw the rest of it in the trash. You do not want to throw it away in your sink because it can clog your drains, and at this point, you can't save your discard (the amount you throw away) because it's not fermented enough to bake/use in other recipes. 

After you have 50 grams of your mixed starter in a bowl, and you've thrown out the rest, you'll add your 50 grams of starter back into your bowl. Then, add another 50 grams of gluten free flour, and 50 grams of filtered water. Stir and cover.

At this point, I've read that you'll want to discard and re-add flour/water two times per day through the first week. Now, I don't remember doing that when I started my original starter last year, and I didn't do it this time around, until I remembered. Once I remembered, I discarded and fed 2x per day for about 3 days. I may go back in and try it if I'm not seeing it doubling by the end of this week.

This is what your starter will look like when it's mixed. 

I'll continue this process until I notice it doubling in size after I feed it. It usually takes a few hours to double, and that's when you know your starter is healthy and active, and you're able to bake with it. Again, we're a week and a half in, and my starter isn't doubling, but it is bubbling and showing signs of activity, so I'm hopeful that it will double too! 

You also want to make sure your starter isn't in a cold/drafty environment. We keep our house around 74 degrees, but if I feel like it needs to be warmer, I'll place the jar in the oven with the light on to give it some heat. Do NOT turn on your oven-You will kill your starter! 

When I started my original starter last year, it took almost a month to get it bubbling, active, and doubling in size. We had company over and there was lots of movement and activity in our home, and it was just hot. I looked at my starter and it was huge and almost overflowing! I was so excited because that's how you know you're ready to bake!

As I go further in to the process of making the gluten free starter, I'll continue to share and hopefully inspire some of you to start your own!