My Journey into Gluten-Free Baking: From Autoimmunity to the Perfect Sourdough

How It All Started: A Family Health Wake-Up Call

Going gluten-free was never part of my plan. But when autoimmunity was discovered in my family, I started digging into the research—and what I found changed everything.

Gluten sensitivity and autoimmunity are often linked. For many people, consuming gluten can trigger an immune response that leads to chronic inflammation and worsens autoimmune symptoms. Even without celiac disease, gluten can contribute to gut permeability ("leaky gut"), which can set off immune reactions. With this in mind, I made the decision to remove gluten from our home.

But there was one major problem: gluten-free bread just didn’t cut it.

The Hunt for Good Gluten-Free Bread

If you’ve ever tried store-bought gluten-free bread, you know the struggle. Dry, crumbly, and flavorless, most of them left me longing for the sourdough bread I used to bake. Before our kitchen became gluten-free, I was deeply into sourdough baking, crafting loaves with rich depth and a tangy bite. Giving that up felt like losing a piece of my food identity.

So, I took matters into my own hands. I started experimenting with gluten-free sourdough, determined to create a loaf that tasted like real bread.

Building a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

It took trial and error (lots of it!), but I finally created a gluten-free sourdough starter that worked. With patience and the right blend of flours, I was able to make a naturally fermented bread that was not only gluten-free but flavorful, chewy, and satisfying—everything I had missed!

And that brings me to another key discovery in my journey…

Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread

Gluten-Free Flours: The Best (and Affordable) Options

When I first started baking gluten-free, I was overwhelmed by all the different flours. But after many experiments, I found a few staples that work wonders in bread-baking. Even better? They’re more affordable at Indian grocery stores!

Here are some of the best gluten-free flours I use for bread, along with their Hindi names for easy shopping:

• Rice Flour (Chawal ka Atta)

• Soybean Flour (Soya Atta)

• Chickpea Flour (Besan)

• Sorghum Flour (Jowar)

• Quinoa Flour (Keen-wah Atta)

• Millet Flour (Bajra)

Using these flours in the right ratios has made all the difference in my baking.

Join Me for a Gluten-Free Sourdough Seminar

Over the years, I’ve taught many gluten-free baking seminars, showing others how to create a delicious sourdough starter and bake amazing loaves without gluten. While I now focus more on my functional medicine practice, I still offer my gluten-free sourdough seminar once a quarter—mostly in Sunnyvale, CA, but sometimes online!

If you’re interested in learning my process, sign up for my newsletter, follow me on Instagram, or join my Facebook group, where I share upcoming seminar dates.

Have you tried gluten-free sourdough? Let me know in the comments!