Differences Between Wheat, Rye and My Starters Flour/water ratio Traditional wheat sourdough is comprised of a small amount of sourdough starter to which sizeable amounts of flour are added to make the finished dough. Traditional rye sourdough is comprised of a sizeable amount of sourdough starter with a lesser amount of flour being added to make the finished dough. My gluten free sourdough bread, like the rye sourdough, is comprised of a sizeable amount of sourdough starter with a small amount of flour being added to make the finished dough. Feeding the starters for baking When getting ready to bake traditional wheat or traditional rye bread, the sourdough starter is fed once or twice a day. My gluten free starter needs to be fed 2-3 times a day. Kneading/no kneading Traditional wheat sourdough is kneaded, folded, slapped, pushed, risen and punched to develop the gluten into a beautiful elasticity that easily and dependably rises. Traditional rye sourdough is mixed with a heavy duty mixer or by hand to achieve a thick, sticky goop. My gluten free sourdough is handled carefully and as little as possible to preserve any sponginess that forms in the starter and batter stages. The batter is slowly mixed by hand with a whisk, wooden spoon or manual dough mixer. The exception to this is Sourdough Bread #1 which uses an electric mixer on low for a very short time, about 15 seconds, to preserve the sponginess.
Shaping and Baking Traditional wheat sourdough can be baked in loaf pans as well as on flat sheets because they stand up on their own. Traditional rye sourdough needs a container or loaf pan to hold it up because it cannot stand up on its own. My gluten free breads need a container or loaf pan to hold them up because they cannot stand up on their own. Loaf pans, muffin tins, cake pans and English muffin rings all work very well. Preserving the Starter Traditional wheat and rye starters need to be stored in the refrigerator and fed weekly to maintain their viability. My gluten-free starter can store in the refrigerator only for a short time, 1-2 weeks but will retain its viability best stored in the freezer. New starters can be easily begun any time.
A Short Outline of Gluten Free Sourdough Bread Making The following steps are involved in making a batch of gluten free sourdough bread: Make water kefir Takes 2 minutes to put together, 1 2 days of fermentation time, depending on climate. Stores in refrigerator for a month or more. Begin and grow starter Takes 1 minute to feed the starter two or three times a day. Build up the starter over a few days to the amount of starter you need for your recipe. Assemble bread Takes 20 minutes for simpler recipes or longer for more complicated recipes or techniques. Rise time depends on specific recipes. Bake. Cool 10 15 minutes. Remove from pans - continue cooling on racks. Store.
Boosted Brown Rice Starter Prep time: a few minutes Fermentation time: 2-4 days Ingredients Brown rice flour Water Water kefir Day 1 Beginning the starter Put ½ cup of brown rice flour in a ceramic or glass bowl. Pour in slightly less than ½ cup of water, about 7 tablespoons (there are 8 tablespoons in ½ cup) and whisk until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of water kefir and whisk again. Cover with a paper towel or cloth and secure with a rubber band. Find a place on the counter away from drafts or extreme temperatures. Let ferment for 8 hours at room temperature. Feed the starter regularly. Feeding the starter Remove the paper towel or cloth. Add ⅓ cup of gluten free flour and slightly less water (about 4 tablespoons or ¼ cup water) into the starter, whisk until smooth and re-cover with the cloth or paper towel. Day 2 Keep feeding your starter 2-3 times a day. After about 48 hours put the starter in a clean bowl and continue feeding. (Change the bowl so that the dried out starter that clings to the sides of the bowl stays out of the living starter. This also provides you with the opportunity to increase the size of your bowl to accommodate your growing starter.) Around this time the starter should show signs of viability. If you don t see any bubbles or hilling (which is when the flour makes a hill caused by gasses forming underneath) you can add another tablespoon of water kefir to further boost your starter.
Day 3 The starter should have small bubbles especially during stirring and begin to smell pleasantly fermented. Day 4 The starter should have bubbles of different sizes and there may be a quiet hissing, bubbling sound when they come up from the bottom of the bowl. It should smell like bread! It should take about 2 4 days for a freshly made starter to be ready for use. It may take less time in warm weather and more time in cold weather. With a little practice you will get to know when your starter is ready.
Teff Carob Coconut Bread #5 Rice- Free Teff Starter #5 This bread has a hint of coconut taste and gets sweeter as the days go by! It is very close to being a Dessert Bread. Yield: Rise time: Batter type: Bake time: 1 loaf 7 hours Medium thick: Pour 350F for 50 60 minutes Ingredients 2 ½ cups Teff Starter 1/3 cup Chia gel ¾ teaspoon Salt ¼ cup Coconut Sap 1 tablespoon Coconut oil or other oil 1 cup Shredded coconut 2 tablespoons Maca powder 2 tablespoons Carob powder 4 tablespoons Whole flax seed, freshly ground or 10 tablespoons flax meal Directions Measure out starter into mixing bowl. Add chia gel, salt and coconut sap and gently mix by hand with whisk. Add shredded coconut and oil, gently mixing by hand switching to wooden spoon or dough mixer when needed. Add carob, maca, and mix. Add ground flax seed and mix. Pour into oiled loaf pan, or pan lined with parchment paper, no more than ½-2/3 full. Let rise about 7 hours. Bake at 350F for 50 60 minutes. Covering during baking will produce a smooth top. Test for doneness using a skewer. The skewer should go into the bread evenly and come out clean. Let cool on a rack.
Ingredients used in these Recipes Fermenting Culture: Water Kefir is an important element in the sourdough starter. It kick starts the bacterial activity by introducing its own bacteria into the starter. The rapid growth of friendly bacteria prevents pathogenic bacteria from taking hold in the starter. Milk Kefir can also be used. Kefir cultures can be purchased at www.culturesforhealth.com Water filtered or spring water is preferred. Flours made from: Grains Amaranth adds substance and moisture. Buckwheat adds structure, sponginess and has a complex flavor. Corn, Sprouted or unsprouted - adds some lightness and corn flavor Quinoa adds sponginess. Most of the slightly bitter taste can be rinsed out and any remaining bitter taste can be balanced with other ingredients. Quinoa flour, Sprouted this is whole quinoa that has been soaked, dried and ground. The soaking process germinates the grain eliminating the need for it to ferment in a starter or batter. Used in cracker recipes. Rice, Brown the basis for many of my recipes, adds substance with a neutral taste. Rice, Brown, Sprouted this is whole rice that has been soaked, dried and ground. The soaking process germinates the grain eliminating the need for it to ferment in a starter or batter. Used in cracker recipes. Sorghum adds substance with a neutral taste when used in a batter. When used in a starter it develops a very strong smell and taste that diminishes after baking. Teff a high protein grain that adds structure, sponginess and a rich taste. Tubers Arrowroot a starch flour used as a thickener. Potato flour (not potato starch) made from ground potatoes, adds a nice potato flavor and is used in very small amounts to create a doughy consistency. Tapioca flour a starch flour used as a thickener. It also adds lightness to the finished product.
Legumes Chickpea adds sponginess and a complex taste. Nuts Coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture. A small amount adds sponginess and a delicate taste. Coconut, shredded adds structure, a bit of sweetness and a slightly chewy texture. Seeds Chia seed, Whole absorbs many times its weight in water creating a viscous gel. This gel creates structure in gluten free bread. It also extends the life of the bread. Use whole seeds to get the best gel effect. Flax seed, Whole absorbs water creating structure in gluten free bread. My recipes call for 2 4 tablespoons of whole flax seed. Measure the whole seed first, grind in a dedicated coffee grinder and pour it all into the batter. (A dedicated coffee grinder is one that is used only for flax seed and/or spices) You can also use commercially ground seed. 1 tablespoon whole flax seed equals 2 ½ tablespoons ground flax seed. Most of my recipes call for 3 tablespoons of whole flax seed. This equals 7 ½ tablespoons of ground flax seed. Sunflower seed these are used ground in the cracker recipes. Fats Most of the recipes call for your choice of oil or liquid fat. Only the cracker recipes specify that the fat should be a solid fat. Good choices for oil or fat are: Olive oil. Coconut oil Liquid or solid. Animal fat Liquid or solid. Sweeteners Your choice of sweetener can be used. A conversion page is included in the book. I have successfully used maple syrup, honey, coconut sap and stevia powder in my recipes.