Make Gluten-Free Sourdough: What You Need
What do you need to bake delicious, nourishing GLUTEN-FREE sourdough bread? Here is a list of everything you need for getting started making sourdough!Here is the equipment I use to make gluten-free sourdough bread and discard recipes like cinnamon rolls and pizza crust.
Equipment for making a starter
Digital Scale
A digital scale weighing grams is non-negotiable for sourdough baking. Therefore, there will be NO cup conversions offered from me or any other respectable sourdough baker.
I have been using this scale for years now. I wish it were more sensitive to small amounts of items added; I doubt its accuracy when weighing out <5 grams of material. I had the OXO scale for a while and loved the look and pull-out screen feature, but it failed me while this super cheap scale has worked well in its place. Both I have found to get a little glitchy, moving between weights within 5-10 grams of the actual weight. It is aggravating but hasn’t pushed me to the point of investing in a scale such as My Weigh scale-which is probably my goal scale.
Have a scale? So long as it reads grams and has above a 2-pound capacity(I prefer 11 # capacity), don't bother reinvesting.
Jar Vessel
As you may know, my starter's name is Cordelia. Cordelia primarily lives in a 36oz straight-walled repurposed Adam's Peanut Butter jar. It is about 6" tall and 4" wide. Bubbie's pickle or kraut jars are similar, just a bit smaller but still straight-walled. A quart mason jar will work, but I don't enjoy mixing in them as the walls are rounded at the top and difficult to scrape clean. Wide-mouth mason jars, even the tall ones, I find are just too small and narrow. Weck jars are a worthy investment; I haven't ordered the correct size to advise you.
It can be nice to have two vessels dedicated to your starter. That way, you will always have a clean second home for your gal-pal, and it will also help with cross-contamination if you are sensitive and live in a house with gluten-eaters.
Use the lid when storing in the fridge between uses.
Spatula
Chances are you have a rubber spatula already in your kitchen. I invested a few bucks into a long rubber spatula dedicated to my starter. It is solid rubber so no bacteria can enter from the handle into the head. There is no wood, so splinters never chafe off into my dough or starter. I don't have this but would invest in a 'jug spatula' for the future.
Equipment for making sourdough bread
Glass or Ceramic Bowl
I have the four qt. Glass bowl by Pyrex. It is wide and shallow, which allows me to work my dough efficiently, and it also provides lots of air contact when bulk fermentation and building a starter. A smaller bowl could work, but not much smaller. I prefer glass over ceramic to see the side profile of the starter or dough; to not have the visual is to miss a lot of information your ferment is showing. Purchasing a lid will make this bowl more functional but is not necessary for sourdough purposes.
Proofing Basket
Proofing baskets or bannetons are what trains the shape of a bread loaf. A seven-inch batard is an ideal size. A bowl of similar size lined with a tea towel(no terry cloth due to texture) can replicate this and potentially cost nothing! If you think you might be at all serious, invest in a set. If you already have a larger boule banneton, know that you will have flat loaves. I have both the boule(round) and batard(oval) shapes. Boule is traditional, pretty, and easier to shape. Batard is convenient for larger loaves and sandwich bread slicing. Regardless of which you choose, legit bannetons have an advantage over a bowl and towel because of their material: bannetons wick moisture and breathe. Both are very important when working with gluten-free sourdough as it is higher hydration than glutenous sourdough.
Scoring Utensil
Scoring bread is both beautiful and functional. It requires sharp, deep cuts made with a simple, clean razor blade or with an official bread lame. I don’t prefer the handle bread lames that cause the razor blades to be curved; they are challenging to use. I carefully use only the razor blade itself. These are like what I use.
Baking Vessel: Combo Cooker or Dutch Oven
Why can’t sourdough be baked in a bread tin or on a baking sheet? Well, the truth is, it can. I don’t because I like to be traditional, and I adore a good crust. The purpose of baking in a dutch oven is to trap steam. That steam helps the bread expand and rise, reducing tearing, enhancing score design, and creating an ear if appropriately scored.
Lodge makes quality cast iron at a very affordable price. I have the one linked, but Lodge also makes one with ‘loop handles’ on both sides. Cast iron and enamel dutch ovens work great.
If you don’t have one in your kitchen, you will wonder how you ever got on without it once you have one.
Ingredients for making sourdough starter
Brown Rice Flour
Brown rice flour is the only flour needed for gluten-free sourdough. I would encourage finding one brand and buying 2-5 pounds at a time. Each batch of flour will have varying bacterias, so keeping it the same helps the starter stay stable and more active.
Since you are doing gluten-free sourdough, look for brown rice flour that is certified gluten-free. Store the flour in an airtight container in a dark, cool pantry.
I started out using Authentic Foods Superfine brown rice flour, but I now use Anthony’s brown rice flour and am beyond happy with how well Cordelia performs.
Water
Chemical-free water is critical. You absolutely cannot use treated tap water. Instead, purchase a decent water filter to avoid heavy metals and chemicals like toxic fluoride and chlorine. Chlorine kills everything in the water, your gut, and your starter. I do not have personal experience with water filters as we have our private well.
Check out this guide to invest in the right one for your situation.
Air
Also known as oxygen. This ingredient is free, yay! However, technique and mindfulness are what stir this crucial ingredient into sourdough. The bacteria floating through the air, water, and flour make each starter around the world a unique compound of probiotics; no two starters are the same!
Ingredients for making sourdough bread
The typical ingredients that comprise the loaves of gluten-free sourdough that I have seen offered from various baker's and their GF sourdough courses are why I am even bothering to put out another how-to on this topic. Sourdough bread recipes that I have found will include quinoa, corn, millet, potato starch, xantham gum, and more. These may be a part of a healthy diet for you, but they aren't for me.
What makes my GF sourdough course different
My recipes include:
Certified gluten-free oat, sorghum, and teff grain flours.
Buckwheat, almond, psyllium husk, and flaxseed meals.
Unrefined salt, eggs, maple syrup, or honey.
This is a comprehensive list of what I keep on hand to add as ingredients in my sourdough bread recipes. Click the button to get a list of links to the flours I buy for all my baking, especially GF sourdough.
I like to keep it very simple.