Ten gluten-free sourdough recipes, every one tested in a UK home kitchen and gluten-free by design rather than by substitution — the flours, the binder and the timings were chosen together, not borrowed from a wheat recipe and patched afterwards.
Our sourdough starters are not gluten-free
This needs saying plainly, because it is the most important question on this page. Every starter we sell is a live culture kept on strong white wheat flour, wholegrain rye, stoneground wholemeal, Italian '00' or white spelt. Wheat, rye and spelt are all cereals containing gluten, so none of our starters — and nothing baked with one — is suitable for a gluten-free diet. We do not sell a gluten-free starter.
The recipes below need a separate culture: one raised and fed on gluten-free flours such as brown rice, buckwheat or sorghum. You can build one from scratch in about a week — our step-by-step guide covers it — or buy one from a supplier that specialises in gluten-free cultures. Our guide to gluten-free flours explains what to feed it once you have one.
If you are baking for someone who must avoid gluten, check every ingredient rather than assume it. Baking powders, oats, milks and flour blends vary by brand, and a kitchen that also bakes with wheat carries traces on boards, tins, tea towels and the inside of a toaster. These recipes use no gluten-containing ingredients, but whether a finished bake meets the legal gluten-free threshold depends on the brands you buy and the kitchen you bake in.
What makes gluten-free sourdough different
Gluten is the protein network that lets wheat dough stretch, trap gas and hold a shape. Take it away and structure has to come from somewhere else — usually psyllium husk, which most of these recipes lean on, plus a much wetter mix. Expect something closer to a thick batter than a kneadable dough, a rise of 30–50% rather than a full doubling, and a longer bake: the crumb is not set until the centre reads 96°C. Gluten-free dough is also more forgiving of over-fermentation than under-fermentation, which is the reverse of what wheat bakers learn first.
Where to start
If you have never baked gluten-free sourdough, begin with the everyday loaf — it teaches the wet mix, the psyllium bind and the long bake in one go. For something the same morning, the pancakes and waffles use gluten-free discard and are done in half an hour. Leave the pizza dough and cinnamon rolls until your culture is rising predictably.
The ten recipes
Frequently asked questions
Can I use your sourdough starter for these gluten-free recipes?
No. Every starter we sell is a live culture kept on wheat, rye, wholemeal, Italian '00' or spelt flour, and all of those are cereals containing gluten. None of them is suitable for a gluten-free diet. These recipes need a separate gluten-free starter, fed on flours such as brown rice, buckwheat or sorghum.
Do I have to use psyllium husk?
In the loaves, yes or something like it. Psyllium husk is the binder that replaces gluten, holding gas and stopping the crumb collapsing. Xanthan gum (about 5g) or ground flaxseed (30g soaked in 90g water) will stand in, but skipping the binder altogether gives a dense, sunken loaf. The quick recipes that use baking powder, such as the pancakes and waffles, do not need it.
Why is my gluten-free loaf gummy in the middle?
Almost always under-baking rather than a bad recipe. Gluten-free crumb needs longer in the oven than wheat and is not set until the centre reads 96 degrees C on a probe. If it reads 92, give it another five to eight minutes. Letting the loaf cool completely before cutting matters more here than it does with wheat bread.
Can these recipes be dairy-free as well as gluten-free?
Several already are. The pancakes, waffles and cinnamon rolls use milk and butter, which swap for oat milk and a dairy-free spread without changing the method. Check each brand's own label: some oat milks are made on lines that also handle gluten-containing cereals.