Gluten Free Sourdough Bread Recipe

gluten free sourdough dough slices

Share:

Here it is: the much anticipated gluten free sourdough bread recipe!

Isn’t it lovely to know you, too, can bake a lovely gluten free sourdough in nearly any kind of pan, any time you like? Like this gluten free sourdough baked in a Dutch Oven!

Gluten Free Sourdough in Dutch Oven

Or this gluten free sourdough made in an Emile Henry bread baker

gluten free sourdough Emile Henry

or this gluten free sourdough baked in a Pullman Pan

gluten free sourdough baked in pullman pan

or this gluten free sourdough baked as a boule without a pan …

gluten free sourdough artisan loaf with butter

I’ve baked experiment after experiment, tweaking it here and there to account for lots of variables.

The development of a gluten free sourdough starter (click here for recipe) and gluten free sourdough bread recipe was a painstaking process, but at least we’ve enjoyed tons of gluten free sourdough (by the way, leftover sourdough makes an insane overnight gluten free French Toast Casserole!).

French Toast Casserole with gluten Free Sourdough

 

I urge you to hang in there and read through my entire post, as I outline what has worked best and what has not worked best for me. There are definitely some tricks of the trade, including how to get your gluten free sourdough to be sour! 

Gluten Free Sourdough Basics

For those who love and miss sourdough, take heart! The art of making sourdough isn’t lost without the gluten. There’s still a lot of feeding, caring and waiting for the sourdough starter to mature and bloom into all its potential.

I’ve actually made so much starter that I’ve given much of it away to neighbors, but I just couldn’t throw any away when I’ve tended to it for so long! It’s like a little sourdough baby and you just can’t toss it out — I care about it! It’s “alive.” 

You’ll see when you make this gluten free sourdough starter; you’ll see. You won’t want to discard any of the “extra” either. It’s precious. Here’s how to make your very own gluten free sourdough starter!

Some things are the same about making gluten free sourdough bread as they are with making any other gluten free bread. There’s no kneading the bread and stretching the gluten because there’s no gluten! Just follow my instructions to the letter, use my gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour or gfJules Multigrain Baking Flour and sit back to watch the magic happen.

gluten free sourdough sliced on board
Gluten Free Sourdough with oil brushed on before baking (no extra gfJules Flour dusted on top).

Choosing the Right Gluten Free Flours for Gluten Free Sourdough Bread

In anticipation of many questions to come, this recipe and process was developed using my gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour because it works, I can rely on it every time, it’s easy, and it doesn’t taste funky or have any grit to it. If you try this recipe with another gluten free flour or blend, it really may not work, so please please please don’t even bother to try! But if you do, please don’t leave comments about how it didn’t work, because I’m telling you so before you waste your time.

Gluten free flours are tricky business. It took me two years to develop my original blend way back in 2003 (I’ve been gluten free since 1999!) and I’ve been tweaking and improving it ever since. Just because you think you can read ingredients and intuit how much of anything to use or to buy something off the shelf that sounds similar … you can’t. It won’t be the same, and the results won’t look like those pictured.

gluten free sourdough dough sliced on board CU

Not to belabor the issue, but tenths of a percentage point difference in proportions and a different brand or country of origin for any given ingredient are things that can make huge changes in outcomes. It amazes me all the time how tiny variances make big differences.

Which is why I developed my gfJules Flour to begin with. Selfishly, I didn’t want to have to make it in my kitchen every time I baked! And unselfishly, I wanted to prevent fellow gluten-free bakers (and newbies to gluten free baking) from having to mess around with mediocre flours only to achieve mediocre results.

Gluten Free Sourdough in Dutch Oven
Gluten Free Sourdough in Dutch Oven

Gluten free baking — and specifically gluten free sourdough bread baking — can be so rewarding and share-worthy! You’ll see!

For more help with gluten free bread baking, in general, hop to my 18 Top Gluten Free Bread Baking Tips.

So back to the recipe at hand.

gluten free sourdough artisan loaf with wine

 

Baking Gluten Free Sourdough — Choosing the Right Pan

As you can see at the top of this post, there are many different options when it comes to baking your gluten free sourdough bread. If you prefer to make an artisan-style loaf, no bread pan is needed.

Follow along with one reader’s VIDEO of how she made her beautiful gluten free sourdough loaf using with this recipe and this artisan method following clicking here to watch!

gluten free sourdough boule rising

For that method, I found that lining a banneton (proofing basket) or large glass bowl with oiled parchment sprinkled with more gfJules Flour was the best way to support the bread as it rose.

Once risen, I simply lifted up on the parchment and laid it out onto a baking sheet for the bread to bake.

gluten free sourdough boule_

The bread will take more of a free-form shape, but it’s really beautiful and impressive!

gluten free sourdough artisan loaf with basket

You could also transfer from the banneton or bowl into a parchment-lined Dutch Oven and bake that way.

I outline the baking directions in the recipe below.

gf sourdough after rising in Dutch oven-2

Using either the artisan or bread pan method, you may choose to dust the top of the loaf with gfJules Flour before baking for a more rustic look, or simply brush olive oil onto the top, or both.

I like the look of the flour with the golden finish of the olive oil in combination, so most of my loaves pictured are done that way. 

gluten free sourdough rising with plastic wrap

Allow the dough to rise covered with oiled plastic wrap to help keep the loaf warm and moist. I like putting the loaf into a preheated 200F oven, then turning the oven off, but turning the light on. I do this with the bread rising in either the bowl or the oiled and floured bread pan.

You can allow the bread to rise here for a minimum of 1 1/2 hours or up to one day if you’re baking egg-free.  

gluten free sourdough risen in pullman pan

The bread won’t have risen a lot, as most of the rising happens when it’s baking.

Feel free to oil and flour the bottom and sides of the pan or use lightly oiled and floured parchment for easier removal from the pan.

gluten free sourdough dough after rising
Gluten free sourdough dough bread in Pullman Pan after rising for 3 hours.

After rising, cut slits in the top of the loaf to direct the rise. Since the oil and/or the flour were applied before the slits were cut, the inside of the slits will appear different from the crust and it gives the sourdough the hand-made look it deserves.

Regarding bread pans, I experimented with all kinds and sizes. My personal preference was the Pullman Pan that I used in most of these photos. The bread dough is a bit too voluminous for a traditional 9 x 5 (or smaller) bread pan; in those, this wet dough would rise high and then tended to collapse a bit, leaving some un-cooked looking areas in the center.

The Pullman Pan (mine is 12 x 4 1/2) seemed to be the perfect size to allow the bread to rise with support up the taller sides.

gluten free sourdough dough temp
Gluten free sourdough bread in Pullman Pan lined with parchment. The bread is done when the internal temperature is at least 205F.

 

The time it takes to bake this bread will differ based upon the pan used and of course, on individual oven variations. I highly recommend buying an internal thermometer to take the bread’s temperature before removing it from the oven.

The internal temperature should be at least 205F before removing it from the oven to cool.

gluten free sourdough dough with gluten free board
Gluten Free Sourdough bread with Gluten Free Lazy Susan from WordsWithBoards.com.

 

How to Make Gluten Free Sourdough Taste Sour

There are three main distinguishing features of sourdough: taste; smell and texture. You might expect that the most difficult feature to achieve in gluten free sourdough would be texture, but as you can see from the photos, the artisan texture, open cell structure and crunchy crust are present in each of my loaves made with my gfJules Flour or my gfJules Bread Mix.

The smell is something that is quite noticeable from the starter. It should be tangy and rather sour smelling to know it’s really active. If your starter isn’t smelling very sour, it needs to age longer and/or be fed more.

gluten free sourdough dough fried green tomato sandwich
Gluten free sourdough dough with fried green tomatoes (recipe at gfJules.com).

But the sour taste was the thing that seemed to be most elusive for me in my bread experiments. That’s fine for me, as I don’t prefer a sourdough taste in my bread, but I know many of you do.

My early breads came out tasting yeasty and mild, just perfect for sandwiches or dipping in olive oil and balsamic (which we’ve been doing nearly every night for weeks now!).

gluten free sourdough overhead V with thermometer

No, the sour taste didn’t come easily. I did achieve it when I allowed the bread to rise overnight, so if you are searching for that sour, I recommend budgeting time for an overnight rise.

Making gluten-free sourdough more sour

  1. Overnight Rise. I allowed my bread to rise as I described above, then placed it in the refrigerator overnight (still covered), then removed it the next day to sit on the counter to come to room temperature before baking. THEN the sour started to show through! (note: if you’re baking egg-free, leaving the dough covered in the oven turned off overnight is a good way to get that sour taste.)
  2. But even more revolutionary, I’ve recently changed my recipe to remove any chemical leaveners (baking powder, baking soda) which altered the pH and allowed the sour flavor to shine through. Those ingredients counteract the sour tang, so adding them negates the sour. 
  3. Another site has recommended NOT feeding your sourdough starter again before baking with it in order to increase the sour flavor of the bread. This will also decrease the rise and will necessitate a longer proofing time, however. (Go here for the recipe to make your own gluten free sourdough starter)

If you do any experimenting of your own and find other ways to make this bread taste sour-er, please share in the comments below!

gluten free sourdough boule made from gfJules multigrain biscuit breakfast baking flour starter

Storing Your Homemade Gluten Free Sourdough Bread

I always recommend storing your baked goods at room temperature in a sealed container, and this gluten free sourdough bread is no exception. The simple truth is that if you put baked goods into the refrigerator, they will dry out. You can put them into the freezer when they are fully cooled, but they will need to be warmed or toasted before enjoying again. 

This gluten free sourdough bread is still soft and delicious after a few days in a zip top bag with the air squeezed out of it and stored at room temperature. Depending on the size of your loaf, you may need to cut it in half to get it to fit into a gallon sized bag, but other than that, it’s easy to just seal it up and grab a slice whenever you like!

gluten free sourdough CU

If you’d like to bake a regular gluten free artisan loaf without the sourdough starter, check out my Gluten Free Artisan Bread Recipe. And of course, my award-winning gfJules Gluten Free Bread Mix works well for any kind of sandwich bread, oven or bread machine, hamburger/hot dog bun or baguette recipe! Click on the “description” tab to find links to all these gluten free bread recipes or use the search bar above.

So let’s get down to baking great gluten free sourdough, shall we?

gluten free sourdough baguette
Gluten free sourdough baguette made with gfJules Gluten Free Bread Mix.

To make a homemade gluten free sourdough starter, hop to this recipe!

Gluten Free Sourdough Bread Recipe

gluten free sourdough dough sliced on board CU

Gluten Free Sourdough Bread Recipe

Yield: 1 large loaf
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

This comprehensive gluten free sourdough bread recipe explores all the nooks and crannies of how to make the perfect gluten free loaf!

Ingredients

Sourdough Loaf or Artisan Bread Dry Ingredients

OR

PLUS These Other Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs (OR 2 Tbs. flaxseed meal steeped 10 minutes in 6 Tbs. warm water)
  • 2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup gluten free sourdough starter
  • 1 1/4 cup club soda, sparkling water, ginger ale, 7-Up OR naturally gluten free beer {ADD ONLY 1 CUP still water or sparkling liquid with gfJules Bread Mix}

OPTIONAL, but recommended:

Instructions

Bring all ingredients to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 200°F.

Beat the following ingredients together in a large mixing bowl: eggs (or substitute), apple cider vinegar, oil, sugar, (psyllium husk powder - if adding) and gluten free sourdough starter. Mix until smooth.

Slowly stir in dry ingredients or gfJules Gluten Free Bread Mix with liquid, beating with paddle attachment on a stand mixer or using a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth and all dry ingredients are completely integrated. Mix for two minutes with mixer, longer with spoon method.

If Baking in Loaf Pan:

  1. Transfer dough to an oiled Pullman Pan or 9x5 loaf pan, lightly dusted with gfJules Flour, or to oiled and floured parchment-lined pan or bowl for rising. Dust the top of the dough with more gfJules Flour and brush with olive oil for best results.
  2. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and set inside oven. Turn oven off and turn light on.
  3. Allow the dough to rise for at least 1 1/2 hours, or up to 3 hours before baking. Alternatively, after 3 hours, remove to refrigerator for further overnight rise. If refrigerating overnight, bring the dough to room temperature before baking the next day.
  4. Preheat oven to 350° F or 325° F convection.
  5. Remove plastic wrap and slice across the top of the dough to direct the rise, as pictured.
  6. If you prefer a very crunchy crust, fill a spray bottle with water and spritz the dough before baking, and again every 15-20 minutes while baking.
  7. Bake loaf in the pan for 75 minutes before testing with a bread thermometer. The internal temperature should reach at least 205° F before removing to cool. If the bread is browning too much, cover with foil in order to keep baking.
  8. Once bread is fully cooked, remove to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Allow to fully cool before slicing.

If Baking Artisan Bread:

  1. Transfer to a proofing basket or oiled parchment-lined glass bowl.
  2. Cover loosely with a warm, damp tea towel or oiled cling wrap and place in a warm spot to rise for 1 - 4 hours before baking. Alternatively, after 3 hours, remove to refrigerator for further overnight rise. If refrigerating overnight, bring the dough to room temperature before baking the next day.
  3. Invert onto a parchment lined baking sheet and remove basket or bowl. You may dust with more gfJules Flour or brush oil on any dough that hasn't been oiled previously. OR transfer to Dutch Oven.
  4. Preheat oven to 450°F and bake for 10 minutes covered, then reduce to 375°F and bake for 20 minutes. If baking without pan, test internal temp and continue to bake if needed; if baking in Dutch Oven, remove lid and bake for 25 minutes more, or until bread reaches at least 205°F internal temperature and the top is brown. Set to broil briefly if you need to brown the top before removing, but watch to be sure it does not burn.

Notes

*for Gluten Free Sourdough Baguettes made from gfJules Bread Mix, add:

  • 56 grams sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup sourdough starter
  • 1 cup warm water

Follow package directions to make the dough but do not add yeast packet. Form, rise, then bake at 475° F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 450° F for 20-22 minutes, or until internal temperature is at least 205° F.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment (and maybe even a picture!) below or share a photo on Instagram! Be sure to tag me! @gfJules

Can I Make GRAIN Free Sourdough?

I’ve been getting this question a lot lately. Grain-free blends are very different from gluten free flour blends, and they behave differently in yeast breads. BUT … I have developed a mostly GRAIN-FREE Sourdough variation that is quite lovely with my gfJules Nada Flour.

nada grain free sourdough loaf
Mostly grain-free sourdough made with gfJules grain-free Nada Flour and gfJules Multigrain Flour sourdough starter.

Of note: the starter I used was based on my gfJules Multigrain Flour, so it does contain grains, thus, this loaf is not entirely grain-free.

I have not yet had time to develop a grain-free starter. Alas, I am but one baker. Someday ….

nada grain free sourdough loaf

Mostly GRAIN Free Sourdough Bread Recipe

Yield: 1 loaf
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours

This mostly grain-free sourdough bread recipe is hearty and sour, making it a unique and lovely loaf for those looking for something a little different!

Ingredients

Sourdough Loaf or Artisan Bread Dry Ingredients

PLUS These Other Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs (OR 2 Tbs. flaxseed meal steeped 10 minutes in 6 Tbs. warm water)
  • 2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup (56 grams) sugar
  • 1 cup gluten free sourdough starter
  • 1 cup club soda, sparkling water, ginger ale, 7-Up, naturally gluten free beer, OR still water

Instructions

    Bring all ingredients to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 200°F.

Beat the following ingredients together in a large mixing bowl: eggs (or substitute), apple cider vinegar, oil, sugar, and gluten free sourdough starter. Mix until smooth.

Slowly stir in dry ingredients with liquid, beating with paddle attachment on a stand mixer or using a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth and all dry ingredients are completely integrated. Mix for two minutes with mixer, longer with spoon method.

If Baking in Loaf Pan:

  1. Transfer dough to an oiled Pullman Pan or 9x5 loaf pan, lightly dusted with gfJules Nada Flour. Dust the top of the dough with more gfJules Nada Flour.
  2. Spritz with water and cover with oiled plastic wrap and set inside oven. Turn oven off and turn light on.
  3. Allow the dough to rise for at least 1 1/2 hours, or up to 3 hours before baking. Alternatively, after 3 hours, remove to refrigerator for further overnight rise. If refrigerating overnight, bring the dough to room temperature before baking the next day.
  4. Preheat oven to 425° F.
  5. Remove plastic wrap and slice across the top of the dough to direct the rise.
  6. If you prefer a very crunchy crust, fill a spray bottle with water and spritz the dough before baking, and again every 15-20 minutes while baking.
  7. Place uncovered loaf pan in oven, then reduce temp to 350° F. Bake loaf in the pan for 75 minutes before testing with a bread thermometer. The internal temperature should reach at least 205° F before removing to cool. If the bread is browning too much, cover with foil in order to keep baking. Bake for full 75 minutes, even if bread has reached internal temp earlier.
  8. Once bread is fully cooked, remove to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Allow to fully cool before slicing.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment (and maybe even a picture!) below or share a photo on Instagram! Be sure to tag me! @gfJules

Many thanks to the indomitable Chef Patrick Auger for his help in developing this recipe. His passion for baking allergen-friendly foods has helped many a baker achieve amazing gluten free results like these!

I can’t wait to hear about your gluten free sourdough bread baking!

Pin for later!

gluten free sourdough bread loaf -- authenic process, authentic results! | gfJules #glutenfree #dairyfree #sourdough

Gluten Free Sourdough Bread Recipe

Gluten Free Sourdough Bread Recipe

Gluten Free Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Starter

GF Sourdough Bread PIN 3

Gluten Free Sourdough Basics PIN

Share:

IN 2023 FOR THE 7TH TIME!

Featured In

gfJules Award Winning Products

Leave a Comment

The maximum upload file size: 8 MB. You can upload: image. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here

  1. I’ve just discovered your site and the sourdough looks wonderful. I live in N Wales, Great Britain and used to love normal sourdough till I developed IBS. I can’t see where it say how to make the starter ? Have I missed a page perhaps? This is a. Great way to keep busy now we’ve all been told to self isolate to limit the Corona. Iris spread, especially us who are a little older . Your site is very clearly laid out and the photos are mouthwatering. All the online stores here that sell GF are shut now because of demand overload so it’s always helpful to have new ways of making a GF flour blend with fours I’ve got in my freezer or flour bin. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Hello Augustine, it’s nice to meet you (virtually)! I hope you hang in there and stay well! Making sourdough is a wonderful way to pass some of the time you’re finding yourself with due to the Corona virus, for sure. If you read up in the paragraphs above the recipe card, you’ll find the directions for making the starter. It’s quite easy! I hope you enjoy the process of making gluten free sourdough. You might also enjoy my gluten free pumpernickel bread recipe, as well! Here’s more information on gluten-free flours for you, too.
      Happy baking!
      ~jules

      Reply
  2. I don’t have powdered milk but have evaporated. With all the baking foods on short supply am I able to use this as a substitute ?

    Also, no pysillium husk? Ok or any recommended substitutions?

    Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Loads of thanks and appreciation for your hard work to achieve this.
    However, am intolerant to starch, gluten and gums hence how can we make this sourdough starter with buckwheat flour. Ps guide. Thanks

    Reply
    • Hi Hellen, I am by no means a sourdough expert — I have laid out the extent of my sourdough expertise in this article — but I experienced the same thing myself! I had days where it was bubbly and quite alive, and then several days later it appeared to have gone dormant. I was able to “wake” it back up though, by adding more “food” and then sometimes I needed to add more apple cider vinegar. It was quite the science experiment, but it was very fun! I hope you enjoy!
      ~jules

      Reply
  4. I wanted to read this article… I tried and tried, forcing myself to keep trying…but alas, I have finally admitted defeat. The preponderance of advertising on the article has rendered it nearly impossible to do so and has reduced my screen space down to about a quarter of the full screen… and because I have to scroll so much, it’s causing me pain in my thumbs from trying to scroll on my tablet. I will no longer view websites that force so much advertising on me that I can’t read the denned article without having to ice my thumbs when I’m done! And honestly, it isn’t just your page, but today I have decided to immediately back out of interesting articles that require too much effort to read…it isn’t worth it to me any more. 😥

    Reply
    • Hi Kim, I’m sorry your experience was so difficult. I hear you and agree that the ads are everywhere anymore, and can tend to be overwhelming, especially in an article as long as this one. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a necessary evil to support the creation of the content, which allows readers to have access to the recipes and articles free of charge. It takes so much time and effort for me to put together recipes, videos and photos, and I want to be able to continue to share them for free, which is where the ads come in, to help me fund the blog and keep creating content. If you don’t want to see ads on my site or others, you can install an ad blocker that accommodates your preferences. I hope that helps!
      ~jules

      Reply
  5. Am i missing something , Where do the directions say to add the spring water? I’m assuming it goes in with the starter and egg mixture?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Hi Christine, the spring water or filtered water goes with making the starter itself. When you’re making the gluten free sourdough loaf, you’ll be adding sparkling water or a bubbly liquid of some kind. I hope that clarifies it!
      ~jules

      Reply
        • I often add the liquids towards the end of bread recipes so that it goes on top of the gluten free flour to keep it from flying all over the place 🙂 but yes, it goes with the liquids. Enjoy!
          ~jules

          Reply
  6. Hi, I’m a little confused… after making the starter, I have to feed it 2 cups of the gf flour a day for 7 days? That’s a lot of flour and a lot of starter…

    Reply
    • Hi Michelle, that’s how chef Patrick recommended doing it, but it does make A LOT of starter! I haven’t tried it myself yet, which is why I haven’t recommended it as an option, but I don’t see why you couldn’t use half the amount of flour and water each time; I think it’s more about the ratio being correct than the total amounts. That’s what I was planning to do next time I made starter (but I still have so much! LOL!)
      ~jules

      Reply
    • I’ve been successful making a starter with about half a cup the first day and then about two heaping spoonfuls for the feedings. The important thing to remember is the consistency should be pancake batter after mixing it all together.

      Reply
        • Definitely remove some of the starter at each feed … and YES it’s very confusing for all of us the first time around! If you’re on FB, please join the gfJules Gluten Free Recipe Share Group — there are tons of us on there sharing pictures, questions and answers about baking gluten free sourdough!
          ~jules

          Reply
  7. Have to say the don’t even bother with any flour but the proprietary blend I’m hawking is very off putting. Baking is about sharing and love and effort and time, not about chastising people for not purchasing the products you sell.

    Reply
    • Hi Edward, I include that information because I always have people ask if they can use another blend. If you’ve done much gluten free baking, you surely know that all gluten free flour blends are very different. If I wrote a recipe, sharing it freely with people, as well as my love, effort and time, but then folks made it with a different blend and it didn’t work, I hope you can see that people would be a bit angry with me for wasting their time and effort.
      I’m not “hawking” anything. I freely share my expertise, advocacy, recipes and advice on my website where you accessed this recipe. Because there isn’t another product on the market that works like mine does, people asked me years ago to start mixing it and offering it so that their gluten free baking could be reliably successful and delicious. I view that as a service, and I think my customers do too. Have a look at the hundreds of reviews on my site and see for yourself that my products have made a real difference in peoples’ lives, and for that, I feel truly blessed that I have been in a position to be able to help.
      If you choose to try my recipes with a different blend, that’s of course up to you and I wish you every success. But please do not come back here and tell me that the recipe failed or doesn’t appear as pictured. That disappointment is what I try to avoid by telling people up front that my recipes were developed with my gfJules Flour blend.
      ~jules

      Reply
        • Oh Judy, that is so sweet of you to say. I am happy to be in a position to be able to share what I have learned. Thank you for your kind words! So glad you are enjoying my recipes!
          ~jules

          Reply
    • Hi Lisa, any kind of spring water, filtered water or water from a filter in your refrigerator will work. If you don’t have those, just use regular tap water.
      ~jules

      Reply
  8. FINALLY got around to getting my starter going! Question…when do I start halving it when feeding? Do I do it immediately and then each time or do I wait for it to be fully active? This is where I’ve often gotten lost before…I can’t wait for some good sourdough bread again!!!

    Reply
    • LOL Sarah, I know – it gets complicated! What I did was to keep adding and not halving until I ran out of space in my bowl, then I halved (but couldn’t part with it, so I kept it going too!) and then every time I knew I was going to use it (after it was fed and active during that week), I would add more the night before then use the starter then add more and then refrigerate. It gets rather voluminous if you don’t halve it, but I can’t part with any gluten free anything, so I have a few containers of starter in my fridge now and I’ve given a few away! As long as it is growing and smelly, it should be active.
      Can’t wait to hear how you like the sourdough!
      ~jules

      Reply
      • Thanks so much! I was worried I was doing it wrong for feeding and such! Yeah. I’ve got it in my largest pot, but it’s gonna outgrow it quickly at this rate. Starting to see the bubbly and it’s just starting to smell like it should. Super excited! Guess I better get some bread mix ordered and more flour. Lol.

        Reply
  9. This looks so good! A couple of questions…I’ve never made sourdough, but can see myself being overrun with starter. How long does it last in the fridge between bakings? Its just 2 in our house, so it takes time to get through a loaf of bread. Also once the starter is established, it just needs to be fed once a week? It seems like it takes an awful lot of flour to get it started and GF flour is so expensive. Is it possible to make a smaller amount so it doesn’t grow to such a large quantity?

    Reply
    • Great questions Kathy! I have only made it the way it’s written: 1 cup gfJules Flour + 1 cup water. I don’t know why it wouldn’t work if you halved it and kept the proportions the same though. And yes, after it’s “active,” you just need to feed it 1/week, but TBH I have gone longer than 7 days and it’s still worked, so …! Try it with the halved amounts and see if it gets active with the same amount of yeast to start and apple cider vinegar if need be. There just needs to be enough flour to feed the starter, so you can always add more if it’s not looking like it’s working. I hope that helps!
      ~jules

      Reply
  10. Turned out great (the third time). Here’s some things to watch out for:

    After I put the dough into the bread pan, I was too aggressive with the spatula and compacted the dough all the way down into the corners of the pan. As a result, it didn’t rise very much.

    One time I added the soda water too soon and stirred out all of the bubbles. Didn’t read the recipe carefully enough.

    I used buckwheat flour all three times. Flavor is good but it gives the bread a little grayish tint. I purchased some cassava flour for the next loaf.

    My sourdough starter was definitely smelling more “sour” for the third loaf. It has to be consistently fed and given time to ferment.

    Everyone in my family loves this bread. Even the non-celiac folks. Can’t wait to make it again! Thanks Jules!!

    Reply
    • So happy you stuck with it, Tim! And thanks so much for taking the time to add your notes to the comments. I’m sure it’ll help others as they embark upon this gluten free sourdough journey!
      ~jules

      Reply
  11. So excited about this! Thanks for you and Chef working sourdough out for us. I have baked sourdough for 20 years or so but now need to be glutenfree. This is awesome….sourdough again. Thanks!

    Reply
  12. I cannot wait to make this! I have your bread mix and also your flour. The only part I am confused on is how much starter to add to the recipe. I might have missed that part but I was trying to find a measurement. I am a complete novice at sourdough bread making! Thanks so much for providing this recipe to all of us. 🙂

    Reply
    • I’m excited you’re excited, Michelle! If you read the recipe closely (admittedly, it’s long!), you’ll see that you need to add 3/4 cup of the starter for each loaf. Hope that helps!
      ~jules

      Reply
  13. Hi, thank you for sharing this recipe. I have a question, ome of your methods for allowing the dough to rise is puttin it in the preheated turned off oven and: “…after 3 hours, remove to refrigerator for overnight rise. Is it ok to do the overnight rise in the fridge if I use the eggs? I am unsure as you state somewhere in the main text that this would be if baking without any eggs. Appreciate your help. Thank you.

    Reply
      • Hi Kim, for true sourdough, you would not use the yeast packet that comes with my breadmix, no. Once the starter is made, you shouldn’t need it. You can keep it for other recipes, though! Happy bread baking!
        ~jules

        Reply
  14. Awesome! I have been searching for a recipe for this bread for many months – details are adequate,more than adequete, for a beginner.thank you so much.will let you know how I progress ( can’t start for two weeks)

    Reply
  15. LOVE sourdough and need to start a gluten free starter and play around. I had planned to years ago when we first started our sourdough but as the days when on and my gluten free sensitive tummy (diagnose change from Celiac to sensitivity almost 10 years ago after an incorrect diagnoses years before) handled regular sourdough so well I never made one.
    Thank you for sharing and cannot wait to start playing.

    Reply
    • OH wow – lucky you! I’ve never seen gluten free starter available for purchase! You should absolutely try it! (and come back and let me know how it goes, of course!) 🙂
      Happy bread baking!
      ~jules

      Reply
    • Hi Erin, I imagine it will work, but having not tried it for this recipe I can’t say for certain. My gfJules Flour blend is quite different from the homemade recipe, so there will be differences, but fingers crossed it works! If not, you know you can always just use the pre-mixed blend and know it will work!
      Happy baking!
      ~jules

      Reply
Skip to Recipe