Wheat-free Sourdough Starter

[Geechee Girl]

I'm looking to cultivate a wild yeast starter using other grains. Has anyone had success, and what flours worked well?

[Coconut Flan]

Have you considered salt rising bread? It uses corn meal.

[Geechee Girl]

Have you considered salt rising bread? It uses corn meal.

I don't think I'm familiar with the technique. Are the results similar to cornbread? Cornmeal and masa are staples in my pantry. Care to share your recipe?

[Coconut Flan]

The results are closer in taste to potato bread than cornbread.

I think this one is OK. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/salt-rising-bread/

A lot depends on how strong you like the taste.

[Geechee Girl]

Thank you, coconut flan. I'll have to table this recipe for another time as my daughter has a wheat allergy, and I'm looking for alternatives to AP flour starters.

[marjam]

I have had great success with this http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/20 ... uten-free/

[Geechee Girl]

I have had great success with this http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/20 ... uten-free/

That's great! What combo of flours did you use? Also did you follow the cabbage leaf method? I've successfully cultivated a traditional wild yeast starters with it using a little organic pineapple juice.

[marjam]

I rotate through sorghum, garbanzo bean, and brown rice flour as I'm feeding the starter. I don't keep amaranth or teff flour around, so have never tried those.

I did use the cabbage method and it worked well for me. I used to live in San Francisco, and my sourdough bread was fantastic and always worked. I let my starter die accidentally a couple months ago and haven't tried starting it from cabbage in my new climate yet.

[Geechee Girl]

I had a 3yr old AP starter that died when my fridge kicked the bucket. I think I'll give this next one a go with a mixture of sorghum & brown rice. Little Miss GG's newly discovered wheat allergy has turned our eating habits upside down. I was an avid baker. I've yet to eat a gf baked goodie that can live up to the e traditional treats.

[marjam]

I love to bake and while it's not the same gluten free, with trial and error you'll develop an arsenal of recipes that will work for your family. We're not really very fond of the store bought version of many gluten free goods, so I've developed some ways to make baking everything from scratch easier.

I have a spreadsheet of the various flours I use in my recipes and order in bulk online. Gluten free flours are not cheap! I mix up dry ingredients into baggies as quick mixes so that I can throw together bread, rolls, or pizza dough quickly. I so freeze pizza dough after one rise to make it faster to throw together quickly.

If you want a quick treat, try the chocolate chip cookie recipe from the same website I linked to above. They're my family's favorite - with or without gluten! (I freeze the dough in logs and bake as needed.)

ETA: I have to mention with regard to that cookie recipe that not all brands of the various flours are the same! Mochiko brand sweet rice flour creates soft chewy cookies. The Red Mill brand creates a denser, harder cookie that we're not fans of.

[Geechee Girl]

marjam, Thanks for the info! So far, we've liked Alton Brown's GF CCC. I'm always looking for tried and true recipes as gf ingredients are so pricey. Are the recipes from that site consistently good? I hate throwing out recipe failures, and it's very discouraging. I appreciate your feedback any more tips & tricks you wish to share.

[Arete]

I had a 3yr old AP starter that died when my fridge kicked the bucket. I think I'll give this next one a go with a mixture of sorghum & brown rice. Little Miss GG's newly discovered wheat allergy has turned our eating habits upside down. I was an avid baker. I've yet to eat a gf baked goodie that can live up to the e traditional treats.

I'm no help for bread, but I have a wonderful gluten free recipe for coconut macaroons if you need cookies for Miss GG.

[marjam]

Yes, I have found that the recipes from that site are pretty reliable. I have tweaked them to fit our tastes, but they're a very good starting point. We use the recipes for sandwich bread, sourdough bread, rolls, pizza dough and chocolate chip cookies pretty regularly. All gluten free breads are better toasted, by the way. I use a recipe for tortillas from another site that I could post if you're interested.

[Geechee Girl]

I'm no help for bread, but I have a wonderful gluten free recipe for coconut macaroons if you need cookies for Miss GG.

Yes, I have found that the recipes from that site are pretty reliable. I have tweaked them to fit our tastes, but they're a very good starting point. We use the recipes for sandwich bread, sourdough bread, rolls, pizza dough and chocolate chip cookies pretty regularly. All gluten free breads are better toasted, by the way. I use a recipe for tortillas from another site that I could post if you're interested.

Yes! Please share your recipes if so inclined. GF sliced bread is running me $6-7/loaf(freaking insane!), and I'd love to make our own, especially sourdough. I used to make loaves weekly, pre-wheat allergy. I pretty much stopped baking after so many gf failures. The coconut macaroons sound great, too! Once I master these two, I'll be ready to try my hand at pizza dough. Miss GG made the cauliflower pizza crust that was popular on IG, but it seemed like a calorie bomb. Nor did it sate the pizza urge.

[Arete]

Most Excellent Macaroons

http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2013/ ... macaroons/

I have actually never gotten to the chocolate dipping part, because they are so good cooled right out of the oven why wait? Not to mention I make these on the birthday of someone who does not care for chocolate.

Really easy, no mixer needed, and you can replace the potato starch with an equal amount of corn starch or even unsweetened cocoa. I have done them all three ways and they always come out fantastic. Just follow the directions to the letter.

I hope Little Miss GG likes them.

[Geechee Girl]

Thank you! These have been added to my to-do list. I like that the recipe calls for unsweetened shredded coconut and dark chocolate. I'm picturing all sorts of variations with chocolate flavored with extracts: almond, orange, mint.....