Gluten Free Sourdough

After months of research and development, Pastry Sous Chef Jeremy Schwartz and the bread team at The Barn created a gluten free sourdough recipe, using a house blend of five flours.

“I started this gluten free project a couple years ago when our pastry chef first tasked me with developing a more wholesome gluten free experience within our bread program,” said Jeremy. “This new gluten free sourdough is also vegan, gum free and preservative free. I wanted to push the wholesomeness factor and make something that people could feel good about and enjoy eating.”

The creativity of our team never fails to amaze us. Get going on your starter, and enjoy this gluten free greatness!

Building a starter

Day 1: Mix together ¼ cup (60 grams) of water, 2 Tablespoons (20 grams) of rice flour, and 2 Tablespoons (20 grams) of brown rice flour. Place your mixture in a glass jar and cover with cheese cloth. Place a rubber band around the jar to mark the level of the fresh mixture, this will be important to knowing when your starter is active enough to bake with.

*NOTE: It’s important to start the starter with both rice flours because the brown rice will give it structure and nutrients to feed on while the white rice gives the yeast sugars to eat. Pre-mixing brown rice and white rice flours in equal parts for starter maintenance can save time some time.

Day(s) 2 – 10: Mix 2 Tablespoons (40 grams) of yesterday’s starter (the rest is discard) with ¼ cup (60 grams) of room temperature water, 2 Tablespoons (20 grams) of white rice flour, and 2 Tablespoons (20 grams) of brown rice flour (or ¼ Cup (40 grams) of the mix you made on Day 1). Repeat these steps until the starter is doubling in size.

*NOTE: The first time we made this starter, it was ready to bake in 4 days, the second time it took 7. When the starter is at a point of doubling in size, 12-18 hours after the feed, and has a nice sour aroma, you are ready to bake.

**Gluten free starter will not float like traditional starter. Don’t panic! If it rose in the jar, it’s active and ready to make some bread.

The Flour Blend

Thoroughly combine ¾ cups (4 ounces) each of brown rice, sorghum and millet flour with ¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons (3 ounces) of white rice flour, and ¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons (3 ounces) of potato flour. This will be the flour for your loaf.

The Loaf

12-18 hours before baking, feed your starter ¼ cup (60 grams) of water, ¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons (60 grams) of the feed mix (brown and white rice flour) and 1 Tablespoon (20 grams) of ripe (doubled in size, used at its peak activity) starter. Cover and let sit at room temperature until its time to mix the dough.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine with the paddle until homogenous:

1 ¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons (325 grams) water, room temperature
¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons (110 grams) ripe starter
3 Tablespoons (15 grams) psyllium husk
1 Tablespoon (24 grams) sorghum syrup
2 ¾ cups plus 1 Tablespoon (450 grams) flour blend from above
2 ½ teaspoons (17 grams) fine salt

Once mixed, cover with plastic, and let rest at room temperature until doubled in size.

Shape into a loaf and place it in a lightly floured (ok to use white rice flour, feed flour, or the leftover flour blend) banneton.

Cover loosely with bakers’ linen or plastic, and allow the loaf to again double in size. In the meantime, pre-heat your oven and bakeware to 450F.

Once the loaf has doubled in size, turn it out of the basket, directly onto the preheated baking surface. Score the loaf and bake with steam for 30 to 40 minutes.