Yes, it works!
Sour dough starter is one of the easiest and best things you can grow. It is a bit like a child and needs to be fed and cared for, but if you can add a quick 30 second feeding into your weekly routine it is well worth the work.
So how do you start? Basically, you have to grow the starter from infancy.
They way it works is
Day 1: make the base by vigorously mixing 1 cup gluten free flour and 1/2 cup warm water together in a glass container. Once its mixed, cover with a cheesecloth or coffee filter and let it sit in a warm spot for about a day.
Day 2: You should see small bubbles in the mixture, these are signs of life. You need to repeat the feeding but first you should discard half of the starter. To the remaining 1/2 cup of starter, mix in in 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup warm water.
Day 3: Remove half of the starter and feed it once again with the same amounts of water and flour as before. (You can use the discarded starter for many things like pancakes or crackers!)
Discarding starter each time is very important! It may seem like a waste but you always need to be feeding your starter double its volume- so, if you have 1/2 cup starter you add in 1 cup flour.
Days 4-6 (or more if needed): Repeat the steps for a few more days until you notice that within a few hours of feeding the starter it has nearly doubled in size, that’s how you know it is ready.
Store in the fridge until you want to use it. Then, about 3-5 hours before you want to make your dough, feed the starter. It works best when used just a few hours after feeding.
IMPORTANT: You must feed the starter each week or it will die. How to feed it? Take the starter out of the fridge, remove half of the starter and give it to a friend. Then, add in 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup water and let it sit on the counter for 3-4 hours before returning it to the fridge.
Your starter is ready? Well, that is amazing! Here is what you should do with it.