Making a gluten-free sourdough starter takes a little flour, water, and patience. The hands-on work is simple: mix, feed, and give your starter time to develop. Before long, you’ll start seeing the bubbles that make the process so rewarding.

For this starter, I used King Arthur Gluten-free Bread Flour. This was a new flour for me to try, and I followed the starter day by day to see how it developed. Mine was ready around day five—a reminder to watch your starter rather than rely only on the calendar!

Here’s the recipe I followed

What You’ll Need

• King Arthur gluten-free bread flour
• Water—I used filtered water for the feedings
• A bowl with room for the starter to grow
• A fork or spoon for mixing
• A kitchen scale
• A piece of paper to track dates and feedings

I prefer using a kitchen scale when baking, especially when working with sourdough. Keeping a written record also helps. Simply label each day with its date so you can easily remember where you are in the process.

Recipe note: The amounts below cover the initial mixture. For exact feeding quantities and the day-two instructions, refer to the full gluten-free sourdough starter recipe on my website.

Day One: Mix the Flour and Water

Combine:

• 1 cup gluten-free bread flour
• 1 cup water

Mix together and let the starter sit on the counter overnight. This is the beginning of a process you’ll return to each day.

Day Two: Keep Track of Your Starter

Today is easy!   Just give it a stir!

Day Three: Look for Bubbles and Begin the Discard Routine

By day three, I was starting to see bubbles in my starter.

At this stage, remove half of the mixture (173 grams) before feeding it. 

If you’re weighing the removed portion in a separate jar, place the empty jar on your scale and press the tare button to reset it to zero.

The portion you remove is called discard. At this early stage, it isn’t yet a mature sourdough starter.

Feed the remaining starter with 60 grams gluten-free bread flour and 128 grams water. Mix thoroughly, cover, and let it rest on the counter for another 24 hours.

Days Four Through Seven: Repeat the Feeding Routine

Continue the same daily process as you did with Day 3:

1. Remove half of the starter.
2. Feed the remaining starter with gluten-free bread flour and water.
3. Mix thoroughly.
4. Cover and let it rest on the counter for about 24 hours.

As the days go by, watch for more bubbles and a noticeable increase in volume. This daily routine becomes easier once you find your rhythm.

How to Tell When Your Starter Is Ready

Look for a starter that doubles in size and becomes very bubbly and frothy after feeding.

I initially expected mine to be ready somewhere between days five and seven…mine was ready after my Day 5 feeding (I made bread on Day 6). Let the starter’s activity guide you rather than assuming it’s ready on a particular day.

Once mine was bubbly and ready, it was time to mix up my first loaf of gluten-free sourdough bread.

Give It Time

Sourdough takes patience. Working with a gluten-free starter took a little longer for me because it was something new, but the daily routine itself was manageable.

Keep track of your feedings, watch for changes, and give your starter time to develop. Once you settle into the rhythm, those few minutes of daily care become a familiar part of your kitchen routine.

Once your starter is established you can store it in a mason jar in the refrigerator and feed weekly to keep it going.  Have fun!

Here’s my other blog on how to bake bread with this starter.