When I first started sharing my sourdough recipes and teaching sourdough workshops, I was often asked about gluten-free baking. I experimented with a gluten-free sourdough starter and discovered a completely different behavior and interactions of the wild yeast and flour. I had to make so many changes to the ratios and techniques that simply substituting a gluten-free starter for a traditional one was not possible.

Instead of becoming an expert in gluten-free sourdough, I learned more about how a traditional sourdough starter could be used to make bread that’s more easily digestible than mass-produced versions. As I explain this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, mixing in low-gluten flours and extending the fermentation time encourages the wild yeast to break down the proteins that some people find challenging to digest.

Learn more about gluten and sourdough and get the complete recipe for Low-Gluten Sourdough Naan in my column. Learn how to get free sourdough starter and join in my 9th Annual Sourdough Month here.

Make it, share it.
Tag @twiceastastyblog and #twiceastastyblog

Twice as Tasty

My gateway into the benefits of long-ferment homemade sourdough was the work of Dr. Vanessa Kimbell, whose website and books on sourdough dive deep into how sourdough interacts with the gut microbiome. If you have a gluten sensitivity or simply want to eat better bread, I recommend starting with this article and the research Kimbell references.

Here’s an overview of the effects: You feed your sourdough starter flour. It essentially eats it, turning it into more wild yeast and healthy bacteria. You then mix your sourdough starter with more flour to create dough. The longer the dough sits, the more it breaks down the flour’s proteins. As it does this, the sourdough bacteria release micronutrients, neutralize phytic acid, and lower the glycemic index, which helps stabilize blood sugar levels.

In this week’s recipe, I mix some gluten-free chickpea flour into the dough to push the finished gluten protein levels even lower. There’s still enough wheat flour in the dough that the sourdough starter has something to work with and the dough ferments and rises. It also develops a delicious flavor and texture.

I recommend at least four hours of rise time for this dough, which you can slow and extend longer by moving the dough to the refrigerator. You’ll notice the same lengthy fermentation period, initially at room temperature and later in the fridge, in most of my sourdough recipes. Here are just a few examples. You can find more long-ferment sourdough recipes in the recipe index.

• Sourdough Cabin Bread
• Sourdough Pizza Dough
• Sourdough Crescent Dough and Rolls

Need starter? Join the Sharing fermented starters Facebook group to request sourdough starter, scoby, kefir grains, and more, any time of year. If you are not a Facebook user, request some of my personal sourdough starter using this form by January 31, 2026, or schedule an in-person sourdough workshop.