This gluten-free sorghum sourdough starter was created for a one-of-a-kind Simple Sorghum Sourdough bread recipe.
If you’re curious about gluten-free sourdough bread baking, and you can’t consume rice flour, this will be the sourdough starter recipe for you to try. In other words, sorghum is a great gluten-free grain to experiment with!
To make this sourdough starter, you will need sorghum flour, water, about 7 days and a little patience. Included in this post is a step-by-step printable guide.
Sorghum Sourdough Starter
Attempting to make sourdough bread, specifically gluten-free sourdough bread, can feel a little overwhelming to some. Don’t worry though, once you set your mind to giving it a try, you will see that it’s actually lots of fun!
To keep this post as short as possible, the information was kept to the point. You will find step-by-step instructions in the pdf recipe guide.
The 3-page printable reference document will help you during the 7-day process of making your first gluten-free sorghum sourdough starter.
7-Day Process
Once your sorghum starter is active and bubbly you will be ready to make the Simple Sorghum Sourdough bread recipe.
Included are some process pictures of what you can expect to see during the 7-day process of making your sorghum starter. You can print this step-by-step guide to help you along the way.
Days 1-3 – Process photos to make a gluten-free sorghum sourdough starter
Days 3-5 – Process photos to make a gluten-free sorghum sourdough starter
Days 5-7 – Process photos to make a gluten-free sorghum sourdough starter
Ready to Bake?
Is your starter ready and bubbly? Visit the Simple Sorghum Sourdough post to read and print out the recipe and instructions to make some gluten-free sourdough bread!
Helpful Sourdough Videos
Even though this recipe is made with sorghum flour, you can view these additional gluten-free sourdough related videos to help you along the way.
- Easy Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter Guide – Part 1 (7:41)
- Maintaining a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter – Part 2 (16:58)
- (Original) Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter (1:46)
- Quick Butternut Squash Sourdough (4:43)
- Buckwheat Sourdough Loaf GFV (2:50)
- Simple Sorghum Sourdough – Part 1 (11:37)
- Simple Sorghum Sourdough – Part 2 (10:44)
Sourdough Related Posts
Gluten-Free Baking Academy
If you’re interested in learning more about gluten-free baking, check out the Gluten-Free Baking Academy courses taught by cookbook author Heather Crosby from YumUniverse.
I took the bread baking course a couple of years ago, and it’s what got me hooked on this bread baking journey. I love to recommend programs I’ve tried and truly enjoyed!
Take a course tour to see if this learn at your pace bread baking course is right for you!
Fresh is Real’s Facebook Group
The Gluten-Free Vegan Baking Facebook Group was created to help baking enthusiasts learn more about baking without gluten, dairy, eggs, top allergens, etc. It’s where Fresh is Real shares recipes in development before they are posted on freshisreal.com.
If you have recipes that you love, that fit within the group guidelines, please share them with the group! We love seeing new creations and especially love learning new baking tips. A great place to ask questions! Join us!
Previous Recipe
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Don’t forget the toppings for this soup, as it will surely impress your family and guests.
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Sorghum Sourdough Starter
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 7 days (mostly hands-off)
- Yield: 2-3 cups 1x
- Category: Sourdough Bread
- Method: Fermentation
- Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Plant-Based, Allergen-Friendly
Description
This gluten-free sorghum sourdough starter was created for a one-of-a-kind Simple Sorghum Sourdough bread recipe.
If you’re curious about gluten-free sourdough bread baking, but you can’t consume rice flour, this recipe will be the one for you to try.
Useful Tools:
- 1 large glass jar (at least 950 ml), sterile
- 1 large elastic band
- 1 coffee filter***
Ingredients
The ingredients are simple, but the process requires daily feedings and options to customize along the way. Included in the step-by-step 7-day printable guide are some general tips and tricks to help you create your first starter.
- 8 cups gluten-free sorghum flour*
- Filtered or spring water**
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
- 1 tablespoon grape juice, freshly squeezed from organic grapes (optional)
Instructions
- Print out the step-by-step 3-page guide to help you make your first gluten-free sorghum starter.
- If you have any questions along the way, you can ask them in the GFV Facebook group or below in the comments of this post.
- Don’t forget to have fun!
Notes
*Organic sorghum flour works best. Freshly milled sorghum works well.
**Chlorinated tap water will not work.
***You can also use a doubled-lined cheesecloth or breathable clean cotton fabric.
Hi there I am trying to do the sorghum starter but after 7 days and regular feeding there isn’t much rise even after 12 hours overnight (only a centimetre or so rise). Can I use this starter or do I need to wait more days continuing to feed?
View CommentHi Janelle! Did your starter show signs of bubbliness or growth during those 7 days? How does it smell? Did you decide to bake with some? Ideally, you want your starter to be nice and active before using some in a bread recipe. If you still feel like your starter is not behaving like it should, consider removing half of what is in your jar. Then feed it a generous portion of flour with just enough water to stir. If you have organic apples, pineapple or grapes, place a piece of fruit or a few grapes into the starter for 12-24 hours and watch it transform into happy yeast. Remove the fruit after that time. You might have to feed it again to create more starter before you use some in a recipe.
View CommentHi Chantel,
View CommentI am very excited to use your method. This might be a silly question, but what temperature is the water supposed to be? I seen recipes say so many things….wanted to see what you suggest for your method.
Many thanks,
Lauren
Hi Lauren! If your water is room temperature or a little warmer (70-85°F) that will be perfect. In the winter when my kitchen is really cold, I occasionally will boil water, let it cool and mix it with some room temperature water to create a cozy water temperature. Doing so often means that your dough will be happier and potentially rise a little faster.
View CommentHi!
View CommentI guess I need some help 😉 I start my sorghum sourdough starter on 10.03.22 in the morning. I have 900ml jar (in Poland we have this capacity jars 😉 ) and on third day in the morning it was spilled out, it has grown so much. Since forth day I have water on the bottom of my sterter – is it OK? I tried to remove it but it is not so easy… Today is 17.03, eighth day of preparing starter and it still smells bit sour, not pleasant as it is said in Your pdf manual. My starter doubles it size after each feeding, but I still don’t have so big “bubbles” as Yours, there is a lot of bubbles but they are small. Do You think I can bake bread tomorrow with this starter?
Hi Pav! Sorry I was off last week. How’s your starter doing? Did you decide to bake with it? If liquid accumulates at the bottom, it’s ok! Let me know how your starter is doing, and I’ll reply asap.
View CommentHi!
View CommentFinally I’ve baked bread with this starter, but it wasn’t very smart 😉
The bread baked nicely but instead of a nice smell, it felt like blue (stinky) cheese. I guess that something went wrong with my starter, I have to start once again. Is it possible to exchange buckwheat flour with some other flour?
Sorry to hear about the smelly starter! It can happen. It doesn’t always mean that it’s bad, but it could mean that it needs more than half to be discarded and then fed more fresh flour with just enough water. Also, transferring a spoonful to a new clean jar can help get rid of less than desirable bacteria. As for flours, of course, you can use something other than light buckwheat flour. Examples are GF oat flour, millet, teff, and almond meal/flour if not allergic. White rice flour could work, but I’ve never tried it in this recipe. If you need to keep the bread free of rice, then your best bet would be millet, oat or almond.
View CommentHello,
View CommentThank you for getting back to me and for your baking powder tips.
Well, like you suggested, I did in fact, feed the jar of yeast. It would not budge, but smelled fine and no mold. So, I folded it in to the dough (even though it was flat) with the salt and let it sit for 6 hours and then baked it. I had it this morning and it was great. The loaf is slightly smaller in size. I was surprised that it still worked. I hated to throw everything out and am so glad I didn’t.
Earlier today, I found your recipe for grain free sourdough pizza crust; looks awesome and I can’t wait to give it a try.
Once Again, I really appreciate your website and videos, I’m learning a lot!
Hopefully I won’t gain 100lbs with all this good bread! Just kidding!
Hi Ann! Are you in the Facebook baking group? If you are, search Sourdough Pizza Crust and you’ll find a few recipes. I’m glad you baked your sourdough anyways. The more you experiment, your loaves will get better and better! Group link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/191987888217239
View CommentHello Chantal. I am very grateful for this wonderful Sorghum starter recipe. I made three very successful loaves of bread about 8 days ago with the initial starter batch, which did take six days to be ready for baking. After baking I fed the starter and placed it in the fridge to slow down fermentation. Yesterday I decided to try another loaf today, so I took starter out of the fridge last night, fed it, and left out in a warm area. I continued with your Simple Sorghum Sourdough recipe in prep for the following morning with hopes of adding the starter and salt. But sadly, the starter did not rise. There is no movement at all, Do you think the starter is ruined? Also, is there an alternative I can do to use up the ingredients I prepared for the bread, (which was everything except starter and salt)? More specifically, what, if anything can be used in place of the starater? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks! -Ann
View CommentHi Ann! I’m sorry, I’m just seeing your message now. What did you end up doing? How did your starter smell before you fed it? I would either give it more time or feed it a second time in a situation like yours. What would I have done with the dough if I did not have the GF sorghum sourdough starter? I might have folded in some GF baking powder to help the dough get a slight rise once baked. It wouldn’t be the same as sourdough yeast, but it would help lighten the texture. Or I would have divided the dough and baked smaller buns again after adding some GF baking powder.
View CommentI attempted a teff starter a while back to make injera but caved in and used store bought yeast.. and thought it was just too much work. BUT I followed your recipe and simple instructions and now have a big batch of sorghum starter thanks to you! As someone commented before, a liter jar is not enough.. it’s simple math really. If you add two cups of flour and two cups of water by the end of day two then naturally your jar is full. So my starter is now in a 2L mason jar and has plenty of space to expand. I made a loaf and buns with this starter and am sooo pleased with the results. Thanks Chantal!
View CommentSorghum flour works really well to make a gluten-free sourdough starter! I’m so happy you gave it a go! As for the size of the jar, if you don’t remove enough on the days you need to discard, you are right, the starter could overflow. Sounds like your wild yeast is super happy!
View CommentHello. I am almost ready with my starter. I want to make my sourdough with these ingredients: sorghum starter, sorghum, millet flour, xanthan gum, and brown rice flour. However, I have no idea about ratios for my recipe. If I can get the correct measurements, I can figure out the cooking part on my own with some trial. Can you please help?
View CommentHi, KD! Thank you for reaching out! I’m happy to hear that your starter is almost ready! If you don’t want to use starches in your bread recipe, that’s ok, but your loaf will be a little denser. That being said, you might have to experiment with the combos of GF flours and ratios until you achieve a texture that you’re happy with.
Please note that I don’t use xanthan gum, so I am not the best to tell you how much to add. I suggest using as little as possible to being (maybe 1/4 tsp up to 1/2 tsp?). This, of course, will depend on the size of your loaf. Adding too much will make your bread very gummy and sticky.
Don’t forget a little sea salt if you can. Adding salt does help with the flavour.
Sorghum, millet and brown rice flour are similar in weight and texture. You could easily add one cup of each with one cup of starter. When adding the water or plant milk, go by feel. Add half a cup and mix. If it’s too dry, add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup mix and wait. If it’s still dry, add a little more. If by accident you add too much liquid, don’t worry. You can bake the dough mixture in a bread pan lined with unbleached parchment paper. For the first loaf, try the bread pan method. If you don’t add flaxseed meal or psyllium husk, the dough might have a batter-like consistency. This combo of GF ingredients might not create a dough that is manipulable by hand to create a free-form loaf.
Once your dough is mixed, you can let it rise/rest for a couple of hours before baking. You will have to play around with your rising times as well. Waiting two hours is a great start, then adjust after each bake. Take notes as you experiment to see what works best for you in your environment.
Here are two easier GF sourdough recipes you can reference. They are not the same as what you want to try, but they could offer you some guidance.
https://www.freshisreal.com/gluten-free-sourdough-without-psyllium/
View Commenthttps://www.freshisreal.com/gluten-free-bbq-sourdough/
Hi Chantal! love this site (and your youtube channel!)
I’m on day 7 of the starter,(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOo7I6wxSN4&t)
I used sorghum instead of rice flour. The starter is doing all the things it should and i think its ready, but it has a very sour smell, in fact it wasnt as sour at one point, but past 2 days its very sour like a very sour cider beer. I did add maple syrup on day 1….
Is there anything i can do to get it to smell more pleasant? from what you wrote on the recipe notes sounds like if i dont like the smell, i wouldn’t like the bread it makes….
should i just keep feeding it until i like the smell?
View CommentHi, Ezra! You’re right; if it’s too sour, you might not like the recipes you create with it. I’ll give you two suggestions, and the first one is to consider removing a couple of spoonfuls of your starter and transferring it to a new jar and give it a good feeding of flour with just enough water to stir. Feeding it lots of fresh flour in a new jar could help for sure! The second option is to remove most of the starter in your current jar and feed it flour and water. It sounds like your starter is hungry. The addition of maple syrup can help when it gets too sour, or adding a piece of fresh organic fruit works well too. If you try adding fruit, remove it after 24-48 hours. As for all the discard, you can use it in recipes such as cookies, flatbreads, or even pancakes, but from my experience, when it’s too sour, I don’t particularly like baking with it.
View Commentthank you so much for being so helpful! does it matter if i use a different gluten free flour for these different options? I’m starting to run low on what i started with (Sorgum) and have brown rice flour in the pantry
View CommentI think as long as you keep it to single GF flours as opposed to store-bought flour mixes that might include xanthan gum you should be fine. Oat, millet, sorghum, brown rice, light buckwheat and teff flour are all great examples.
View CommentHello
View CommentI just started my first starter and I am at day 3. the starter has filled my quart jar, it has bubbles, but liquid is at the bottom. I am not sure what to do with it. I don’t want to throw it out because sorghum is too expensive. please advise.
Hi! Your home must be nice and warm for your starter to grow fast! Great job! Moving forward, you can reduce your feedings to less flour (1/4 cup or heaping spoonful) and just enough water to stir. For now, remove half of what is in your jar, and you can keep what you take out to make pancakes (if you wish). You can store the discard in the fridge if you can’t bake with it just yet. Removing some will create more room in your jar for the rest of the feedings.
View CommentBTW, do I need to be concerned with the liquid at the bottom????
View CommentHi! Not at all. It’s ok if some liquid collects at the bottom!
View CommentHi!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am having some trouble though and would like your help. I am on day 7 or 8, I still keep getting liquid at the top of the jar. Am I not letting to much time in between feedings? Also, sometimes it looks very bubbly, but then it seems to fall flat again. Is there something I am doing wrong or any tips you can give? This morning I checked, and there was some fuzziness at the top of the jar. Is this mold and should I throw this batch away? Thanks!
View CommentHi Tes! If you feed it and a few hours later liquid collects at the top, it’s ok. You need to give it time to get active. Sometimes as many as 10-12 hours for the water to reabsorb itself into the wild yeast. You could also consider reducing the amount of water you stir in, that will help too. You basically need just enough water to stir. You’re looking to get a pancake-like batter. As for the fuzziness, that doesn’t sound too good. If it’s mold, you might have to toss it, especially if it covers the whole surface. If it was only a spot at the top of the jar, then you would have to decide if you wanted to try and salvage some by carefully removing some starter to continue the process in a new clean jar.
View CommentHi Chantal,
Thank you for your reply! I removed the mold and gave it another feeding to check what would happen, but the mold just grew – so I threw it out. I am starting a new batch next week. Do you have any tips on how to avoid the mold?
View CommentChantal, I am intrigued to say the least and I have sorgum, but not 8 cups and I can’t shop for more so I plan to probably start feeding with my buckwheat when I run out. I need the less waste less flour recipe. I’m going to start like that today and not feed for two days. I’m storing in cabinet as it’s not all that warm here yet. I hope I don’t mess this up. I’m vegan but not GF, but I like to use GF also, besides, I’m out of wheat flour!
View CommentHi Susan!
View CommentYou don’t need 8 cups, but you will need a good 2 to 3 cups to get a new GF starter going. The first day you can mix 1/2 cup (50g) of sorghum flour with just enough water to mix it. You’re looking to create a pancake batter mixture. From day 2 to 6, continue to feed it about 1/4 cup (heaping spoonful) of fresh flour each day with just enough water to stir. On day 3 to 7 you can discard a little before you feed it, but you don’t always have to. Taking a little out (discard or keep for pancakes) before a feed during the last few days helps to make it a livelier and bubbly starter. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions. Use the step-by-step instructions as a guide for what you can expect during the process. Write back anytime 😉
I was going to wait 3 days to feed according to a reply you gave someone about a starter which uses less flour. Not sure 🤔? The pdf says twice a day. I wanted to try a version with less. Thanks for your help.
View CommentHi! The zero to no waste version is still being testing with various flours as it can vary. Waiting 3 days might be too long, the starter can go bad or mouldy if you don’t give it fresh food. In some cases, two days might be ok, depending on how much food it was given initially. Anyhow, if you want to use less flour, simply feed your starter 1/2 cup on day 1 (50g) with just enough water to stir. Then on days 2 to 6, reduce your feedings to 1/4 cup (a heaping spoonful) with just enough water to mix everything up. Then on the last day or two (day 6 to 7) you could consider increasing your feedings to 1/2 cup again to give it a final boost and create enough starter for a recipe. The recipe guide is precisely that a guide. Some people learn better with detailed instructions, but this is not an exact science, have fun with the method, each day smell the starter and follow your intuitions on if it needs more food if you don’t notice any activity for a while. If it smells strong on day 4-5-6, pour out any surface liquid, remove a spoonful of starter and feed it fresh flour. You can use the discard in a pancake or cracker recipe if you wish. I hope this makes sense. Ps. make sure to use spring or filtered water and mix with a chopstick or something non-metallic.
View CommentHi can I use honey instead of maple syrup? I don’t have access to maple syrup or organic grapes at the moment.
View CommentI do have regular grapes though.
Yes, of course! You can use honey or place a few organic grapes cut in half in the starter. Or squeeze the juice of a few organic grapes into the starter. If you place grapes into the starter, remove them after 24-48 hours.
View CommentHi there, I’m super confused. There is no way this starter can fit in a 950 ml jar! I am on day 2 of feeding my starter and I am already completely at the top of the jar! What am I doing wrong? According to the instructions I am doing it right, so what’s the problem?
View CommentHi Rachel! If you’re following one of the GF starter guides, by day 2 you shouldn’t be at more than 2 cups of flour, at most. Unless those 2 cups have grown significantly?! If that is the case, reduce your feedings to 1/4 cup. And eventually, on day 3 you will start discarding a little starter. If you don’t want to waste what you already have, simply reduce the contents of that first jar into a second jar and then continue with the process! Good job!
View CommentHI Chantal, I am really excited to try baking. I have been feeding my starter for 9 days – it was bubbly last night but I did not get to baking so i fed it some more and now it is flat. I will do 3 feelings today in hopes it will get bubbly again. If not, can I used white rice flour to make a new batch of starter? That is all we have in the home right now. Thank you! This has been so fun while under quarantine, my new project.
View CommentHi Caroline! Did you feed it yesterday? If you haven’t fed your starter today yet, remove some starter (maybe half the jar) and give it only one good feeding today and leave it alone until it’s nice and active. Once it’s at its peak, use it in a bread recipe. If you run out of flour, yes, you can feed it white rice flour. It might take a couple of days to adjust but it will. I’m so happy this process gave you something to do with everything that is going on. I’ve been creating a new one each week with a new flour. I tried millet last week and this week I’m trying oat flour. They are very different so far! I do love my brown rice and sorghum starters, they are my favourites! Take care!
View CommentHi Chantal thank you for your comment. I was able to get it to ride again and made some bread but don’t believe it was ready? I also came across the same issue as the comment below. I ended up using 1/2 gallon jar and have way too much starter and wonder if that affected the potency. I tried the regular sorghum bread too and it didn’t seem to rise at all. I’m going to bake it anyway and see how it comes out. Do you have any tips? Thank you!
View CommentJust getting started with GF baking! Glad to find your recipes. Please share recipe for starter with less quantity
Thank you!
View CommentHi! I’m still testing it as it can vary depending on the flour you try. If you want to use it as a guide along with the longer step-by-step guide I can email it to you.
View CommentCan the recipe quantities be scaled if I want to use less flour?
View CommentYes, you can! Start with 1/2 cup for the first feeding on Day one, then you can reduce the feedings to 1/4 cup. I’m working on and testing a zero-waste method using only about 2 cups in 7 days. Would that interest you? Have you started yet?
View Commenti am interested in the zero-wastte recipe!
View CommentHi Chantal, I’m trying to make this starter but it just won’t bubble. It’s been 9 days. It developed a nail polish remover smell for a bit, but now it’s gone, it now smells sour and tastes sour but no bubbles. What am I doing wrong? Please help. Many many thanks!
View CommentHi Rash! Ok, so 9 days. If there’s no mould or your starter still smells mildly sour, you can continue. Try this, remove everything but half the starter and feed it (at least 1/2 cup of flour and enough water to stir the mixture). You want the texture of the starter to be like a thick pancake batter. Cover it and place it in a safe area of your kitchen (not in direct sunlight) for at least 24 hours, if not longer. Sometimes a starter just needs more time. Is it cold where you live? Try not to move or shake the jar during this time. Please check back with me tomorrow if you want. After 24-48 hours, I would like for you to smell your starter, and check how it’s doing. If it’s still very flat, you will remove one spoonful of starter and feed it again and give it more time.
View CommentChantal, thank you so much for your response! I am in South India, it’s warm right now, I don’t touch the jar after feeding but maybe I’m feeding too less, I feed it a tablespoon of sorghum flour. We are in lockdown and I’m out of flour at the moment, do you think I should let this one go and start afresh when I have more flour, or can it be saved?
Thank you so much again for your help! The bread looks amazing and I can’t wait to bake it! Much love!
View CommentHi Rash! I hope that you’re doing well! This starter is over 7 days now, right? You should be very close to it being ready. How does it smell? Have you removed (discarded) any from the jar yet? Doing so for the last couple of days, then giving it a fresh feeding of food and water should do the trick.
View CommentRight, I shall try that. Meanwhile, please may I have the smaller starter recipe too?
Beyond grateful!
View CommentHi,
View CommentI am trying to use up some gluten free flours i have in my cupboard. Can you use different flours to make the starter?
You should start with one, then if you run out of that one flour, you can consider feeding it another. I feel that it’s best not to feed it a GF mix as they can sometimes include gums. Just brown rice flour, sorghum, millet, buckwheat, corn flour, oat flour are some examples.
View CommentHi Chantal,
View CommentDo you have a recipe for a smaller starter ? I have so many flops I hate to waste 8 cups of sorghum flour.
Hi Sylvie! Funny you ask! I’ve been testing a new way to make a starter with less flour (about 2 cups, instead of 7-8 cups). It still takes 7 days to make an active wild yeast starter to bake with. Can I email it to you as soon as I type it out? To begin, mix 1/2 cup of GF sorghum flour with 1/2 cup of room temp. water (spring or filtered) in a clean glass jar. Mix (with a chopstick or clean utensil), cover and place it in your kitchen for 2 days (48 hours). Leave it alone, don’t shake the jar or mix it during those two days. Let me know if you want me to email you the rest…
View CommentCan i have the smaller starter too please.
View CommentHi Kassie! As soon as I type it up I will email it to you 😉 Eventually, for anyone else reading this I will post the details for the new method on the blog, Instagram or the Facebook group. I would like to test it a few more times with other GF flours.
View CommentCan I have it sent to me as well?
View CommentHi Clare! I will email it to you but know that a few of us are still testing it! This week I tried with millet flour. Today is day 7 and it’s almost ready. The zero-waste method seems to work best with brown rice flour and sorghum flour. I’ll email you 😉
View CommentHi Chantel. I’d like a copy of the smaller starter as well please. Thank you, Anne
View CommentHi Anne! To make a starter with less flour and ideally less waste, start with 1/2 cup of flour with just enough water to stir. Each day check on it, smell it and feed it fresh flour 1/4 cup should do with just enough water to stir. Then on days 4 to 7 remove just a little bit (a spoonful should do the trick) and then proceed to feed it with fresh flour (1/4 cup with just enough water to stir). It’s possible that on day 6, your starter might need 1/2 cup in order to get super active. If that is the case, you would still need to remove a little before you feed it. If there’s liquid that collects on the surface, leave it. Only pour it out on day 4 to 6 if it smells super strong and unpleasant. If it smells nice, mildly sour, and sort of sweet leave it! I hope this helps. You can refer to the step-by-step printable guide for extra guidance. And remember that different brands of flours/ingredients will absorb more or less water.
View CommentHi, I am curious about why we throw away 1 or 2 table spoon of the starter each time we took away the liquid and feed it, it seems like a waste!. I used to make buckwheat sourdough starter and I never did that.
View CommentI am about to start a batch, thank you for your recipe.
Francoise
Bonjour Françoise! The reason we remove a little bit of starter when creating a new one is to make sure it gets lively to use in a bread recipe. Some people don’t remove a little bit, but I find the starter gets very sour. I don’t love a starter that’s too sour because then your bread will end up tasting the same. Once you make this one, you could test different methods to see which one you prefer. The one I shared is the one I felt worked the best. If, after the three or even four days, you find that 1/2 cup of flour at each feeding is too much, consider reducing your feedings to 1/4 cup. That’s ok. Also, at this time of year it can be much colder (depending on where you live), so keep your starter nice and warm, and it should help you to get it active and bubbly! Let me know if you have additional questions! Chantal
View CommentHi Chantal!
My name is Andrea and I’m SO happy I found your blog! I have been following your Sorghum flour sourdough starter recipe using your daily guide and it’s been so so helpful! 🙂 I have a question for you. Last night after dinner my husband said “look at your starter!” I ran over and it was overflowing out of the jar. Liquid was all over the counter and the starter was pressed up against the coffee filter. I used a 950 ml jar just like you said, but maybe the jar got too warm since I had it near my oven? I’m not sure. Anyway I transferred my starter to a larger jar and I noticed this afternoon (on day 4) that liquid is forming at the bottom now, not the top. Is that a bad sign? In fact there is no liquid at all on the top, but quite a bit at the bottom. Have I ruined it??
I did add maple syrup to mine on day 1 and I also requested to join your GFV Facebook group, but I thought I’d ask here as well. 🙂 Thanks so much for any help you can give!!
View CommentHi Andrea! I’m so happy that you’ve found my recipes! It sounds like your starter is doing very well! Don’t worry if you have liquid collecting at the bottom, it’s completely normal, especially for sorghum sourdough starters. Let me know if you have bread recipe questions once you’re ready to bake! Great job!
View CommentThanks Chantal! I am on day 6 now, and my starter is completely flat with no activity. 🙁 Should I add a third feeding today like I did yesterday (on day 5)? Sorry for all the questions! Thanks so much for all your help, I appreciate it more than you know!!
View CommentHi Andrea! You can try 3 feedings again for sure and then if that doesn’t work give your starter more time in between each feeding the following day. Also, try to place it in a warmer area of your home. If it’s cold it might have a harder time to get going! You’re almost there, don’t give it!
View CommentHi Chantal,
View CommentI’m so excited to have found this recipe I can’t tell you.
I would like to know if you think this would work with Teff flour and if so would all the quantities be like for like?
I’d appreciate your help. Thank you
Hi Lorraine! You can definitely make a starter with teff flour. It can be a little trickier to achieve and maintain, but it’s definitely possible. A trick I suggest is to try and combine two GF flours, maybe a little sorghum with teff flour. It will work faster and be easier to maintain. Injera bread is often made by fermenting teff flour. Although in my experience, adding some GF sourdough starter (Eg. a brown rice starter or sorghum starter) with teff flour will work really well.
View CommentThank you for your response and helpful advice!
View CommentHi Chantal, my first try at making a sourdough starter is not going well. It smells ok. After day 7 I do not have lots of bubbles probably because my house is not that warm as we are having a cold late Spring. Should I keep feeding it and taking off the liquid? Do you have suggestions for getting the temperature right as we do not have a consistent warm temperature in the rooms at night and early morning?
View CommentHi Trish! You’re doing well, don’t give up! Can you place your starter in your oven with the light on, or your microwave oven overnight to see if it can help?
View CommentHi,
View CommentI have a sorghum starter. Can I make a sorghum bread using only sorghum flour? Would it work? Thanks in advance
Hi Abby! Would you be including the seed flour, psyllium or starches? Or you’re wondering if just sorghum flour and sorghum starter could create a nice gluten-free sourdough loaf? Salt is almost necessary, and some starches would help, but if you experiment with just one flour, water, starter and salt and bake up a nice loaf, please let us know. I haven’t tried it myself yet.
View CommentHi lovely blog and recipe, I was wondering if cassava starch has any effect on the starter I use sorghum flour that is pre mixed with cassava starch binder and for some reason my dough doesn’t ferment even though I start with a good starter
View CommentHi! That’s interesting. I can’t say for sure that it could affect the wild yeast activity. I’ve never added cassava flour to a GF sourdough loaf yet so I don’t know. Maybe you can experiment with a version that doesn’t have any so you can compare. Let us know if you do try.
View CommentHi Chantal, this is my first time making sourdough in any form. On day 3 I had a starter that looked like day 7. Would the starter have been ready to use at that stage? It is now looking more like a day 4 starter. Is it still ok or should I start over?
View CommentHi Amy! Congratulations on attempting your first GF sourdough starter! On day 3, how did your starter smell? If it still smells like wet dough, it probably needs a few more days. If you gently stir it today, can you hear activity in your jar? You should hear little bubbles popping if it’s ready. If you’re not sure, feeding it for a few more days might be a good idea. You can message me a picture on Instagram or Facebook if you want. Did you get a copy of the printable guide? Here it is: https://bit.ly/2UOQp0l
View CommentThanks! On day 3 the starter did smell a little wet. I don’t hear any bubbling. I’ll send you the photos.
View CommentI have a brown rice starter. Can I use this in the recipe? If not, can I start feeding my brown rice starter sorghum flour to convert it?
View CommentHi Pat! A brown rice starter should work fine. Although for this specific recipe I did not test it as I wanted to make it a rice-free loaf. Or yes, you’re also right to suggest that you can feed a brown rice starter sorghum flour to convert it. Although I wouldn’t convert all your brown rice starter. Just take a spoonful or two of your rice starter, transfer it to a new jar and feed it sorghum flour. That way once ready it will be almost all sorghum flour. Let me know what you decide to try and how it works out! Chantal
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