non-wheat sourdough?

[reenicake]

Hi everyone! Haven't been here for awhile, but I am trying to find some information or leads about feeding a sourdough starter non-wheat flour. From what I know this should not be that strange, since the yeast feeds on carbohydrates.

My son and daughter have recently been tested for allergies -- wheat and eggs have come up on the banned list for both. My son is allergic to dairy and casein, nuts and peanuts (aside from fish and shellfish) while my daughter is not. I really like the moistness and keeping qualities that sourdough starters give homemade bread, especially in the absence of eggs (that so many gluten-free breads call for).

I do know that some traditional Chinese/ other Asian cultures' breads are risen with a starter based on rice, but I can't find any constructive info on the 'net.

Thanks for any help!

[gfree sourdough baker]

Hello Reenicake,

I have developed gluten free sourdough recipes around my own food allergies. I have combined old fashioned sourdough techniques with gluten free seed and grain flours and have come up with excellent, delicious breads, muffins and pancakes. They are also free of dairy, eggs, soy, yeast, sweeteners, gums and baking powder. Very suitable for sensitive digestions.

I have posted a free download of the starter recipe plus pancake recipe:

http://www.sanctuary-healing.com/food-recipes.html

This type of baking takes some time to understand and master so it will not be for everyone although if you have some familiarity with sourdough baking it will be easy. My breads are tasty, easy to digest and have an extremely long shelf life because of the sourdough process!

My complete, and continually growing recipe book, Art of Gluten Free Sourdough Baking, is available in pdf and print form on my website, www.food-medicine.com

Good Luck and Eat Well!

Sharon A. Kane

glutenfreesourdough.blogspot.com

[Just loafing]

Can your children have spelt or Kamut? They are ancient grains in the wheat family, but many people who are sensitive to wheat can do one or both of these grains. In flavor, they are both more like rye. I did them both as soudoughs for five years commercially, using a 100 per cent starter of each. The spelt starter came with the business when I bought it, but I started the Kamut myself, by mixing Kamut flour and water and feeding it twice a day while it sat out at room temperature ... took just a few days. My dough was starter, flour, water and a little bit of salt ... no yeast, dairy, sugar or eggs. The breads are dense, but they aren't crumbly. We made muffins using spelt flour ... no special recipes, the only difference was most needed more flour. And we did pizza crusts with both spelt and Kamut. There's a bakery in Vancouver which uses nothing but spelt and makes everything including french pastries. (They do use white spelt however.) Spelt and Kamut flours are expensive ... they are invariably organic, along with there being relatively fewer acres grown. I paid twice as much for organic white and whole-wheat flours as non-O flours and spelt and Kamut were twice as much again. But, I did charge nearly $6 a loaf and sold lots a week.

[reenicake]

Thank you both! (sharon, I sent you a separate email..) Justloafing, I am afraid to try spelt or kamut because of my son's reaction to wheat -- basically he was not allergic (tested at 18 mos), then he was (tested at 3 years), then he wasn't (tested at 5 years), and now he is again (tested last month). Basically his intestines have been barraged and reacted poorly to the reintroduction of wheat -- so much so that it has affected his colon.

I'm afraid that even spelt and kamut (at $4/half pound at my heath food store) are still going to be damaging... I can't afford (literally, cost of the organic kamut plus the cost of the gastroenterologist visits) to take the chance.