20 Best Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Recipes - Natasha's Home (2024)

FAQs

Is sourdough bread inflammatory? ›

The best bread to reduce gut inflammation is bread made from whole grains. Refined grains, such as the grains found in white bread and white pasta, are known to increase inflammation across the whole body. Sourdough bread and rye bread are both good options for an anti-inflammatory diet.

Technically, sourdough discard has the same benefits as sourdough starter, since they are both wild yeast ferments. In terms of beneficial lactic acid bacteria, natural yeasts acetic acid and colonies of microbes, they are both full of them.

Longer cold fermentation (proofing) will give the bacteria more time to break down the gluten. Ideally, keep your sourdough in the cold fermentation process for at least 24 hours. Substituting some whole wheat or rye flour for some of the bread flour in your sourdough will give your loaf an overall lower gluten levels.

At Room Temperature

Measure room temperature starter or remove ¼ cup starter from refrigerator. Feed starter with GF flour and water every 4 hours by using one of the following methods: If using a scale to measure ingredients, combine equal amounts by weight of starter, water, and GF flour.

For individuals with celiac disease, gluten causes damage to the intestinal tract because of an immune system reaction. The only way to manage the symptoms of celiac disease is strict avoidance of gluten in the diet, so any gluten-containing bread (including sourdough bread) would not be tolerated or safe to consume.

Sourdough bread may be easier to digest than white bread for some people. According to some studies, sourdough bread acts as a prebiotic, which means that the fiber in the bread helps feed the “good” bacteria in your intestines. These bacteria are important for maintaining a stable, healthy digestive system.

Yes you can use sourdough discard straight from the fridge, you don't need to let it come to room temperature if you don't want to. What is this? If you are using it straight from the fridge it may be a little stiff or thick, so you'll need to ensure you mix it really well.

Store your discard in a jar in the refrigerator where it will continue to ferment, albeit very slowly, whereas at room temperature, it will ferment quickly and you will soon have very ripe discard on your hands that won't be useful for much of anything. You can also store your discard in the freezer.

I recommend keeping sourdough discard for about one week, but I do know others who keep it for much longer. After one week, there is a higher risk of mold or bad bacteria growing on the discard.

Gummy on the inside- bake for a longer time. Gluten free bread takes much longer than a regular loaf to bake and therefore a sticky crumb is generally the result of under baking. It is easy to see why this can happen, gluten free bread dough needs more moisture and is often difficult to knead with conventional methods.

How do you know when your gluten free sourdough starter is ready? ›

Sometime between days 5 and 10, you'll notice that within several hours after feeding the starter will have grown in size to between 2 1/4 and 2 3/4 cups. At this point it's ready to use in your recipe.

Without an active, happy starter, your bread will be dense and won't rise well when it hits the oven. I feed my starter with brown rice flour, but you can use sorghum, millet, or most other wholegrain flours for your starter. I would not recommend using a premade gluten-free flour blend, or a starch.

A note on hydration

Gluten free flours are often incredibly thirsty, meaning they'll need a lot more water than regular flour. Your starter needs to be the consistency of a thick paste in order to ferment. It can be wetter, but it can't be drier. So please take the 100% hydration as a guide.

*If making sourdough is new for you, do not be discouraged if you starter takes longer to get active than mine – stick with it, it will happen! *Tap water is usually fine, if you are not sure, use boiled and cooled water, you can use it at room temperature or cool; do not use distilled water.

All-purpose Flour

It strikes a perfect balance of softness and structure, making it an ideal choice for various recipes. Due to its wide availability and affordability, all-purpose flour is often my top recommendation for creating and maintaining a sourdough starter.

The Arthritis Foundation lists rye bread and millet as two varieties that work well for anti-inflammatory diets. Rye bread is anti-inflammatory because it is high in fiber, which slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.

Sourdough bread contains lactic acid, which can help reduce inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation can lead to a variety of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Adding sourdough bread to your diet can help reduce inflammation and promote overall health.

Although there are many types of sourdough bread available, not all are created equal. Buckwheat sourdough offers the unique combination of being both highly digestible and gluten free- a huge bonus, especially for those living with autoimmune diseases.

For this reason, products which are made with whole, anti-inflammatory grains and complex carbohydrates are better options for those suffering with arthritis. Sourdough is one such bread which is recommended due to its anti-inflammatory grains.