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Remember when I said creating a gluten-free sourdough starter felt intimidating? I was so wrong.

Like, embarrassingly wrong.

A few weeks ago, I shared my thoughts on sourdough, gluten, and the whole glyphosate conversation.

I explained how I’d healed my gut and now enjoy regular organic sourdough without issues.

But I also recognized that some of you—whether due to Celiac disease, severe gluten sensitivity, or simply wanting to avoid gluten completely—needed a truly gluten-free option.

So I made a promise: I’d attempt creating a gluten-free sourdough starter from scratch and report back with simplified steps to make it less scary for you.

Here’s what I was nervous about:

• That I’d mess it up somehow
• That it would take forever to get going
• That the process would be complicated and finicky
• That I’d waste a bunch of expensive gluten-free flour on a failed experiment
• That it would require some kind of special knowledge or baking magic I didn’t possess

Here’s what actually happened: It worked. On the first try. With minimal effort. And honestly? It was fun.

I’m going to walk you through every single day of this experiment—exactly what I did, what I saw, what surprised me, and what you need to know if you want to do this yourself.

No gatekeeping, no assuming you know stuff you don’t, no scary baking jargon.

Just the real, day-by-day experience of someone who thought this would be hard and discovered it absolutely wasn’t.

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The Bottom Line Up Front

Creating a gluten-free sourdough starter took 9 days, about 5 minutes of hands-on time per day, and worked perfectly on my first try.

If you need gluten-free sourdough, this is absolutely doable and worth your time.

If you don’t need gluten-free, I recommend sticking with regular organic starter due to simpler, organic ingredients.

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I Finally Did It: My Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter Experiment (Easier Than I Expected)

Click HERE to save this article for later.

Section 1: Why I Actually Did This

Quick reminder: I do NOT think that everyone needs to consume this gluten-free version of sourdough. And if you jump down to Section 5, you’ll see why. [See: Ingredients]

But IF you have Celiac, a severe gluten sensitivity, or you are simply just avoiding gluten altogether as an experiment, then YOU are exactly who I created this for.

And while I don’t need to be 100% gluten free any longer, my true motivations for doing this experiment were twofold:

First, I REMEMBER what it was like to NOT be able to have gluten. And to think that I was always “missing out.” I do not want that for you.

Second, I wanted to prove that I COULD do this. Sometimes you just need to know you can, you know?

Now that you know my why, let’s talk about what you actually need to get started.

Section 2: What You’ll Need (Items to Buy)

Because I am so obsessed with making my own sourdough bread, I do have an Amazon list filled with all the things I use.

Everything you need for both regular and gluten-free sourdough making can be found in my store.

For THIS particular experiment, here are the EXACT things I used.

Essential Items:

• King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour: All-Purpose
• King Arthur Gluten Free Bread Flour: 1:1 Replacement [you don’t need this until you’re actually going to BAKE the bread]
• Glass jar with lid (I recommend a wide-mouth quart-sized mason jar from my store)
• Filtered water (I used my Aquatru)
• Wooden spoon (no metal, as it can react with the starter)
• Glass measuring cups
• Glass mixing bowls

Optional But Helpful:

• Kitchen scale (if needed for precision – I didn’t use one, but am going to get one to see if it changes anything)

Flour Notes:

Because I’ve had so much success with the King Arthur brand for my regular sourdough, I wanted to use it for this experiment.

You can try with any other gluten-free flour brands desired – I just haven’t tested them, so I can’t speak to results.

With your supplies ready, here’s exactly what happened each day.

Section 3: The Day-by-Day Process: Exactly What I Did

Day 1: Starting From Scratch [September 21 at 3:30pm]

Time commitment: 5 minutes

This is where it all begins. I used the regular 1-1 gluten-free flour for the initial mix.

What I did:

• Placed 1 cup flour + 1 cup filtered water in my jar
• Stirred until it was completely mixed together (it looked like thick pancake batter)
• Put the jar lid on, covered with a hand towel and left to sit on the counter

Important note: No matter if you’re doing a regular or gluten-free starter, you must know that the process is a delicate one. No outside debris, materials or bacteria can get in your starter. Otherwise, it could jeopardize the process. This is why I cover with both a lid and a towel.

What it looked like: Just a thick, beige mixture. Nothing exciting yet.

Day 2: First Feeding

September 22 at 3:30pm

Time commitment: 5 minutes

Starting from Day 2, you need to discard then refeed every 24 hours for several days. I tried to do this at the same time each day to keep things consistent.

What I did:

• Removed 1/2 of the current starter and threw it away (I know, I know—I struggle with this too, but there’s no activity yet so you can’t use the discard)
• Repeated yesterday’s process: Placed 1 cup flour + 1 cup filtered water in the jar (with the sourdough starter that’s still left)
• Stirred until it was completely mixed together
• Put the jar lid back on, covered with a hand towel and left to sit on the counter

What I noticed: No real changes yet. The mixture still looked pretty much the same as Day 1. This is completely normal.

Days 3 – 5: The Waiting Game

September 23-25

Time commitment: 5 minutes per day

I continued following the exact same process from Day 2. Every single day.

What I noticed: Still not much happening. Maybe a tiny bubble here or there, but nothing dramatic. I started wondering if it was actually working, but I kept going. Patience is key here.

Day 6: The Bubbles Arrived

September 26

Time commitment: 5 minutes

This was the day everything changed.

What I did: Same discard and refeed process.

What I noticed: I started seeing some REAL changes around this day. And by “real change,” I mean bubbles.

These are beautiful sourdough farts. Actually. And these bubbles are how you know it’s working.

The bubbles weren’t huge or dramatic, but they were definitely there—small pockets throughout the mixture. The starter also had a slightly different smell. Not bad, just… sourdough-y. Kind of tangy and fermented.

This is the moment I got excited. It was actually happening!

DAY 7-8: MORE ACTIVITY

September 27-28

Time commitment: 5 minutes per day

Continued the same daily routine.

What I noticed: The bubbles were getting more consistent. The starter was also starting to rise noticeably between feedings—it would nearly double in size before I’d discard and refeed.

The other way you know it’s “working” is if the starter continues to double each day (again, why you need to get rid of half of it before the refeed).

The smell was definitely more sour now. In a good way.

These are the real and raw images. I did not tinker with them to give any false looks, except for Day 1 and Day 8 are just brighter.

Day 9: It’s Ready

September 29

Time commitment: 5 minutes (not including the baking portion)

This is the day I felt my starter was ready!

How I knew: Consistent bubbles throughout, doubling in size reliably, and that distinct sourdough smell.

So I:

• Baked one loaf (more on this in the next article!)
• Put the starter in the fridge

When you place the starter in the fridge, it slows down the fermentation process.

I know there are many who don’t put it in the fridge, but I always have.

That being said, you need to carefully watch it. When you see the bubbles start diminishing, you need to refeed (I do this at least 1x per week).

NOTE: This article is about the STARTER vs. how to make your gluten-free sourdough bread. Therefore, I'm not going to share the baking process. BUT, never fear - I have that coming next. Just wanted to separate the articles for simplicity.

My Ongoing Maintenance Routine

Day 14: Starting back up

October 4

• This is the day I started my normal cadence (just as I do with the regular sourdough)
• Here’s exactly how:
  • At 11:15am, I took the starter out of the fridge.
  • I place 1 cup starter + 1 cup water + 1 cup gluten-free flour [REGULAR 1:1 NOT bread flour] in a glass bowl. Then stirred until it was completely mixed together. I covered the bowl with a tight plastic wrap, then placed my hand towel over it to sit on the counter. [Put the starter that’s still left in the jar back in the fridge.]
  • At 6:30pm, I took the starter out of the fridge.
    • From my mix on the counter, I removed 1 cup and placed it in another glass mixing bowl.
    • The REST of the mix then goes back into the starter from the fridge. Stir with your wooden spoon, and set it back in the fridge.
    • With the new 1 cup starter in your glass mixing bowl, add to it another 1 cup of gluten-free flour + 1 cup water. Then, I covered the bowl with a tight plastic wrap, and placed my hand towel over it to sit on the counter overnight.
• Time commitment: 15 minutes.

Day 15

October 5

• At 8am, I took my starter jar from out of the fridge.
• To that jar, I added all but 1 cup of the starter that was sitting on the counter from the night before.
• I placed the starter back into the fridge.
• With that 1 cup of starter, I placed it in a glass bowl along with another 1 cup of gluten-free flour and 1 cup of water.
• Then, around 4pm, I took the starter jar from out of the fridge.
  • I put all of the starter (except for 3/4 cup) back into the fridge starter jar, stirred, and set back in the fridge.
  • With the 3/4 cup that I kept out, I started my bread process [THIS is the point at which you’ll need the BREAD flour].

I know this sounds complicated written out, but once you do it a few times, it becomes second nature.

You’re essentially just building up enough active starter to bake with while keeping your main starter alive in the fridge.

Section 4: What I Noticed (The Surprising Parts)

The Good Surprises:

Everything was easier than expected. Seriously. Five minutes a day for 9 days is nothing.

How quickly it actually happened. Nine days felt fast once I saw those first bubbles on Day 6.

It worked on the first try. I fully expected to mess this up and have to start over. Nope.

The Challenges:

Only that I was completely comparing it to my regular starters. I kept expecting it to look, smell, and behave exactly the same. It doesn’t. And that’s okay.

The Sensory Experience:

Texture: The gluten-free starter seems far different than the regular starter. It’s much thicker, and almost creates a “fluffy” consistency—kind of like thick Greek yogurt mixed with mousse. The regular starter is more like thick pancake batter.

Smell: Definitely smells like sourdough. That tangy, fermented smell that tells you good bacteria is doing its thing.

Activity level: The bubbles looked similar to my regular starter, and it doubled in size just as reliably once it got going.

Section 5: Gluten vs. Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread

The comparison everyone wants to know

Side-by-Side Breakdown:

Aspect	Regular Organic Starter	Gluten-Free Starter
Time to mature	N/A. I was gifted this starter	9 days
Maintenance	N/A. I was gifted this starter	Every 24 hours; 5 minutes each time
Texture of starter	Thick pancake batter consistency	Thicker, fluffier, almost mousse-like
Smell	N/A. I was gifted this starter	Tangy, sour, fermented (very similar)
Bread Texture	Smooth, like [dense] regular bread with structure	Bread Loaf = slightly doughy; Circular Loaf = like quality gluten-free bread
Bread taste	Like regular bread with a sourdough tang	Like a blend of gluten-free flours with sourdough notes
Rise quality	Great	Great
Ingredients	[King Arthur Organic All Purpose Flour] 100% Organic Unbleached Hard Red Wheat Flour, 100% Organic Malted Barley Flour	[King Arthur All-Purpose 1:1] Rice flour, whole grain brown rice flour, whole sorghum flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, cellulose, xanthan gum, vitamin and mineral blend [calcium carbonate, niacinamide (vitamin B3), reduced iron, thiamin hydrochloride (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2)] *NOT organic
Flour cost	$12.95 (32 oz)	$9.99 (32 oz)

Section 6: Honest Assessment + Real Thoughts

The Ingredient Reality:

This is the big one for me.

Regular Organic Starter Flour:

• 100% Organic Unbleached Hard Red Wheat Flour
• 100% Organic Malted Barley Flour

Gluten-Free Starter Flour:

• NOT organic
• Rice flour
• Whole grain brown rice flour
• Whole sorghum flour
• Tapioca starch
• Potato starch
• Cellulose
• Xanthan gum
• Vitamin and mineral blend (calcium carbonate, niacinamide, reduced iron, thiamin hydrochloride, riboflavin)

In case you need a reminder on Ingredients vs Ingredient(s) you can do so.

The gluten-free starter contains way more ingredients than the regular. Furthermore, those ingredients are not organic.

If you’re avoiding gluten completely, this is 100% worth doing.

For someone with Celiac disease, the non-organic ingredients might be a worthwhile tradeoff to enjoy real sourdough bread. That’s a personal decision only you can make.

If you don’t NEED a gluten-free starter, then don’t do it. Choose the regular one with simpler, organic ingredients.

The texture is different. The gluten-free sourdough bread tastes like—you guessed it—gluten-free bread. While I would argue that my gluten-free sourdough bread is far superior to what you buy at the store on shelves, the texture is similar to other quality gluten-free breads.

You can keep both. You can keep both a gluten-free + regular sourdough starter. I do. I will. And there’s no judging for how obsessed you want this sourdough hobby to become!

What surprised me most: How similar the process actually was. Once I stopped comparing and just followed the steps, it was nearly identical to maintaining a regular starter.

If I were you, here’s what I’d consider:

• Do you have Celiac or severe gluten sensitivity? → Make the GF starter
• Are you experimenting with going gluten-free? → Make the GF starter and see how you feel
• Do you do fine with organic sourdough like me? → Stick with regular organic starter

But now that I know how to do it, I’m so glad I did this experiment.

Quick Start Guide: Your Checklist

Click HERE to save this quick checklist for later.

Want to try this yourself? Here’s the condensed version:

Days 1-2:

• Day 1: Mix 1 cup GF flour + 1 cup water in jar, cover, leave on counter
• Day 2: Discard half, add 1 cup GF flour + 1 cup water

Days 3-8:

• Repeat Day 2 process daily at the same time
• Watch for bubbles starting around Day 6
• Look for starter to double in size between feedings

Day 9:

• Your starter should be ready!
• Lots of bubbles, doubles reliably, smells tangy
• Bake your first loaf OR store in fridge

Ongoing Maintenance:

• Feed weekly if storing in fridge
• Take out 12-18 hours before baking to build up active starter
• Never let it go more than 2 weeks without feeding

Troubleshooting:

• No bubbles by Day 8? Keep going a few more days—every starter is different
• Weird smell (not sour, but rotten)? Start over—something got contaminated
• Not doubling? Make sure your house isn’t too cold (ideal temp is 70-75°F)

What’s Next

Spoiler alert: I’m keeping both starters.

I want you to try this for yourself and report back. Seriously, just. do. it.

Next up, I’m going to share with you how to bake your first loaf of gluten-free sourdough bread. That’s where the real magic happens.

All Sourdough Articles Currently on A Gutsy Girl

1. I’m About to Try Something That Terrifies Me (Gluten-Free Starter Experiment)
2. Is Sourdough Bread Vegan (Your Ultimate Guide)
3. The Perfect Loaf [Podcast Episode 10 with Vanessa Kimbell]

Xox,

SKH