Sourdough is arguably one of the best breads out there, and somewhat tricky to master. Yes, I speak from experience. Taking care of that sourdough starter is definitely one of those culinary challenges in which I have failed. I either keep forgetting to feed it or leave it in the fridge for weeks without a peek. It needs special care and frankly, who has time in everyday hassle to tend to the starter? Fortunately, someone feels the same way and has created Sourdough Sidekick, my savior that automatically feeds and builds sourdough starter.
A brainchild of a collaboration between GE Appliances’ innovation hub FirstBuild and King Arthur Baking Company, Sourdough Sidekick is an automated flour and water dispenser. It can keep your starter alive when you don’t have time to tend to it. I like the sound of that. This funky countertop gadget takes the guesswork out of the feeding timing, ensuring the sourdough is active enough to bake, without the daily commitment.
This nifty appliance is a boon for people who love sourdough bread but cannot master the starter or don’t want the hassle of maintaining it. In a fast-paced life, Sourdough Sidekick eliminates the need for constant attention to the traditional method and offers a modern solution to a modern problem. According to FirstBuild, the gadget can sustain the starter for up to a week without requiring discard, working around your schedule.
It has a built-in flour hopper, a water tank, and a smart dispensing system. This system measures and delivers the right amounts of water and flour to keep the starter alive and thriving. It also adjusts its settings according to your kitchen temperature to optimize the fermentation process.
There are two modes: Auto and Custom. With Auto mode, the kitchen gadget automatically builds the amount of starter you need for a recipe, and it provides a ready-to-use starter on the time/day you select and there is no discard requirement for about a week. The Custom mode, lets you choose your specific feeding schedules, and flour-to-water ratio, and works on your schedule.
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This will allow home bakers like me to have the sourdough starter work around our routine, not the other way around. We can input requirements and have the starter ready to bake by the time we return home from work.
Currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo, the Sourdough Sidekick has completed its campaign goal. You can still back the project for $129 to get one when estimated deliveries begin in January 2026. Sadly, it will only ship to the US so I will have to wait for a while to get my hands on it.
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