kuechli's homemade gluten-free sourdough

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 600 g wholemeal flour, gluten-free, see recipe for my mix in the database
• 600 ml water

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Rest period approx. 3 days; Total time approx. 3 days 10 minutes

Of course, it can also be made with gluten from 100% rye flour or 50% rye flour plus 50% wheat flour

To make your own sourdough starter, you only need whole-wheat flour and water… and time and a warm place. If it’s very warm outside, the sourdough will definitely be ready after 3 days; in winter, you’ll need a warm place and possibly 2-3 more days. Flour types: For making gluten-free sourdough, I recommend my two gluten-free flour blends, which you can find in my profile. I’ve achieved the best results with these; the sourdough turned out perfect every time—and I’ve given away many starters. Please don’t use store-bought gluten-free flour; it’s actually far too “empty”—you should have some kind of whole-wheat flour in the gluten-free range (i.e., a blend of buckwheat, millet, amaranth, teff, corn, etc.). For making conventional sourdough (containing gluten), I still recommend rye flour, or whole-wheat flour or homemade. A half/half mixture of whole wheat flour and whole rye flour also works perfectly. So – but now for the recipe: Day 1: Mix 200 grams of flour with 200 ml of water, cover and let rest in a warm place for 24 hours. The first tentative bubbles should then be visible. Day 2: Add 200 grams of flour and 200 ml of water, mix well, cover and let rest for 24 hours. You should then see significantly more bubbles and the smell should be reminiscent of freshly baked sourdough bread. Day 3: Add another 200 grams of flour and 200 grams of water and let rise in a warm place for 24 hours. You should then also have a wild bubbling sound in the bowl! Now set aside 200 grams for the refrigerator and pack it in a plastic container – then bake the rest into delicious bread! You need about 600 grams of sourdough and 800 grams of flour for one loaf. It’s important that the dough bubbles, which shows that the wild yeasts are active. Sourdough will initially smell of lactic acid, but may smell a little stronger of vinegar when it’s ready. Under no circumstances should it “smell,” become moldy, or discolored—then throw it away, as something has gone wrong. Sourdough can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight jar or plastic container for up to four weeks. You should therefore have enough sourdough to leave about 200 grams, which you can then save for the next baking session. The next time you bake, remove the leftover sourdough from the refrigerator 24 hours in advance, feed it with the corresponding 400 grams of flour and 400 ml of water, and then you’ll have the required amount of sourdough again—plus the 200 grams for the refrigerator. Sourdough can become very old if “managed” this way. The older sourdough gets, the better its leavening power. For the first three or four batches, I recommend adding additional yeast during baking to ensure the bread rises well. This shouldn’t be necessary after the third batch, as the sourdough will have enough strength on its own.