Does sourdough starter require feeding with gluten flour?

mike_plumbs

Does a sourdough starter require feeding with wheat gluten flour? Does it matter if the starter culture had gluten fed to it when you make a loaf with or without gluten? May have some subtle variations in taste but will it have any effect on the success of you bread?

Originally asked by Neil Meyer on Stack Exchange (cooking) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

uphilltech

Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:

If you use a starter that's (ever) had normal wheat (or other) flour with gluten in it, the resulting bread is NOT gluten-free [as persons with celiac disease require] so let's get that clear at the start. The result might be low-gluten, but given that e.g. rolled oats which have not been checked for contamination with gluten bearing grains in the handling process are a problem for celiac persons even though oats (the only intended ingredient) are gluten free, a "gluten free starter" would have to be gluten free from day zero. Gluten is not particularly important to the yeast/bacteria colony that is the active part of a starter, so no, gluten is not required for a starter culture. They just...

Full answer by Ecnerwal: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/136590 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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