Quick Start Guide: Sourdough Starter

100% gluten free ingredients—

Our sourdough starter is made from organic brown rice flour and filtered water— yep, that’s it!

What You Need

• 1 clean wide-mouth glass jar w/ a lid (16 oz / 500 mL or larger)

• 1 long spatula (ideally silicone)

• 1 rubber band

• Kitchen scale

• Filtered or bottled water

• Brown rice flour (recommended for fastest fermentation)
  Alternative: sorghum or buckwheat flour; do not use a 1:1 gluten free flour blend that contains any filler or gums

• 1 dehydrated gluten free sourdough starter packet (10g) from Lutin’s Gluten Free

Day 1 — Rehydrate & Wake Up

1. Empty the entire 10g starter packet into your jar.

2. Add 10g water.

3. Mix well (it will look thick & grainy — that’s normal!).

4. Loosely cover the jar and place in a warm spot (75–80°F / 24–27°C).
   (Inside the oven with the light on is perfect — oven OFF!)

Let it rest 12–24 hours to fully rehydrate.

Day 2 — First Real Feeding (1:1:1)

1. Add 20g water

2. Add 20g brown rice flour

3. Mix thoroughly

4. Loosely cover and return to a warm spot for another 24 hours

This is a 1:1:1 feeding → equal parts starter, flour, and water.

Day 3 — Grow & Activate (1:1:1 again)

Your jar now has ~60g starter. Feed:

• 60g water

• 60g brown rice flour

Mix, cover loosely, and place back in your warm spot.

You should now see:

• Bubbles throughout the mixture

• Noticeable rise in the jar

• A pleasant tangy smell

If it’s bubbly and rising, congrats — it’s active enough to bake!
If not yet, no worries — give it one more day.

Day 4 — Strengthen (Optional discard)

If activity is still slow, do this:

1. Discard all but 50g starter
   (discarding keeps your jar from overflowing & refreshes the yeast)

2. Add 50g water + 50g flour

3. Mix, cover loosely, warm spot again

Within 6–12 hours, you should see it peak — tall, domed, and bubbly.
It’s now ready to bake!

How to Use Your Starter

• Bake when it’s at peak → bubbly, domed, and hasn’t collapsed yet
  (usually 6–12 hours after feeding)

• My gluten free sourdough recipe uses 150g starter per loaf (you should always plan keep some leftover to continue feeding!)

Storing Your Starter

If you’re not baking regularly:

• Feed 1:1:1

• Let it rise a bit, then store in the fridge with the lid secured

• Feed once per week (1:1:1), even if unused

GF starters are very forgiving — don’t stress!

Tips for Success

✔ Use a rubber band or piece of tape to mark the level after each feeding so you can easily see how high much the starter is rising
✔ Warm environment = stronger activity
✔ Consistent feeding = strong yeast colony

A Quick Science Moment

Gluten-free sourdough starter is a wild yeast & bacteria culture that eats flour and produces CO₂ gas, which gives breads their rise — it’s simply a natural replacement for commercial yeast.

Fun fact:
You can use gluten-free starter to ferment any type of dough — even gluten breads!

Using a rubber band to mark the top just after feeding.

This helps you determine how. much your start has risen.

Have other Questions?

Check out our Gluten Free Sourdough 101 to learn more about how to maintain your gluten free starter.