Whether you bought a gluten-free starter on its own or received one in a kit, start here. Choose Brown Rice or Easy Rise below, activate your starter and give it its first feed before baking.
Before you begin: Use the whole packet and weigh its contents. Our gluten-free starter packs are labelled 40 g. If your packet contains a little more, use the actual weight when calculating the water and flour. There is no need to remove the extra.
Do not discard any starter during activation or the first feed. Before baking, make sure you have enough for your recipe plus approximately 50 g to keep as your ongoing starter. You can freeze a small additional portion as a backup.
What you will need
Your gluten free dried starter
A clean jar with room for the starter to expand
Digital kitchen scales
Tepid water
A spoon or spatula
The appropriate gluten-free flour for feeding: brown rice flour for Brown Rice starter; our gluten-free White Bread and Pizza Flour or 1-to-1 Baking Flour for Easy Rise
Keep the jar somewhere warm, ideally around 24–27°C, with a loosely fitted lid and room for expansion. Keep it away from direct sunlight, cold draughts, fruit bowls and compost bins. Use clean equipment and gluten-free ingredients throughout.
Not starting yet? Keep your dried starter sealed in a cool, dry place until you are ready.
Brown rice starter
Activate
Empty the whole packet into a clean jar and note the weight.
Add the same weight of tepid water. For a 40 g packet, add 40 g water. If the packet weighs 43 g, add 43 g water.
Stir thoroughly. It may not completely dissolve straight away.
Cover loosely and leave somewhere warm for approximately 8–24 hours.
What to look for
The starter will show small bubbles, slight separation between layers and a pleasantly yeasty, almost sweet smell. It may not rise noticeably at this stage. Watch the video for the visual cues.
First feed
Weigh the hydrated starter, then add the same weight of brown rice flour and the same weight of tepid water. Mix until no dry flour remains, mark the level, cover loosely and leave somewhere warm until visibly active and aerated.
40 g packet example
40 g dried starter + 40 g water gives approximately 80 g hydrated starter. Feed the whole mixture with 80 g brown rice flour + 80 g water, giving approximately 240 g starter.
Brown Rice starter can be active without doubling. Look for bubbles throughout and an aerated texture after feeding.
Easy Rise starter
Activate
Empty the whole packet into a clean jar and note the weight.
Add the same weight of tepid water. For a 40 g packet, add 40 g water. If the packet weighs 43 g, add 43 g water.
Stir thoroughly. It may not completely dissolve straight away.
Cover loosely and leave somewhere warm for approximately 8–24 hours.
What to look for
The bubbles are generally more visible and you should see a noticeable rise, although the starter may not double.
First feed
Weigh the hydrated starter, then add the same weight of our gluten-free White Bread and Pizza Flour or 1-to-1 Baking Flour and the same weight of tepid water. Mix until no dry flour remains, mark the level, cover loosely and leave somewhere warm until visibly active and aerated.
40 g packet example
40 g dried starter + 40 g water gives approximately 80 g hydrated starter. Feed the whole mixture with 80 g of your chosen flour + 80 g water, giving approximately 240 g starter.
Look for bubbles throughout, active aeration and a noticeable increase in volume before baking. It does not have to double.
What if my packet weighs 43 g?
For either starter, 43 g dried starter + 43 g water gives approximately 86 g hydrated starter. At the first feed, add 86 g of the appropriate flour + 86 g water. This gives approximately 258 g starter.
Always weigh the hydrated mixture before feeding and calculate from that weight if it differs from the example.
Watch: Activating the brown rice starter
Using our flour? Combine activation and the first feed
If you have our gluten-free White Bread and Pizza Flour or 1-to-1 Baking Flour, you can combine activation and the first feed into one step. This is an alternative to the separate activation and first-feed steps above. Start with the dried packet and follow one method from the beginning.
Empty the whole dried starter packet into a clean jar and note the weight.
Add the same weight of your chosen flour.
Add tepid water equal to 1.1–1.15 times the combined weight of the dried starter and flour.
Mix thoroughly until no dry flour remains.
Cover loosely and leave somewhere warm until the starter is visibly bubbly and has increased in volume.
40 g packet example
40 g dried starter + 40 g flour + 88–92 g tepid water. The dried starter and flour together weigh 80 g; the water is 1.1–1.15 times that combined weight.
If your packet weighs 43 g: add 43 g flour. The combined weight is 86 g, so add approximately 95–99 g tepid water.
Gluten free starter does not always double. Look for bubbles throughout, active aeration and a noticeable increase in volume.
Watch: Combine activation and feeding
How do I know it is ready?
Feed first, then watch what happens in the jar. Look for bubbles throughout, an aerated texture and a pleasant fermented aroma. Easy Rise usually shows a more noticeable increase in volume; Brown Rice starter can be much subtler.
The 8–24 hours above is a guide for the initial activation stage. Allow time after the first feed for the starter to become active. Temperature and flour affect timing, so use the signs of activity rather than the clock alone.
Once the starter is visibly active and aerated after feeding, use the amount required by your recipe. Retain approximately 50 g as your ongoing starter. You can freeze a small additional portion as a backup.
For example: the two-stage method using a 40 g packet makes approximately 240 g. Using 100 g in a recipe and retaining 50 g leaves approximately 90 g for a backup or another use. The combined method makes a smaller quantity. Whichever method you use, build enough starter before baking to cover your recipe and the amount you want to keep.
Keep your starter going
For a simple ongoing feed, retain 50 g starter and add 50 g of the appropriate flour + 50 g water. Easy Rise can be fed with our gluten-free White Bread and Pizza Flour or 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Brown Rice starter can be maintained with brown rice flour.
If you bake every day or two, keep your starter at room temperature and feed daily. If you bake less often, keep the established starter in the fridge with a loosely fitted lid and feed weekly.
Always feed before baking. Let refrigerated starter come to room temperature and become bubbly and aerated after feeding before using it. Keep any frozen portion as a backup, with your main culture in the fridge or at room temperature.
Check the temperature where the jar is sitting. Cooler conditions slow fermentation. Keep it around 24–27°C and check that your quantities were weighed with digital scales.
Bubbles but very little rise? This can be normal for Brown Rice starter. Compare it with the video above. Easy Rise generally holds a more visible rise. Check the flour and quantities before adding extra water.
If you are unsure, email ohcrumb@doughmygod.com.au or call 1300 991 822. A photo, your starter type, flour, feeding quantities, temperature and time since the last step will help us work through it with you.
Ready to bake?
Choose the recipe developed for the flour you are using in your dough. These recipes use our specific blends; brown rice flour on its own is not a direct substitute.
