Sourdough has been around for centuries as a natural leavening agent for baking bread. While many say the process of making sourdough with standard whole grains reduces the amount of gluten, making the bread more digestible, I still prefer to stay away from gluten containing grains.

Gluten-free Flours:

• Rice

• Sorghum

• Buckwheat

• Oat

• Millet

• Corn

• Quinoa

• Coconut

• Almond

• Cassava

Sourdough in general has many health benefits and so do gluten-free versions! The fermentation process that occurs with sourdough provides important healthy bacteria, like lactobacilli, that are beneficial for our gut health. Fermented foods improve digestion and absorption making them a superfood in my book.

While I’m still perfecting my own gluten-free sourdough bread recipe, here is a simple gluten-free sourdough pancake recipe! You can use an active starter or sourdough starter that needs to be discarded (more on that in a moment). Adding pumpkin spice and maple syrup for dipping makes this a delicious winter recipe.

How to make a gluten-free sourdough starter

I personally have tried making a sourdough starter from just gluten-free flour and water… It didn’t go so well. It molded and I had to throw it away.

I highly recommend using a sourdough culture to optimize your success! I used Cultures for Health gluten-free sourdough starter. You just follow the instructions and bam! You got yourself a healthy sourdough starter. Pro Tip: Do this on a weekend or a day when you are home since you will have to feed the starter every few hours on the first day.

When you are making your sourdough starter, you have to discard half your starter many times in order to create a healthy starter. Don’t throw away the discard! I saved all the discard in the fridge until I had enough to make this pancake recipe. No need to waste!

Once you have your sourdough starter active, it is easy to maintain. I keep mine in the fridge in-between use and feed it once per week.

How to use gluten-free sourdough starter

Once you have a bubbly, active sourdough starter the possibilities are endless! While there are many recipes available for gluten-free sourdough bread they are not always easy. I recommend starting with simple recipes like pancakes and GF English muffins.

If you have any questions about sourdough, please ask in the comments section below!

Gluten-Free Sourdough Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Gluten-free sourdough starter (or sourdough starter discard!)

• 2 Eggs

• 2 Tbsp Coconut Flour (or other gluten free flour)

• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

• 1/2 Tbsp Pumpkin Spice

• Pinch of salt

• Coconut oil for cooking

Preparations

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together sourdough starter, eggs, coconut flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and salt.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add coconut oil.

3. Spoon 1/4 cup of pancake batter into the skillet and let cook on each side for about 3 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and continue the cooking process until all the batter has been used.

5. Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon and maple syrup! Enjoy!

Storage options

1. Store in air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

2. Freeze for up to 3 months.