Sourdough Sidekick: automatic starter maintenance...

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GaryBishop on 20 Mar 2025 at 18:29

I stumbled on this video on YouTube about the joint development with King Arthur Baking of the Sourdough Sidekick. They automatically feed your starter in tiny doses to keep it active with no discard. I'm not convinced that I need it but it might be fun to try.

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albacore on 21 Mar 2025 at 14:57

What a great idea this appears to be. I've often thought about building some kind of device that automated starter refreshments, but it never seemed too easy to implement - especially for a 50% hydration starter...

Sidekick reminds me of the commercial stirred fermenters, like Isernhager and Tradilevain.

Of course we need to think about starter refreshments and levain builds which are different scenarios - the Sidekick seems a bit fuzzy in this respect. I guess the idea is to do levain builds and save some to continue the starter - as some bakers do (I don't).

 

Lance

By Richard Braughtigan
All watched over by machines of loving grace! 
I wonder if there is an app that goes with it and if it measures the ph? I recently received the Sourdough Home mini fridge/proofer as a gift and it has improved my starter measurably but now this automated levain builder makes it and me nearly obsolete! Since I’m already out of counter space I’m going to need an appliance wall and eventually a graveyard for all of these bread robots. 

 

I wonder if the microdosing allows low acidity liquid starter, comparable to stiff starter, possible. i've already understood that multiple feedings extends the lag phase of LAB and gives yeasts head start, but imagine doing that hundreds of times...

is the idea that you can keep your starter going indefinitely through this 'microdosing'? 

Can you do this even when you're not baking frequently?

Is there a point at which microdosing ceases to work and you have to discard & feed?

Rob

PS -- 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻, MTloaf, for bringing Richard Brautigan into the convo!

My impression is you set the number of days before you intend to bake and it adjusts the microdosing to have it ready then. They are claiming this is equivalent to daily feeding. 

No doubt there is a limit on how long it can go. They say it measures the temperature and adjusts for that. As far as I can tell it does not measure the pH.

Gary

As we've previously discussed on TFL, pH measurement, especially in situ, is complex and expensive, so it's not going to happen in a gadget like this.

Also I take it there is no actual temperature control built in, eg no heater and controller? So winter use in many kitchens would need a temperature controlled enclosure of some kind.

 

Lance

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GaryBishop on 22 Mar 2025 at 08:15

I agree that temperature control would ensure consistency though they claim to adapt to temperature. Maybe they can adapt over a small range? The temperature in my kitchen varies from 63F night winter to 78F day summer. Maybe the starter culture would adapt to the changes?

It will be interesting to see how well it works for early adopters.

Gary

Speaking of early adopters, the web page for the organization (not sure if it's actually a "company") doesn't show any actual products.  It only shows prototypes and ideas.  Have they ever actually produced a successful product that works and keeps on working?

TomP

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MTloaf on 22 Mar 2025 at 15:09

I was being a little facetious about the ph metering. I do think it should have some ability to control the temp other than what the ambient temperature is in the room. The idea of building a levain over a 6 day feeding cycle is an interesting option for reducing waste but that must come with some stipulations. 
Don

I think they are focused on maintaining a starter rather than building a levain. I'm thinking it is an alternative to daily starter feeding or refrigeration. Keep your starter at room temperature with the convenience of refrigeration. 

Note. I made that up from the little information they provide. 

And yes, it has to come with a list of stipulations.

Gary

Funnily enough , I thought the converse - ie it was more about building a levain, rather than refreshing a starter.

As I said earlier, you can build a lev and just hold back some to be your refreshed starter (but of course, not the other way round). Indeed you quite often come across recipes where this concept is "built in" (confusingly for me). Woe-betide you, if you forget to save some, though.

There again, Gary, I'm sure you've studied it more closely than me, so you may be correct.

 

Lance

I'm just making stuff up trying to read between the lines. They say

The Sourdough Sidekick feeds your starter—so you don't have to!

Just tell it how much starter you need and when, and it handles the rest! Forget the constant feeding, the guilt of discarding, and the stress of keeping your starter alive. Instead, get happy, healthy starter that's ready when you are. We're launching the Sourdough Sidekick in partnership with King Arthur Baking Company.

I'm imagining that their partnership would enable them to distinguish between the terms starter and levain. On the other hand. It seems big for the amount of starter I would maintain. So maybe they do mean levain. 

Gary

I don't think they are understanding the correct terminologies of starters and levains and their fundamental differences, like many. As you say, with some bakers involved in the project, you would think they would.

Perhaps we need to tell them!

I also wonder what is the smallest amount of "product" it can make?

 

Lance

I saw a big starter tank in a bakery in France in 2018, big as a hot water tank. It seemed to work dependably, but I found it pretty scary. Since I only use lievito madre, this is not for me, but it might be a good product.

Maintain a starter for a few days and then build a levain and then the residue left over would start the process all over again. I would hope the preset controls would be adjustable for baking every day or once a week and still allow for a custom adjustments or a manual override. 
My weekly sourdough bread only uses 2% prefermented flour so I am making two loaves of bread with less than 40gr of recently fed starter. The sidekick appears to hold about a quart jars amount which is far more than I need. 
What I have learned from using the Sourdough Home appliance is that keeping a starter from cold refrigeration does improve its vitality. I keep it at 50F degrees and it matures in 3 days. I take it out and let it warm up with a stir and it is good to go in the dough or be refreshed. 
It will be interesting to see if this thing catches on. If your so busy that you don’t have time to stir some stuff in a jar with a spoon you might not have time to make bread either. 
It’s hard to say whether it’s a solution to a problem or a solution looking for a problem.