For home bakers who struggle to maintain a regular baking schedule, keeping a sourdough starter alive can feel like taking on an extra pet. The process requires regular feedings and planning, which can easily slip through the cracks for busy working parents or casual bakers. To solve this problem, the King Arthur Baking Company partnered with GE Appliances’ product development lab, FirstBuild, to create the Sourdough Sidekick, an automated machine designed to feed and maintain sourdough starters.
Designing the Automated Baking Appliance
The Sidekick resembles a standard Mr. Coffee machine in size and includes several built-in components to handle the maintenance process. It features an integrated water reservoir, a flour hopper, and a glass crock equipped with a stirring-paddle lid. According to a review by WIRED after a three-week testing period, the device successfully ended a prolonged baking dry spell for the tester without requiring the use of companion software.
While the appliance supports GE’s generic SmartHQ app for GE appliances, testing showed that the software is entirely optional. The reviewer noted that downloading the app was unnecessary for operating the machine, allowing users to run the automated feeding system directly from the hardware itself.
