Gluten Free Sourdough Techniques- Click here to order Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
Differences Between Traditional and Gluten-free Sourdough
Here are some of the basic differences between Traditional Wheat Sourdough and the Gluten Free technique:
Amount of Flour Used
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Traditional Wheat Sourdough uses a large amount of flour incorporated into a small amount of starter.
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Gl technique uses a small amount of flour incorporated into a large amount of starter.
Frequency of Sourdough Feedings
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Traditional Wheat Sourdough starter needs to be fed once a day when getting ready to bake.
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Gluten free sourdough needs to be fed 2 to 3 times a day while building up the amount needed to be baked.
Storage Time for the Sourdough Starter
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Traditional Wheat Sourdough starter can live indefinitely in the refrigerator when fed properly, once a week.
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Gluten Free Sourdough starter is delicate and thrives best in the freezer between bakes, no need to feed. Some can be stored in the fridge for a short amount of time, 5 to 7 days, between baking days without deterioration. It is easy to start again from scratch so there isn’t any real need to preserve some for the future.
Kneading Requirements
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Traditional Wheat Sourdough bread usually requires kneading.
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Most of the recipes are batter recipes that benefit from gentle hand mixing with a whisk, wooden spoon, or Bosch Mixer
Type of Pan Used to Bake the Bread
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Traditional Wheat Sourdough bread can be baked in loaf pans as well as on flat sheets because the gluten helps them to “stand up” on their own.
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The gluten-free breads need “walls” to hold them up because, without the gluten, they spread rather than rise upwards. All loaf, cake, and muffin pans work very well. By adding large amounts of high-starch flours, one can achieve a gluten-free loaf that stands up, but in my opinion, high amounts of starch flour decrease the nutritional content of the bread.
