This $180 gadget feeds your sourdough starter for a week while you're away; what is it and how does it work?

The Sourdough Sidekick is an automatic sourdough starter-feeding appliance introduced by King Arthur Baking in collaboration with FirstBuild. It was announced on June 23, 2026. It is priced at $179.95. It can automate the regular feeding and help in maintenance of sourdough starter. The fermented starter is maintained, which is then used to make sourdough bread.

Why does it require regular feeding?

The starter relies on a fermented mixture of flour and water. It has naturally occurring wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. The starter needs regular additions of fresh flour and water to remain active.

How does the $180 gadget work?

The appliance has separate storage for flour and water, along with a glass container for the sourdough starter. Users load flour and water into their respective compartments and keep their starter in the glass crock.


The measured quantities of flour and water are automatically dispensed by the machine. The ingredients are mixed into the starter according to the selected feeding schedule. Different feeding ratios can be used by the users. The basic goal is to reduce the daily need for manual intervention.

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The automatic mode

The Sourdough Sidekick also has an Auto Mode designed to prepare a specified quantity of ripe starter for baking. Users can decide things on their own and how they want things. They can tell it how much starter they need and when they need it. The feeding schedule is adjusted to prepare the starter for the intended time. The surrounding kitchen temperature is taken into account by the machine when it is trying to determine the timing of its final feeding.

Who is behind it?

It was developed through a partnership between King Arthur Baking Company and FirstBuild.

FirstBuild is an innovation and product-development community associated with GE Appliances. The product concept was launched on Indiegogo in March 2025. According to GE Appliances, in just 12 minutes, it reached its crowdfunding goal.

It became available nationwide in the US in May 2026. It was officially introduced by King Arthur Baking through its blog on June 23, 2026.