This brown rice sourdough bread came as a result of many requests for a loaf that doesn't have any added starches. This bread is whole-grain, it is crusty on the outside and soft on the inside! If you also like millet flour, make sure to check out my starch-free millet sourdough.
Brown rice has many benefits and is rich in vitamins and minerals. So, making a loaf of hearty bread from it is not a bad idea!
If this is your first time making gluten-free sourdough bread, I highly recommend you check out my tutorial for beginners.
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Since this bread doesn't have any gluten in it, it doesn't need any stretching, folding, slapping, or autolysing. Simply mix the dough, shape the loaf, and proceed with the recipe!
New to gluten-free sourdough? Watch my 16-minute video tutorial for beginners!
Ingredients
Check the recipe card at the end of the post for the measurements!
- Brown rice flour - use superfine flour for this recipe. You can also make your own brown rice flour at home!
- Gluten-free sourdough starter - use an active starter at its peak activity for this bread.
- Psyllium husk - I recommend using whole husks vs. powder.
- Apple cider vinegar - it is used to help the bacteria in the starter (optional).
- Sugar - also helps the starter do a better job.
Substitutes
Psyllium husk - there are some great psyllium substitutes out there but I don't recommend using any of them for this bread recipe. If you can't have psyllium husk, I recommend you check out a different gluten-free sourdough recipe that calls for xanthan gum or another ingredient!
Sourdough starter - if you don't have a sourdough starter yet, you can make brown rice bread with regular yeast.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1
First, add 22g of psyllium husk to a medium-sized bowl along with the 415g of warm water. Whisk the mixture until incorporated.
Add 15g of sugar to the psyllium mix. Set the bowl aside for a couple of minutes.
Step 2
Add 360g of brown rice flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, and 12g of salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to incorporate.
Step 3
Then, once the psyllium gel starts to thicken, add both the psyllium mix and the starter to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
Mix the dough by hand or use an electric mixer with dough hooks. Continue mixing until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
Step 4
Wash your hands and turn the dough over onto a lightly floured working surface. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it with your hands.
Step 5
Then, fold each side of the dough onto itself. Take the top and fold it onto the center of the dough and repeat with the bottom and both sides.
Then, flip the loaf onto the other side and shape it into a ball once again by turning the dough around and tucking it under itself.
Step 6
If you want to add seeds to the top, turn the dough top side down onto a plate covered with sesame or linseeds, then transfer the loaf into a proofing basket.
If you don't have a proofing basket, you can use a mixing bowl lined with a kitchen towel. Make sure to flour the kitchen towel as well as the proofing basket to prevent sticking.
Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it ferment and proof for about 5 hours at room temperature (74-76F/ 23-24C) or 12 to 18 hours in the refrigerator.
The dough should puff up and rise some but it won't double in size. The time of proofing will largely depend on the temperature in your house.
Step 7
Once the dough is done proofing, gently turn it over onto a working surface and carefully tuck the sides of the loaf under itself by turning it in a circle with your hands. This will allow for a taller loaf.
Step 8
Then, turn the bread onto a piece of parchment paper and score it. Scoring means cutting the surface of the dough with a razor or a sharp knife. You can either make one large cut or create a pattern!
Lower the parchment paper with the bread into the Dutch oven and cover it with the lid.
Place the bread into the cold oven and start preheating it to 450F/230C. Once the oven is preheated, start the timer and bake for 40 minutes.
Then, take the bread out of the Dutch oven and place it onto the oven rack.
Turn the temperature down to 350F/175C and bake for another 30 minutes.
Take the bread out and let it sit on a cooling rack until no longer warm to the touch. Don't cut the bread too soon, or it will be gummier. Use a serrated knife to slice the bread. Enjoy!
Storing and freezing
Store this brown rice sourdough bread at room temperature for 3-5 days and in the fridge for up to a week. Although the bread will get harder in the refrigerator.
Freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend slicing the bread first, then freezing it. To freeze, arrange the slices on a tray or a piece of parchment paper and freeze for 30 minutes.
Then, transfer the slices into a ziplock bag or an air-tight container for the rest of the time.
To reheat, simply place the bread into the microwave for 30 seconds and enjoy!
Expert tips
- Use an active starter at its peak.
- I recommend using a Dutch oven vs. a Pullman pan. It is possible to use a Pullman pan but it won't be as effective. Dutch oven traps the steam that comes from the loaf thus allowing for a more open crumb!
- To prevent the bottom of the loaf from burning, place a baking sheet in the bottom of the oven in the second part of baking.
FAQ & troubleshooting
If your bread is gummy, try baking for longer or decreasing the water in the recipe. Make sure to wait until the loaf cools down before slicing it to avoid gumminess.
The hole is a sign of overproofing. If the bread falls flat after baking or if it has a large hole in between the top crust and the crumb it means you let it proof for too long.
This bread will be denser than others simply because it doesn't have any added starches. However, you should have little air pockets in the dough. If the loaf is too dense, the chances you didn't proof long enough or your starter is not as active.
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📖 Recipe
100% Brown Rice Sourdough (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 22 grams whole psyllium husks
- 415 grams warm water, not hot
- 15 grams sugar, honey or maple syrup can be used instead
- 70 grams active sourdough starter
Dry ingredients
- 360 grams brown rice flour, superfine
- 12 grams salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder, check the label to make sure it is gluten-free
For topping (optional)
- sesame seeds or linseeds
Instructions
Mix the dough
- First, add 22g of psyllium husk to a medium-sized bowl along with the 415g of warm water. Whisk the mixture until incorporated.
- Add 15g of sugar to the psyllium mix. Set the bowl aside for a couple of minutes.
- Add 360g of brown rice flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, and 12g of salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to incorporate. Then, once the psyllium gel starts to thicken, add both the psyllium mix and the sourdough starter to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Mix the dough by hand or use an electric mixer with dough hooks. Continue mixing until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
Shape the loaf & ferment
- Wash your hands and turn the dough over onto a lightly floured working surface. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it with your hands.
- Then, fold each side of the dough onto itself. Take the top and fold it onto the center of the dough and repeat with the bottom and both sides. Then, flip the loaf onto the other side and shape it into a ball once again by turning the dough around and tucking it under itself.
- If you want to add seeds to the top, turn the dough top side down onto a plate covered with sesame or linseeds, then transfer the loaf into a proofing basket.
- If you don't have a proofing basket, you can use a mixing bowl lined with a kitchen towel. Make sure to flour the kitchen towel as well as the proofing basket to prevent sticking.
- Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it ferment and proof for about 5 hours at room temperature or 12 to 18 hours in the refrigerator.
- The dough should puff up and rise some but it won't double in size. The time of proofing will largely depend on the temperature in your house.
Bake
- Once the dough is done proofing, gently turn it over onto a working surface and carefully tuck the sides of the loaf under itself by turning it in a circle with your hands. This will allow for a taller loaf.
- Then, turn the bread onto a piece of parchment paper and score it. Scoring means cutting the surface of the dough with a razor or a sharp knife. You can either make one large cut or create a pattern!
- Lower the parchment paper with the bread into the Dutch oven and cover it with the lid.
- Place the bread into the cold oven and start preheating it to 450F/230C. Once the oven is preheated, start the timer and bake for 40 minutes.
- Then, take the bread out of the Dutch oven and place it onto the oven rack. Turn the temperature down to 350F/175C and bake for another 30 minutes.
Cool
- Take the bread out and let it sit on a cooling rack until no longer warm to the touch. Don't cut the bread too soon, or it will be gummier. Use a serrated knife to slice the bread. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Marie says
Hello! I have a big bag of brown rice flour but it is not super fine, it is more grainy and I don't believe it absorbs water that much.
Should I modify the amount of water on the levain?
Thanks! can't wait to try this recipe!!!
Natasha Levai says
Hi Marie! You can run your flour through a blender or a coffee grinder to make it finer! Otherwise I would recommend going by consistency. I haven't made this recipe with grainy flour, but you can give it a go. Add water until the dough is sticky but still somewhat shapable. Curious how it goes!
Ashley says
Hello! I love all of your recipes! I noticed that you changed the 100% Brown Rice Sourdough recipe. Do you still have the old one you could post without the baking powder? I can't have potato starch.
Natasha Levai says
Hi Ashley! You can just skip the baking powder and use cornstarch instead of the potato starch. The only other thing I changed is that now you can make the bread with straight up starter instead of the levain.
Indi says
Hiya, what is purpose of baking powder? what if I don’t use it Will the bread still rise? Just on starter
Kind regards 🤗
Natasha Levai says
You can skip the baking powder if you prefer! The bread will still rise.
Indi says
Hiya,in the list for the ingredients it says 415 g water and 360 brown rice flour but in the instructions it says use 340 watwr water and 300 flour ?
I appreciate your reply, because I’m confused
Regards Indi
Natasha Levai says
The recipe card has the correct measurements. Thank you for mentioning it, I will go ahead and fix the difference!
Lauren says
Can this be made with powdered psyllium husk? Or an alternative? I tried reducing psyllium to half and still not the right texture; thanks!
Natasha Levai says
You can use psyllium powder as well, you might need to use less of it (about 85% of the whole husks).
Kell Toll says
My bread is tasting delicious and the texture is great but it’s having a hard time rising. It seems to keep falling once it starts baking.
Natasha Levai says
Hi Kell! Generally a 100% brown rice bread will not rise a whole lot, it will be less airy than bread made with starches.
Aly says
I just made this and it looks perfect, but it has a weird after taste. I followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure what I did wrong. I’m so sad.
Natasha Levai says
Hi Aly! I am sorry you had this experience! This could be because the recipe calls for 100% brown rice flour which impacts the flavor and texture. If you can have starches and other flours, try this recipe: https://www.natashashome.com/gluten-free-sourdough-bread/
Jordyn says
Hello!
I’m curious if you’ve ever tried substituting brown rice for white rice flour ?
Natasha Levai says
Hi Jordyn! White rice flour acts entirely different from brown rice flour. I have a recipe with white rice flour only but it is not sourdough because yeast can't raise dough made out of white rice flour. You can find the recipe here: https://www.natashashome.com/rice-bread/
Kathleen Smith says
Why does my loaf look like this. Following starter and recipe to the letter.
Third try. I bake sourdough all the time, I understand it’s a time consuming art. But why is it purple
Natasha Levai says
Hi Kathleen. The bread is purple because of your psyllium husk type. I recommend using whole husks to avoid purple color.
Kathy says
Hi I bought all the ingredients for this recipe but I’m having trouble understanding some of the instructions. I’m not much of a baker sorry!
Could you convert the 22 g of psyllium husk into exact teaspoons for me?
Natasha Levai says
It would be about 3 tbsp!