From the mixing bench
Gluten-free baking glossary
Definitions for the ingredients, percentages, fermentation cues, and food-safety language used throughout our gluten-free sourdough recipes and guides.
Defined term
Gluten-free sourdough
Bread leavened by a wild yeast and lactic-acid culture grown only on gluten-free flours. Structure comes from starch gelatinization plus a hydrocolloid gel, usually psyllium husk, not from wheat gluten. Fermenting wheat dough does not make this.
Gluten-free sourdough hubDefined term
Psyllium husk
The seed coat of Plantago ovata. In gluten-free bread it absorbs water and forms a flexible gel that stands in for gluten's stretch. Typical baker's percent in our loaves is 4-7% of flour weight. Powder weighs about 85% of an equivalent whole-husk dose.
Psyllium husk guideDefined term
Hydration
Water as a percentage of flour weight. Lean gluten-free sourdough is usually 90-110% hydration, so the mix looks like thick batter that gels, not kneadable wheat dough. Milk, eggs, and starter water count toward total liquid.
Hydration and crumbDefined term
Baker's percent
A formula language where every ingredient is a percentage of total flour weight. Flour is 100%. A loaf with 500g flour and 30g whole psyllium husk is 6% psyllium, independent of cup measures.
Flour blend guideDefined term
Gluten-free starter
A maintained culture of wild yeast and lactic-acid bacteria grown on gluten-free flour and water. Ours is typically brown rice at 100% hydration. A wheat starter is not converted into a gluten-free starter by time.
Starter guideDefined term
Discard
Unfed starter removed during a feeding so the jar does not overflow. Discard is acidic and flavorful but is not a reliable leavener. Use it in pancakes, crackers, and quick bakes; bake loaves with peaked, active starter.
Discard guideDefined term
Peak
The window when a fed starter has roughly doubled, looks domed and webbed with bubbles, and smells like yogurt and cooked grain rather than solvent. That is when we mix lean loaves.
Starter guideDefined term
Bulk fermentation
The first rise after mixing, before shaping or panning. Gluten-free dough is judged by puff, jiggle, and aroma, not by a true doubling. Overproofing collapses the psyllium gel.
Fermentation schedulesDefined term
Cold retard
A refrigerator rest, usually overnight, that slows yeast and lets acids develop. Gluten-free dough can cold-proof in a banneton or pan; bring the surface to a scoreable chill before a hot Dutch oven.
Fermentation schedulesDefined term
Psyllium rest / autolyse
A covered rest after mixing so the husk hydrates and the batter shifts toward a scoopable dough. In our house loaves this is 10-20 minutes. It is not a wheat autolyse for gluten development.
Psyllium husk guideDefined term
Crumb
The interior of the loaf. A set gluten-free crumb looks moist with small irregular holes, not shiny wet streaks. Gumminess is usually underbaking, early slicing, or an over-gelled hydrocolloid dose.
Hydration and crumbDefined term
Oven spring
The rise in the first minutes of baking. Gluten-free spring comes from steam, a ripping-hot vessel, and a gel that still has gas to expand. Deep scoring is mostly decorative; the lid traps the steam that opens the loaf.
Sourdough hubDefined term
Cross-contact
Gluten moving onto gluten-free food from flour dust, shared toasters, wooden tools, cloth liners, or fry oil. Celiac-safe baking treats dust as contamination, not a rustic aesthetic.
Celiac-safe sourdoughDefined term
Certified gluten-free
An ingredient produced under a gluten-free standard, typically 20 ppm or stricter, with a label you can read. Regular oats, soy sauce, and malt vinegar are common traps. Certification is not a medical guarantee for a home kitchen.
Celiac-safe sourdoughDefined term
1:1 gluten-free blend
A commercial mix designed to replace wheat cups in cakes and cookies. Many already contain xanthan. Stacking a full artisan psyllium dose on top can make a tight, gummy gel. Read the bag before you treat it like a bread flour.
Flour blend guideDefined term
Xanthan gum
A bacterial polysaccharide used as a thickener. Useful in small amounts for cookies, sandwich bread, or pizza. It is not a one-for-one substitute for psyllium in Dutch-oven loaves.
Psyllium husk guide