Make delicious gluten-free bread using this simple combination of kombucha and flour. Try this DIY gluten-free sourdough starter!
Andrea Fabry
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DIY Gluten-free Sourdough Starter
This recipe adapts to a variety of gluten-free flours.
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Ingredients
- 2.5 cups gluten-free flour. A combination of flours works or individual flours. I use quinoa to keep it grain-free. Other possible flours include millet and buckwheat.
- 1/2 cup kombucha or water kefir
- 1/4 cup filtered water
Instructions
- Combine flour with liquid in quart size jar. Stir well.
- Cover with tight fitting lid and place on a shelf away from direct sunlight.
- Repeat with above quantities and continue to add twice daily until mixture reaches desired volume and is bubbly.
- If the mixture is not bubbly, try adding more flour and kombucha and allow to set on pantry shelf for another day.
- The mixture should smell sour. The kefir or kombucha should keep it from turning rancid or moldy. If anything unsightly appears or it smells off, discard and begin again. Trust your instincts on it.
- Enjoy the starter in your favorite sourdough bread recipe!
* To view our family’s bread recipe see Gluten-free, Grain-free Sourdough Bread.
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Andrea, How long can this starter take to be at its point to make the bread? I do not see bubbles and after the second day water goes to the top and the rest goes down. Should I discard the excess of liquid on the top and proceed feeding it?
Yes, that’s exactly what I do! I discard liquid and stir. Then add more flour and fermented liquid. Eventually it should bubble. Yu can try tightening the lid a bit tighter.
I had a batch of kombucha available and tried this with quinoa flour for the starter. Worked like a charm – I added flour for three days until I had 3 full cups of starter. Made the batter last night for the bread and let it work all night, baked this morning. I didn’t have the dutch oven set up so baked it longer a lower temp. I consider it pre-baked so then I toast it up slice by slice. I really like the flavor and it seems to digest well. Super easy and not persnickety at all. Highly recommend this! Michael Pollan extols the virtues of sourdough with gluten. One aspect that is innovative about sourdough is the food storage aspect – fermenting foods preserves them. In the case of gluten bread – it is the acid process – which I suspect is the case with gluten free as well – do you have any experience with how long this bread can do without molding? It won’t get a chance to last 2 weeks with me though 😉
This is such great feedback, Anne. You can certainly freeze it but refrigerated I would say a few days – maybe more. But of course it’s never made it past the first day. 🙂
Will it work with a garbanzo bean flour
I haven’t tried that yet. I’ll try this week and report back!
Did you ever get a chance to try it with the garbanzo bean flour? I would really love to know!
I haven’t yet. If I do I will let you know!
This is so exciting. I just found your website for making sourdough starter and bread. I would really like to try this. I have not used quinoa flour and its not part of my ingredients. I have almond, coconut, fine br-rice flour, white rice flour, chic pea flour, and nut flours. What would you suggest in place of the quinoa flour? If a blend, does 1:1:1 mean 3 equal parts? Sorry I have not run across this before.
Also, what form is the Kombucha in? Liquid or as a tea? Or make tea and use it as the liquid? No sure how to use it? Is the apple cider vinegar a sub for the Kombucha? Can’t find water kefir or Kombucha liquid in bottle form.
Can gf beer be used in such a recipe?
Thank you for any guidance and suggestions.
I have used raw apple cider vinegar successfully. The kombucha makes it a bit bubblier, but the cider does fine too. I have not tried beer, but I think that’s a great idea! Kombucha is fermented tea found at most health food stores. As for the flour question,I would ferment the rice flour using it as the substitute for the quinoa flour. Then add a bit of almond and chic pea flour after it bubbles. I’m going to try the beer method this week and report back! Keep me posted, Sarah.
Is this using regular Kombucha or Kombucha vinegar? I was searching for recipes to use the vinegar and this came up. Thank you.
Hi Lola. I’ve used both and each did fine. I get a bit more texture with the regular kombucha but the vinegar works too.
2 questions. So you really just mix the flour with apple cider vinegar? Nothing else??
And can I use a mixture of teff, cassava and arrowroot flours?
I’ve been wanting to make a gluten free sourdough bread for a LONG time for my daughter. Thank you for the help!!
I prefer kombucha, but the apple cider vinegar will work. You can add a bit of water at any point to get the right consistency. I would think the teff combination would work well.
I’m very confused. Please tell me what I am doing wrong. I used the 2.5 cups quinoa flour, 1/2 c kombucha & 1/4 c water and I could not stir it. It was extremely thick. I added another 1/2 c. kombucha & 1/4 c water and still too thick. I looked at other recipes for sourdough starter and they were 1:1 or 1:2 ratio of flour to liquid. What am I doing wrong?
I’m not sure. Perhaps your flour is thicker than mine. Keep adding water until you can stir it. Then it will ferment fine.
I too had this same issue! I did grind up my own quinoa, so maybe that’s part of it? I am excited to see how it turns out though!
I would love to hear back, Rebecca!
I had the same issue just now. Doubled the kombucha and waterto get it stirable as suggested below. Hopefully it’ll be okay. How did you fix yours and did it work?
It’s all about the texture rather than the specific amounts. Hopefully this works.
I made the starter day one leave on shelf then add to that for two more days. And then use to make my bread. And just start a new starter. In the past a starter was placed in refrigerator and you would just feed and or take out some to make bread and refers starter. Yours we do not do like that. And can I just use the quinoa flour and quinoa and coconut flour
Sorry for that message. I made the starter today. So if I understand it I will add to that for 2 more days correct. And then use it after it starts bubbling. We never just make more than what we need and Leave the rest and refeed. And we do not refrigirate correct
Hi Lisa,
You have this exactly right. I don’t store the starter. I use what I have and then make a new one as needed. I haven’t used coconut flour, but have only used garbanzo and almond flour. I don’t think the coconut flour would rise as well but if you find it works be sure to let me know.
I have tried to make GF sourdough bread a few times using milk kefir in the starter. I have had to throw away all attempts–like bricks! Perhaps I did not let the starter ferment long enough. Do you think I could use your recipe with the milk kefir? I do not have any Kombucha but do have my own milk grains.
I don’t think the dairy would work as well. water kefir would work however.
Thank you for this tip. I live in San Antonio and have been having no success starting a sour dough from scratch. I do make great kimchi, kombucha, milk kefir, water kefir and yogurt, this idea to start it with kombucha is great. I can’t wait to try it!!!!
I’m new to your site, but I have almost as many people as you do 🙂 7 children ages 16 mos – 16 years 🙂
Blessings:)
I hope this recipe works well for you, Christina.
I have made a brown rice starter, it has completed a 7 day cycle and were on day 8,,,, in fact I am making pancakes as I speak with it. Question: Can I add other flours like coconut to the starter at this point? and I did not make a starter with Vinegar, would it be to my advantage to add the vinegar to this starter at this point? or would it make a difference? Do you leave your starter out or put in fridge? Thank you
Coconut flour will weigh it down, I think. Almond flour or garbanzo flour or tapioca flour would be OK to add. Adding vinegar won’t do much at this point. I use the entire starter for the recipe and don’t store starter, but you can refrigerate it for sure.
I too had an issue with the consistency being too thick with the ratios given. Should it be thin and runny or like a thick smoothie? Looking forward to trying this out!
Right between runny and thick. Very stirrable. But not too thick and definitely not too runny.
“Repeat with above quantities and continue to add twice daily until mixture reaches desired volume and is bubbly.”
Are you adding 2.5 cups flour, kombucha and water twice per day?
Thanks
Honestly, I do it by sight. Just adding 1/4 cup of flour and some water and kombucha will work. Use whatever quantities keep it a syrup-like consistency.
I only have almond flour, cassava flour, coconut flour, tigernut flour, tapioca starch, and arrowroot starch. Would it be possible for me to start a sourdough starter with these (using kombucha)? Thanks!
I would lean toward the cassava flour and tapioca starch. Use a combination and see how it goes!
Hello!
I’m trying this recipe and your bread recipe as well. I’ve made sourdough before and it said to discard half of the starter every time you add more flour and water/kombucha. Do you do this, or is it fine without that step? I believe it had something to do with the pH balance of the starter. What works for your recipe?
Thanks!
I definitely don’t do this, Maria. I’m not sure about that suggestion honestly. There’s nothing “off” about adding kombucha or raw vinegar to quinoa flour so I keep everything. If you try it I’d love to hear back.
Hi i dont get kombucha where i live but i am wondering would acv work? Alternately would dairyfree kefir work?
Have u tried converting dairy kefir grains to water kefir?
I have tried converting them and found it didn’t work well. They are distinct cultures as I understand it. I have used raw apple cider vinegar with success. The kefir should work well too!