I’m About to Try Something That Terrifies Me (Gluten-Free Starter Experiment)

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Homemade sourdough is probably one of my favorite foods to both prepare and eat.

And every single time I share anything about it via Instagram Stories, I suddenly get all the questions. They all go a tune like,

Is your starter gluten free?

How can I make this gluten free?

If it’s not gluten free, do you do okay with it?

Here’s the answers:

No.

Maybe. (See below.)

Yes.

Let me explain why.

The Lemon Cake That Started Everything

This weekend at my nephew’s 2nd birthday party, my sister-in-law made him a Lemon Sourdough Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting.

Now, I’m not usually a lemon dessert fan, but this cake? Incredible!

My sister-in-law is probably one of the best bakers I know. She makes the most mouth-watering baked goods, and I’d say 90% of the time it’s with sourdough.

So I told her, “Listen. I think you should start a blog strictly for gluten-free sourdough baking.”

She would nail it, and you would be so grateful.

Which brings me to the real issue…..

It’s Not the Gluten—It’s the Glyphosate

Last week I found a post on Instagram I really resonated with it.

You can see the full post HERE, but the overview goes like this:

• Before glyphosate became widely used in the 1980s, “gut issues” were rare
• Now everyone is “gluten intolerant”
• Gluten has been consumed without issue for thousands of years
• So is it the gluten, or is it the glyphosate?

This information proved invaluable to my gut-healing journey over the past decade.

Once I healed my gut for good in 2018, I started acting on this theory.

I DO eat gluten now—but typically only when I make it myself, from scratch, using my organic sourdough starter.

Glyphosate and the Gut

In case you’ve never heard the word “glyphosate” before, here is the simple 3rd grade level definition:

Glyphosate is a toxic pesticide widely used on crops. The active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, it is sprayed on oats right before harvest to dry them out, so it ends up in many oat-based products, like cereals and breakfast bars.

And here are some links/studies to the gut microbiome:

• Many human-gut microbes are glyphosate-sensitive via EPSPS. (source)
• In a simulated human infant gut, glyphosate/GBH altered community structure and metabolism. (source)
• In vivo, glyphosate/GBH inhibit the shikimate pathway in the gut microbiome (↑shikimate). (source)
• Near-ADI doses change microbiome composition and gut homeostasis. (source)

I truly believe that if we focused more on addressing root causes like this rather than being confined to any single dietary protocol, we’d all be much better off.

My Organic Sourdough Journey

Years ago, this same sister-in-law gifted me a sourdough starter their family had maintained for years.

Immediately, I started feeding and tending to it with 100% organic flour. Therefore, so much time has passed that my starter is now 100% organic.

I became so excited about both the process of making sourdough and the final products I was able to create with it that this past year, I took that one starter and turned it into two.

I now have 2 x 100% organic sourdough starters…..and they fuel our family weekly.

My Simple Sourdough Recipe

This is what’s in every single bread loaf I make:

starter, water, flour, salt

The starter is simply flour and water.

I’ve always kept the starters to 100% Organic King Arthur Bread Flour.

The consistency has served me well.

Do You Really Need a Gluten-Free Starter?

At my core, I don’t think you need a gluten-free sourdough starter.

Maybe if you have Celiac disease, but even then – there are stories where they, too, can enjoy 100% organic sourdough bread.

Here’s why: In Vanessa’s book, The Sourdough School, she states,

In a study on gluten degradation headed up by renowned sourdough microbiologist Marco Gobbetti at the University of Bari in Italy, the residual concentration of gluten in 48-hour fermented sourdough was 12ppm and albumins, globulins and gliadins were completely broken down.

But I understand—some people still want their starter to be gluten-free. I’m not judging.

If you’re avoiding gluten completely, I want you to be able to enjoy this daily creation just like we do.

I’m About to Try Something That Terrifies Me (Gluten-Free Starter Experiment)

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My mom gifted both me and my sister-in-law this book, Daily Sourdough: Healthy Recipes for Every Meal.

In the book, Lisa shares how to make your starter from scratch.

And I won’t lie. It feels very intimidating to me. However, I’m going to give it a shot.

I’m planning to create a brand new starter from scratch, ensuring it’s 100% gluten-free.

My goal is to return to this article and share simplified steps with you, making the process less scary and more approachable.

The Bigger Picture

Remember, now that I’m back with REAL thoughts regarding gut health and gut healing and REAL connection, I’m doing things different around here.

Experimenting with all. the. things is a huge part of this. I’m trying to take you into the things I’m actually doing, thinking, reading, studying, and learning.

If you’re not on the Rated-G (yes, that’s for Gutsy) newsletter yet, be sure to sign up. That’s where I’ll send the update once this experiment has been completed.

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy:

1. Is Sourdough Bread Vegan (Your Ultimate Guide)
2. Fermented Essentials [What to Know + Items Needed]
3. The Perfect Loaf [Podcast Episode 10 with Vanessa Kimbell]

Xox,

SKH