You will need to get your starter active by refreshing so it is active to mix into the preferment ingredients.

Once it is active, mix 150g of your starter with the water and white rice flour in a large capacity mixing bowl. Make sure it is fully combined then cover and leave at room temperature to rise for 3-8 hours until it is puffy and has bubbles. It will become almost double in volume.

Make sure to care for your starter before you finish this step!

Once the preferment is active, add the water and psyllium husk to the preferment and mix together to bread up the preferment and allow the psyllium husk to gel for 2-4 minutes.

Gather the rest of your ingredients.

In a separate bowl, measure out your dry ingredients: brown rice flour, tapioca starch, millet flour, sorghum flour, and potato starch. Mix well until totally combined then set aside.

To the wet starter/psyllium mixture, add the olive oil, ground flaxseed, sugar, salt, ginger, and apple cider vinegar. Mix well.

Then slowly add the dry flour mix to the wet and stir until the ingredients are completely blended and have formed a thick bread dough.

Divide the dough into two portions that have equal weights. Use an empty bowl. Each portion will weigh about 1010 grams.

For a round loaf, lightly flour the banneton(s) or proofing bowl(s) and the work surface with white rice flour or tapioca starch then place a portion of dough on the flour. Pat the dough to flatten slightly to a 6 inch by 10 inch oval then fold the longer sides in to the middle so that the overlap and stick together. Then from the far end, roll the dough toward yourself to seal the seam you made into the middle of the dough. Use a dough scraper or bench knife to tighten the dough into a ball. *Note the ball of dough will not be as perfectly smooth as a ball of gluten-based sourdough. It will look slightly rough and shouldn’t be overworked because it will become more sticky and messy. If your dough is getting too sticky, add more tapioca starch to your hands and work surface.

Once it is in a tightened ball, quickly slide the scraper underneath, then pick the ball of dough up and flip upside down into the floured proofing bowl.

Cover both bread doughs with plastic wrap or a plastic shower cap.

Leave at room temperature to rise for 1-2 hours (1 hour in warm weather, 2 hours in cold weather).

Then, transfer the doughs to the fridge to do a long cold proof for 4 hours to overnight (up to 12 hours).

The dough will rise to almost double in volume.

If you are baking boules in a Dutch oven, preheat the Dutch oven with the oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

If you are baking a sandwich loaf and are using the manual steam method(linkhere) then preheat a pan filled with 1-2 inches of water in the oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Before baking, you’ll need to score your bread by using a bread lame or bread knife to cut a slash for the steam to escape.

For a boule or round loaf, place a large piece of parchment paper over the proofing bowl and by tightly holding the edges, flip the bowl over so that the dough is now right side up on the parchment. Cut a slit that is about ¼ inch deep in the center along the length of the top of the dough or you can cut an X shape on top.

Carefully take the hot Dutch oven out of the oven, oven and place the scored round ball of dough into the center of the Dutch oven by lifting it by the edges of the parchment. Firmly close the Dutch oven to seal the dough inside.

Repeat with the other boule if you are baking two boules.

Place the Dutch oven(s) back into the hot oven. Close the door and reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees F for 35 minutes. After that time, very carefully remove the bread from the Dutch oven and place directly on the oven rack to bake for 15-20 minutes longer at the same temperature.

Place the boules on a cooling rack to cool. If you baked sandwich loaves, carefully remove from the loaf pan to cool on the cooling rack.*

Cool the bread for at least 3 hours to let the crumb fully set to avoid a gummy loaf.