Brown Rice Flour Sourdough Starter

From Michelle at 4/1/11 4:26 PM

My family is gluten-free and I have several bread recipes that I currently use, but have not yet tried using a sourdough starter. Is this the only & best starter to purchase for making GF breads? And am I correct in understanding that the starter could last "forever", provided that I keep feeding it? So it could potentially be a one-time purchase?

Thanks!
Yes, theoretically you could keep that starter going "forever" - there are starters around that have been going for generations! The brown-rice starter is a good option for GF breads.
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From Kim at 6/29/11 5:20 PM

is this also soy free, and dairy free? what about nuts and coconut?

thank you!
Hello Kim,

The starter does not contain any soy, nuts, dairy or coconut. It is however produced in a facility that processes dairy and wheat.

Erin
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From Kerri at 9/14/11 10:30 PM

I was reading on your website about how one could use water kefir, dairy kefir, or even kombucha to make gluten free sourdough bread. I would like to have a variety of different fermenting microbes infused into our diet. Is this gluten free sourdough you offer made of any of the previously mentioned microbes, or is it a different type of bacteria/yeast?
One way of making a sourdough starter is to use a new bacteria source, such as kefir, each time you make bread. The purpose of using a starter is to provide leavening for the dough, so really any way you can do that is valid. The value of a perpetuating starter is to give you a consistent leavening each time you bake. Our GF starter was originally sourced from a regular wheat starter, but that was many years and starter generations ago, so there is nothing left of the original gluten-containing flour in the GF starter that we sell.
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From suzy at 9/27/11 2:04 PM

From Rozean at 11/5/11 2:03 AM

Can you tell me the ingredients in the gluten free sour dough starter?
For any of our starters, the ingredients would be the specified flour, plus water, plus wild yeasts. We don't have a listing for the specific strains of yeast, since sourdough yeasts will evolve over time somewhat. But the only things in the starter is the flour (brown rice in this starter), water, and yeast.
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From Melanie at 12/5/11 12:02 PM

Is there any chance that the brown rice sourdough starter could be contaminated with dairy or wheat? Asking because of severe casein and gluten intolerances in my family.
The Brown Rice Sourdough Starter is produced in a facility that also produces wheat and dairy products, so there is a chance of cross-contamination issues for those with severe food sensitivities.
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From Rebecca at 1/22/12 4:17 PM

Can i use a gf sourdough starter for both gf and wheat breads. Our home needs both gf and wheat bread and i am hoping that i can just use the one starter for both, keeping the starter gf by feeding it with gf flour.
You should be able to use a GF starter with a gluten flour to make bread. The GF flour in the starter is primarily just to feed the yeast and give it somewhere to live.
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From Kimberley at 3/8/12 7:25 PM

Once the starter arrives, how soon do I have to use it for the first time? Also, can you summarize for me what I have to do to keep the starter going so that I have an idea of what I am getting into if I want to make my own homemade sourdough bread versus buying it at my local gluten free store?
The starter can be stored safely in the refrigerator or freezer for a year. Basically, you use brown rice flour and water to activate the starter by feeding it a few times a day. Once it is active, you can keep it on the counter and keep feeding it regularly, or put it in the refrigerator and feeding it once a week, then taking it out and feeding it to wake it up before you bake.
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From Kate at 5/7/12 7:46 PM

Does the starter have to be fed only with brown rice flour? Could other flours, like white rice flour be used?
You could use a white rice flour. The best bet when changing flour is to make sure you keep some of your original starter as a back up. Just feed some and set it aside in the fridge as a back up and begin to change your other starter over. You will find instructions here: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/blog/2011/06/30/switching-sourdough-starter-to-a-new-type-of-flour/
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From Greg at 7/19/12 5:18 PM

I recently purchased some of your San Francisco sourdough starter with the intent of getting that culture to aerobically invade a gluten free flour and water mix. Do you think this would work? Is this brown rice sourdough starter as sour as your SF sourdough starter?
We recommend feeding your San Francicso starter with white flour. Once the starter is going strong and active, you can attempt to use a portion with a different type of flour. Always keep some of the original as a backup.

Though the San Francisco will be a bit more sour than the Brown Rice Sourdough Starter, there are things you can do to any sourdough starter to make it more sour. For more information:

http://www.culturesforhealth.com/how-to-make-truly-sour-sourdough-bread
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