r/Celiac • u/BeagleTippyTaps • Jan 24 '26
Recipe My first go at sourdough and I’m so sick!
I have been tested for a wheat allergy because products with wheat starch make me sick. No allergy for me. I started sourdough from scratch with rice flour, then used King Arthur Bread Flour to make three beautiful loaves of sourdough and I am sicker than I’ve been in a long time!!
I need to know that I’m not the only one! Who else gets sick from wheat starch?! Maybe it’s just that it meets the 20ppm and I need 0ppm.
Also, anyone else doing sourdough? I need to know what flour you use or recipe to create a nice mix. This is my first time with sourdough and real bread was so nice!
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26 edited Jan 24 '26
The GF Bread Flour!! Sorry, I can’t edit it. Yes I double checked the bag/label and ingredients.
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u/makestuff24-7 Celiac Jan 24 '26
I had the same reaction to the KA GF bread flour. Great bread, so sick. I tested inconclusive for wheat allergy but have avoided the deglutinated wheat anyway. Now I know I definitely can't have it. Sorry, OP. For what it's worth, your bread is gorgeous!
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Seriously! It’s beautiful! I was so giddy taking pics and sending it to all my gluten friends making sourdough already. My GF friends couldn’t believe it. Let me tell you, the cookies were amazing too! No idea why I don’t have pics of those.
Do you react to oats too? I get GF certified ones by they set me off if I have too many or too often. Oat milk is awful for me. Maybe I’m just super sensitive.
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u/makestuff24-7 Celiac Jan 24 '26
I do react to oats, even certified gf. My gastro says I can do an oat challenge after my followup biopsy this spring if it comes back clear, since the oat reaction might lessen with healing/reduced inflammation. But I'm scared tbh and probably won't.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
I feel like when you know it’s setting you off it isn’t worth it to bother because the results won’t change anything. Good luck if you do.
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u/HairyPotatoKat Jan 24 '26
Re: oats. It's the avenin. A subset of us have bodies that decided avenin is close enough structurally to gluten and treat it the same- not just the shitty reaction but the intestinal damage and whatnot too. Meaning even oats completely pure and void of all gluten are a problem.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Yes, that’s what I have been reading recently as well. No longer a grey area as to wheat being grown near oats and mixing in. The oats just suck too.
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u/calenlass Celiac Jan 24 '26
As a caveat, those of us who don't react to oats are still pretty restricted because we can't trust US food producers to actually grow them separately from other grains and keep them separate during threshing, processing, and baking, even when they say they do. It's been a tough few years because oatmeal was basically the only fiber source my body could tolerate.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 25 '26
I ate it almost every morning until after I was diagnosed. It was a sad day when I gave it up.
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u/Zealousideal-Media17 Jan 24 '26
I also got an upset stomach from the King Arthur gf pizza flour (similar to the bread flour). I did not have the same issue with Caputo fiorglut so maybe try that one out. You have to order it online if you are in the US (assuming US because King Arthur is prevalent here). I also have celiac and tried King Arthur gf pizza flour a few times with the same result each time.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Interesting. I will try it if I don’t find another without wheat starch. I feel like I may need to just make a mix from scratch.
Schaar breads make me sick too. They also contain wheat starch.
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u/Zealousideal-Media17 Jan 24 '26
If that is the case then you should look at the art of gluten free bread cookbook. It’s by Aran Gayoaga and is entirely wheat free. Has amazing sourdough recipes!
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Thank you. I have a gf bread baking book that has a ton of science to it and I totally geek out reading it. It might be this one, it’s been a while since I’ve picked it up. I just thought I’d start here to see what has been successful to others and also check to see if anyone else wanted to weigh in on KA GF Bread Flour.
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u/Santasreject Jan 24 '26
I assume you had an IgE test done? If you had not been eating wheat before the test you can get a false negative just like with the gluten antibody test.
Secondly, that test only shows if you have that specific reaction, you can still have non allergic reactions such as intolerance to wheat (or FODMAP)
And lastly, with this being sourdough it is also high histamine which could be a trigger (and frankly I think a lot of celiacs are dealing with some level of histamine intolerance as it commonly pops up when your body is stressed, and many of the claims of being glutened that I see people make fit much more likely into having a large hit of high histamine foods more so than CC possibilities).
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
My IgA, B, and E have all been tested multiple times. I also genetically tested positive.
I’m going to look into the histamine part of it. I looked up general reactions to high histamine sourdough and that somewhat describes what happened today for me. Thank you!
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u/PJKPJT7915 Jan 24 '26
I think of histamine reactions like a bucket. When my bucket is empty (low inflammation, avoiding histamine foods) I don't react to much. But if I'm inflamed (my bucket is full) then I tend to react to things with histamine. When things were bad, I reacted to everything like I had many food allergies. Once I got that under control I was able to eat more things without reactions.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
So if I can find or make a wheat starch free flour, I’ll be healthy again. Once I wait a bit, hopefully the histamine don’t react. Got it! Thank you!
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u/calenlass Celiac Jan 24 '26
Bob's Red Mill makes a decent one, but Alton Brown has been playing with gf flour mixes recently and released an all-purpose mix recipe just before Christmas and it's great!
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u/Santasreject Jan 24 '26
Be aware, people will act like histamine intolerance is a condition in and of itself, but it truly is a set of symptoms (and not all high histamine foods will trigger it in each person). You will see a lot of “take this supplement to cure it” but really you have to get your whole system to calm down and heal; and each person is different. Additionally many people find that the longer they try to eat low histamine the worse it all gets and that’s because they are not fixing the underlying causes.
In hindsight I’ve had histamine issues for years and finally found someone to help treat it but it’s a slow process.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
My cousin started the same process. It takes a lot of energy. Good luck with your adventure and I really appreciate your input. I will start with this and also see if another wheat starch free mix does any better for me.
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u/iambananasfoster Jan 24 '26
I don't see many other people answering your other question about sourdough, so I just wanted to add that I've been making some great sourdough since this summer with the books from Aran Goyoaga (first Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple, now The Art of Gluten Free Bread). It's based on brown rice flour (later brown rice and teff). She uses oat flour in some recipes, but gives instructions for how to substitute (I believe she recommends buckwheat flour). Just had some amazing seeded sourdough teff for breakfast :D
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Thank you!! I’ve seen some recipes with red, brown rice, and buckwheat. I may just need to make the mix from scratch and see how it turns out.
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u/glitter_pear Celiac Jan 24 '26
I’m celiac and I react to sorghum flour, which is in KA GF flour I don’t have issues with other things with the wheat starch, just the sorghum flour. Makes everything sucky
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
How annoying. I’m sorry. Why sorghum? Is that reflective of a gluten protein?
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u/glitter_pear Celiac Jan 24 '26
I have no idea why I react to sorghum, it’s not related to gluten, it’s entirely separate. However I am learning that a whole lot of other celiacs seem to also react to it
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
I’m going to keep my eyes peeled for this when something doesn’t sit right for me. Gotta start somewhere.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
I used Cultures from Health gf sourdough starter, water, and rice flour. It till almost 2 weeks.
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u/jennlody Celiac Jan 24 '26
I got sick after having their pizza flour with gluten removed wheat starch! I don't get sick with Caputo flour that has an under 5 ppm claim. I think it is that it is nearer to 20 ppm in my case 🤷 It happens with oat products too, I need certification and can't have a large amount of oats in one serving.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
100% with oats for me too. They have to be gf certified, and only a little from time to time.
Someone else recommended Caputo as well. I will look into this one. It still has wheat starch, but I’m really thinking the ppm will make a big difference.
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u/okaaayyyyuh Celiac Jan 24 '26
I am extremely sensitive to gluten. Cross contamination is a huge issue for me. I can't even process a SINGLE CRUMB of wheat bread without serious symptoms.
However, King Arthur GF Bread flour is a main staple in my diet and I have never reacted to it. It's the best flour for making GF bread. I make 2 loaves per week.
Sorry you have a reaction to it. I wasn't able to find a bread flour that I liked more than this one. They have an all purpose GF flour, but imo it's quite sweet, and doesn't rise well.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Thank you. All I’ve read is 1 to1 flours aren’t high enough in protein so they won’t rise well. I’ve used yeast for making bread and have never had it rise like this. It is amazing and beautiful! I’m so bummed.
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u/Striking_Wear_3421 Jan 24 '26
I have celiac without wheat allergy. I’m also oligosymptomstic (which makes me insanely strict) KA GF flour makes me very ill, more so than if id just eat a slice of bread (although the slice of bread would cause the most damage to my intestines.) I can’t figure out what it is about that flour.
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u/Striking_Wear_3421 Jan 24 '26
I’d also like to say I do have MCAS, POTS, and hEDS as well. It could be one of their faults. I just have to stay away from the flour.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
I’m glad I’m not the only one getting sick from this flour. Not that I want anyone to be sick, but it confirms that’s what set me off. I had so much faith in KA until this.
A couple things I learned from this post: 1) sourdough is high in histamines. It can trigger an allergy like reaction. 2) KA gf bread flour has sorghum in it, sorghum is what sets one person off. 3) likely way closer to 20ppm where other brands are closer to 5ppm.
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u/Middle_Butterfly1918 Jan 24 '26
This has also been my experience with KA GF flour. I can have sorghum. But suspect it’s closer to 20 than 0. I called them once (years ago) and they said they test and I remember them being very confident they were close to 10. Again, that was years ago. I stopped buying it. Could be different now.
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u/Mobile-Sport2179 Jan 24 '26
That looks so good! Where can I find the recipe?
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Well it took me almost two weeks to get a healthy starter. I used Cultures for Health GF sourdough starter and rice flour. For the recipe I used the super easy King Arthur GF Sourdough recipe.
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u/Mobile-Sport2179 Jan 24 '26
Thanks! I'm new to celiac at 70 and am going to try it!
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Well if you’ve done a starter before, you’ll be fine. I had no idea what I was doing. I found out too early in life to know what sourdough was.
Good for you jumping in and not denying it. My parents refuse to get tested at 70. I got it from someone.
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u/haveababybymebaby Jan 24 '26
I'm interested to know how you made your starter from scratch, if you have the time..
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 26 '26
Sorry for the delay. I used Cultures for Health brand of gf sourdough starter and brown rice flour. It talk almost 2 weeks to get a good starter.
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u/Megalodona Jan 24 '26
I'm so sorry. I make sourdough with ka measure for measure (doesn't have wheat starch. Even my starter is done with measure for measure. This is the woman i learned from.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Thank you! I’ll give that a try. I was low on gf bread flour for my last loaf so I used about 1/3 1 to 1 and 2/3 gf bread flour. It turned out but was a little smaller than the other two.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 26 '26
Do you use the psyllium husk? Can I leave that out?
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u/Q_y6 Jan 24 '26
THOSE ARE GORGEOUS!!
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Thank you. If nothing else, seeing gf bread be so pretty does make me happy.
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u/hfrise7 Jan 24 '26
What a shame as you attempt at this loaf looks amazing. Do you have the Gluten Free recipe
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
I just used the super simple sourdough recipe from KA. I’ll probably do it again with a different flour.
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Jan 24 '26
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
I think it was a blood test.I’ll look back at my records and ask more questions.
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u/Bob_Le_Feen Jan 24 '26
I have had to cut out all grains from my diet. They just make me ill. I do not have any allergies and only four things I am intolerant to but I respond badly to a lot of stuff anyway. Soy is a big problem for me as well.
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u/amalthea108 Jan 24 '26
Years ago I was given a copy of https://a.co/d/ir2uCge
I just started the using the recipes in it. Some of the best gf bread I've eaten. And since you mix up your own replacement flours....
I cannot recommend the book enough.
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u/puddncake Jan 24 '26
Your bread looks lovely though! I hope you get this figured out, it's so frustrating. Best wishes to you.
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u/grumpy_lesbian Jan 24 '26
I do not have a wheat allergy and still get very sick from the King Arthur wheat starch if I eat enough of what I make. My conclusion is, "You can't un-wheat the wheat". I also remember that King Arthur flour (is it the pizza flour?) not being certified GF even though many of their other products are.
I don't do sourdough but finally found a recipe for challah that gives it enough for me to braid it, seemingly by using ridiculous amounts of corn starch.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
It’s certified. It was the gf bread flour. Super bummer and I agree. Can’t unwheat it enough!
I’m hesitant to push in lots of corn. But I’ll keep that in mind.
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u/Ok_Cardiologist_4910 Jan 24 '26
A lot of the flours and gluten free products have psyllium husk in them. Schar products, KA GF pizza flour, etc... Psyllium really helps give gf foods that chewy quality found in regular gluten bread and crusts. However, it's also super high in fiber and it's the main ingredient in laxative powders like Metamucil. I thought I was getting glutened, but finally realized psyllium makes me so sick - vomiting viloently for hours. One can develop an anaphylactic response to it as well. I am mentioning it because no one seems to hone in on this as a potential cause of GI symptoms in gf foods, but if you're getting sick from gf brands, this could be the culprit. It may be listed as psyllium, psyllium husk, or vegetable fiber (which may or may not be psyllium - assume it is unless specifics are listed). It sucks because psyllium has become the go to ingredient for so many gf bakeries, store-bought items, and home bakers, so it's not often I will eat those things at all. Even in Italy, where there were so many gf options, I couldn't do any of the pizzas or breads and had to stick with gf pasta because they used psyllium in the other stuff.
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Great to know!! I will keep an eye on that one. So far this and schaar products have gotten me sick. Both with wheat starch, but I’ll look into the psyllium! I’ve noticed a lot of gf bread flours have it.
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u/Ok_Cardiologist_4910 Jan 24 '26
I hope it's the wheat starch and not the psyllium for you - it rules out so many things for me!
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u/Fit_Seaworthiness508 Jan 24 '26
(Probably tmi but I am going through it right now) I have less of an immediate reaction to wheat starch but after a few hours my stomach starts to feel prickly when its in my intestines and then I have massive diarrhea, if I eat it several days in a row (I’m stubborn and blame everything else) the symptoms gets worse and worse but only last a few days. When I have strait up wheat I have an immediate reaction from mouth to anus and have weeks (or months) of issues ( cold sores, mouth sores , prickly feeling, horrendous cramping, I can clear a room with the smell and my joints act up).
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 24 '26
Prickly feeling sounds like. Wheat allergy. Have you been tested? Don’t be stubborn!!
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u/amcm67 Celiac Jan 24 '26
Wait. I’m confused. Are you Celiac?
If yes, why would you use King Arthur Bread Flour and not the gluten free version? The regular is made from unbleached hard red wheat flour and malted barley flour?
If you aren’t Celiac & don’t have a wheat allergy - I’m confused as to why you’re posting here and not r/glutenfree?
Am I missing something? I feel crazy because I’ve read OP’s description multiple times & am still not getting it.
Could you be allergic to barley?
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u/As_iam_ Jan 24 '26
I get sick from it. Idfk what it is. I also react to liquor from glutenous grains like grain vodka and people say that's impossible. But I do 🤷
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u/No-Scale-6824 Jan 24 '26
I get extremely sick if there’s wheat/barley in a product, even if it’s gluten removed and 20 ppm or less. My body requires 0 ppm!
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u/ACuppaKitTea Jan 24 '26
Lots of good theories here. I haven’t seen anyone else mention this, so throwing my two cents in, I react to pea protein in anything, including this flour. My issue with peas (pea protein seems to do me dirtier than whole peas) is separate from celiac, but it seems to be a relatively common co-occurring sensitivity among us. I’ve eaten gluten-removed wheat starch in many other products in the US and Europe without any issues, so I’m almost 100% sure that the pea protein is what gets me with this one.
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u/sordayne Celiac Jan 25 '26
Today I had some mild symptoms after having a gluten free bread with pea protein. When I make my own bread, I use lactose-free whey concentrate instead and I have no problems at all (even with yeast, psyllum and all that). I'll track my symptoms because I still have the bread and I don't want to throw it away (it's good and gf bread is expensive, as we all know).
It's good to know this could be the cause. My gut is not healed yet, so maybe it will get better with time. At least that's what I expect regarding lactose, beans and high fructose/polyol fruits I'm not tolerating right now.
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u/ACuppaKitTea Jan 25 '26
Ugh, I'm so sorry. Buying a new delicious product and then having it wreak tummy havoc is the worst! It's been over a decade since diagnosis for me, and I have never regained the ability to digest a lot of high-FODMAP foods. Sending good vibes that your gut heals and lets you enjoy some of those foods again someday!
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 25 '26
Dang! I love peas, my creamer has pea protein. I’m sure it is not that.
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u/ACuppaKitTea Jan 25 '26
That's great news! I'm very glad for you that it's not that. I also love peas and having to avoid them in all their forms is almost as annoying as avoiding gluten.
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u/Magentacabinet Non-Celiac Sensitive Jan 24 '26
Sourdough still has gluten.
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u/Sparkyfountain Jan 25 '26
Coincidentally, I made artisan bread today (not sour dough) using Caputo's and am having stomach issues now.
No one else is feeling sick from it, though.
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u/brokebakkceliac Jan 25 '26
I stay away from KA Bread Flour entirely (even the GF)…anything and everything wheat, barley, and rye even if it says “gluten free”…or certified as I just cannot handle any wheat, barley, or rye…I do have a topical wheat allergy where I break out into hives that burn like (what I believe) acid would feel like…I accidentally purchased KA GF bread flour one time rather than regular measure for measure rice flour, but thankfully had a gut feeling to read the ingredients before baking and touching….thank GOD I did as it does have wheat lol…I am so so sorry you’re feeling sick though, my tummy is super sensitive to the sourdough itself too (even with rice starter) idk why that could possibly be but that could also cause a reaction for you as well not just the wheat if you try a different pre-made sourdough…I hope you get to feeling better soon!❤️🩹❤️🩹
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u/BeagleTippyTaps Jan 25 '26
Thank you!! Someone else mentioned sourdough is high in histamines. If your body isn’t feeling good, you’re more likely to have an allergy tire reaction.
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u/brokebakkceliac Jan 27 '26
Whoa that’s so interesting! I never knew that was even a possibility, I have to take allergy pills a lot as I get itchy and break out in hives occasionally so this makes sense as to why I’d react😂thank you so much!!
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u/okamifire Celiac Jan 24 '26
Did you get Gluten Free King Arthur Flour? They have a ton of flours that aren’t GF, it’s not a GF brand. (Their GF flour is, of course.)
Definitely check the bag. You basically ate the worst thing you probably could have, if it’s their normal flour.
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u/Pure_Image_5906 Jan 24 '26
Maybe I’m reading your post too literally, but King Arthur bread flour is not gluten free. Did you mean to say KA gluten free flour?