Easy Gluten-Free Buckwheat Sourdough Bread

A simple gluten-free sourdough bread made with buckwheat and sorghum flour, with a beautifully crisp crust and a soft, moist crumb. Simply prepare the sourdough starter the night before, and your bread dough will be ready to make the next morning.

Ingredients

For the sourdough starter

• 140 g sourdough starter
• 80 g buckwheat flour
• 120 ml water, at room temperature

For the bread dough

• prepared sourdough starter
• 500 ml lukewarm water
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 120 g sorghum flour
• 120 g buckwheat flour
• 100 g tapioca starch
• 90 g gluten-free bread flour blend, e.g. Schär
• 14 g salt
• 3 g bread spice blend (optional)

Additionally

approx. 20 g rice flour for the work surface, proofing basket and Dutch oven

Optional: Soaked Seeds

If you like a little extra texture in your bread, you can add a mixture of 60 g seeds:

• approx. 40 g sunflower seeds
• approx. 20 g flaxseeds
• water for soaking

Cover the sunflower seeds and flaxseeds completely with plenty of water and leave them to soak. Once soaked, drain off any excess water before adding the seeds to the bread dough.

Method

1. Prepare the sourdough starter the night before

The evening before baking, thoroughly mix the sourdough starter, buckwheat flour and water in a large bowl.

Cover the bowl and leave the starter at room temperature (approx. 21–25 °C / 70–77 °F) for about 8–10 hours or overnight.

By the next morning, the starter should have visibly risen and developed bubbles.

2. Prepare the optional soaked seeds

If you would like to add sunflower seeds and flaxseeds, cover them completely with water and leave them to soak.

Drain off the excess water after soaking and add the seeds to the dough along with the remaining ingredients.

3. Prepare the bread dough

The next morning, combine the prepared sourdough starter with the water, xanthan gum, sorghum flour, buckwheat flour, tapioca starch, gluten-free bread flour blend, salt and, if desired, bread spice blend.

Add the soaked and drained seeds, if using.

Knead the dough for about 3–5 minutes, until all the ingredients are evenly combined and the dough is smooth and homogeneous.

4. Shape & proof

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a proofing basket dusted with rice flour.

Cover and leave to proof at approximately 23–27 °C / 73–81 °F for 2–3 hours.

5. Bake the bread

Carefully turn the dough out into a cast-iron Dutch oven lightly dusted with rice flour and score the top.

Cover with the lid and place the Dutch oven into the cold oven – no preheating required.

Bake at 230 °C / 445 °F for approximately 90 minutes in total.

For a beautifully crisp crust, remove the lid about 30 minutes before the end of the baking time and continue baking uncovered.

6. Leave to cool completely

To check whether the bread is fully baked, gently tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow, the bread is usually ready.

Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing. This gives the crumb time to set properly.

 

Storage

The buckwheat sourdough bread will keep for several days in the refrigerator. Alternatively, slice the bread and freeze it for up to 3 months.

ENJOY!