Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread
This is hands down the best gluten-free sourdough bread around! It's made with a gluten-free sourdough starter and gluten-free flour, but it is so soft and delicious that it tastes just like regular bread!
Hi everyone! We've received so many requests for a gluten-free sourdough bread recipe that we just had to create one we knew you would love.
This gluten-free sourdough bread is made without commercial yeast, so you'll need to make a gluten-free sourdough starter if you don't already have one!
Let's go ahead and get right into the details!
Ingredients and substitutes
- gluten-free sourdough starter
- brown rice flour
- tapioca flour
- corn starch or arrowroot flour
- psyllium husk powder - adds fiber and texture to the bread.
- xanthan gum - makes the bread chewy and helps give it structure to rise higher.
- salt
- baking powder - gives a boost to the rise of the bread.
- ground flax seed - helps bind the bread.
- honey or agave
- olive oil
- apple cider vinegar
How to substitute ingredients for King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Flour:
- 3 cups (372 g) King Arthur GF flour replaces the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, and corn starch in the recipe.
- Reduce the xanthan gum to 2 teaspoons.
- Adjust water to 1 ¾ cups (420g) total.
How to make gluten-free sourdough bread
The night before you mix the dough, feed your gluten-free sourdough starter to be active in the morning.
Line a 9" x 5" baking pan with parchment paper. If your oven has a bread-proofing setting, turn it on. If it does not, turn your oven to the lowest temperature it will register.
Step 1
Mix the wet ingredients in a small bowl.
Step 2
Measure out the dry ingredients in a stand mixer bowl. Use the paddle attachment to mix the dry ingredients thoroughly.
Step 3
Add the wet ingredients to the stand mixer bowl.
Step 4
Mix the dough at the lowest speed for 5 minutes. Don't skip this step. It's very important to mix the dough well, and this step also helps incorporate some air into the dough.
Use a hand-held electric mixer if you do not have a stand mixer.
The batter will be thick.
Step 5
Pour the dough into the pan and use a spatula to smooth the top.
Step 6
Cover with plastic and let rise in the oven with the breadproofing setting ON. If you don't have that setting, at this point, turn the oven OFF.
Allow the dough to rise for 3 ½ to 4 hours or until it reaches the top of the pan.
Step 7
Remove the dough from the oven and turn the oven on to 375°F(190°C).
When the oven has come to temperature, score the top of the loaf with a razor or sharp knife to help improve the oven spring and give the loaf a decorative touch.
Step 8
Bake the loaf for 60 minutes.
Remove the baked loaf from the pan and parchment paper immediately.
If you do not remove the parchment paper, the bottom of the bread will become soggy.
Allow the bread to cool completely on a cooling rack before cutting.
How to Store
You can store the bread at room temperature in a closed container for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
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Gluten Free Sourdough Bread
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients needed to make 1 cup (250 g) active starter
- ½ cup (125 g) unfed gluten free sourdough starter
- ½ cup (70 g) brown rice flour
- ¼ cup (60 g) water
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons (390 g) water
- 2 tablespoons (10 g) ground flax seed
- 1 cup (250 g) gluten free sourdough starter
- 1 tablespoon (20 g) honey (or agave)
- ¼ cup (60 g) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) apple cider vinegar
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (210 g) brown rice flour
- 1 cup (120 g) tapioca flour
- ½ cup (60 g) corn starch
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) psyllium husks
- 2 ½ teaspoons (8 g) xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
INSTRUCTIONS
Feed Your Starter
- 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add the ingredients to make 1 cup (250 g) of active sourdough starter to a clean jar. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. The sourdough starter is ready to use when there are plenty of bubbles on the sides of the jar and the starter has risen by 25-30%.
Make the Dough
- Combine the water with the ground flax seeds, active gluten free sourdough starter, honey, olive oil, apple cider vinegar in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to mix them for 1 to 2 minutes making sure they are well incorporated. This step is very important.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of the stand mixture with the dry ingredients.
- Beat the dough on the lowest speed for 5 minutes, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. When you lift the paddle attachment, the dough should slowly fall off of the paddle. If it stays on the paddle, add 30 g of water at a time until you achieve the right consistency. The dough should be thick but not stiff.
Rise
- Line a 9" x 5" baking tin with parchment paper. Pour the dough into the tin and use a spatula to spread it evenly.
- Set your oven to the bread proofing setting. Allow the bread to rise in the oven for 3-4 hours or until it rises to the top of the baking tin. If your oven does not have this setting, let the oven preheat to its lowest temperature while you make the dough. Turn the oven off and allow the dough to rise in the oven. OR, cover the dough with a kitchen towel or plastic and allow to rise at room temperature until the dough has risen slightly higher than the top rim of the baking tin. This can take anywhere from 6-12 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Bake
- Remove the dough from the oven. Turn the oven on to 375°F (190°C). When the oven has come to temperature, score the top of the dough with a razor or sharp knife. Bake for 60 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the baking pan and parchment paper immediately. If you do not remove the parchment paper, the bottom of the bread will become soggy. Allow the bread to cool on a cooling rack completely before cutting.
- Store the bread at room temperature in a closed container for up to 3 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
NOTES
- King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Flour:
- 3 cups (372 g) King Arthur GF flour replaces the brown rice flour, tapioca flour and corn starch.
- Reduce the xanthan gum to 2 teaspoons.
- Adjust water to 1 ¾ cups (420g) total.
I made this using the brown rice and tapioca flour, and it was EXCELLENT! It was an easy recipe, and the texture was like regular bread. Next time I am going to try using the King Arthur Gluten Free Flour and see which recipe I like best.
Can you use something other than brown rice flour? I cannot eat brown rice. What would you use other than that? Almond flour?
I haven't experimented with other flours but you can try using one of the following:
Tapioca flour.
Almond flour.
Coconut flour.
Quinoa flour.
White Rice flour.
Sorghum flour.
Teff flour.
Chickpea/Garbanzo Bean flour.
Thanks I will try that and hope it comes out ok. I have been making your regular sourdough. I am loving your site and enjoying this new endeavor of making my own bread!
Is there any substitute for psyllium husk powder? If you can't tolerate psyllium? in this gluten free bread recipe?
I would add an additional 2 tablespoons of ground flax to replace it.
Hi! Is there a way to make this without a stand mixer with a paddle? I di not have one.
Yes you can either use an electric mixer or use a stiff spatula to mix it by hand.
Is the psyllium husk powdered or whole?? I used powdered with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour blend and the bread was dry. I'm wondering if the powdered psyllium husk absorbed too much water.
I used powder.
Have you made this yet with your gluten free flour mix? If so, what changes did make? Also, while I'm here, I have used many of your recipes. Your site is my go to. Thanks a bunch for all you share!
Hi Beth, you can make this with the GF flour mix. Replace the dry ingredients with equal amounts. But still add 2 tsp salt and 1 tablespoon baking powder.
Question: if you substitute King Arthur flour in the recipe to replace brown rice, tapioca & corn starch, do you also feed your GF starter the king Arthur flour or do you still use brown rice flour for that?
Thanks!!
I would feed your starter with brown rice flour 🙂
Fantastic recipe! Thanks for the very detailed easy instructions! My loaf turned out great! Thank you so very much!! I have made so many other failures from other internet recipes. This was SO helpful. Thanks
So excellent! I literally jumped up and down. Best GF sandwich bread I've tried. I subbed arrowroot starch for the cornstarch and then second go around I subbed whole psyllium husk for the flaxseed and still did the ground psyllium in the "dry" ingredients. It was a little more gelatinous of a dough so I added 2 addition Tbsp of water then really had to press into the pan edges and used wetted hands to smooth the top. Turned out beautifully! Even got a higher rise than with the flax. The slices crisp up so nicely with butter in cast iron pan.
Surprised it rose higher. That is great!! Usually when pysillum is used as a gluten sub to hold the CO2 it tends to have great rise on the proof but tend to collapse in the ove tge reason being the max tenp pylissium can handle is about 175F. It's why you see almost universal use of xanthan gum by backers for GF. It has a much higher max gel structure temp. Maybe the baking powders effect prevents this.
No matter whatever the difference it sounds like you have a great combo.
I would assume an egg could be substituted for the flax seed if a person is not trying to be vegan.
I have wanted to modify this slightly to turn it more into a flatbreadish pizza crust. It would need to be a tad stiffer to allow to shape it and finger dock it to prevent center rise. Add a bit to toasted barely or sub small amount of water for say a lager beer that was boiled to reduce the alcohol.
We make our own sauce and mozzarella and grow our veggies and herbs.. Think this bread as the crust with fresh sauce basil garlic etc yummy.